, commonly known as King Records, is a Japanese record company founded in January 1931 as a division of the Japanese publisher

Kodansha is a Japanese privately held publishing company headquartered in Bunkyō, Tokyo. Kodansha publishes manga magazines which include ''Nakayoshi'', ''Morning (magazine), Morning'', ''Afternoon (magazine), Afternoon'', ''Evening (magazine), Eveni ...

. It initially began operating as an independent entity in the 1950s. It later became part of the Otowa Group. Today, King Records is one of Japan's largest record companies which is not owned by a multinational entity. The label's headquarters are in Bunkyo, Tokyo. The label's name is actually based from the now-defunct ''

Kingu Qingu (, '' dqin-gu''; less commonly romanized as Kingu) was a Mesopotamian god. He is best known from the ''Enūma Eliš'', where he acts as a subordinate and spouse of Tiamat, and an adversary of Marduk. After his defeat he is killed and his b ...

'' magazine published by Kodansha from 1924 to 1957.

Sub-labels

Its Starchild label, was managed by animation producer Toshimichi Ōtsuki, specialised in

anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...

music and film. King Records also distributes the Up-Front Works–owned and –operated labels

Piccolo Town is a Japanese holding company for various entertainment companies. Its subsidiaries include the talent agency Up-Front Promotion and Up-Front Works, a music production and sales company that manages such record labels as Zetima, Piccolo Town, ...

and Rice Music, and also released

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

s for the

PC-88 The , commonly shortened to PC-88, are a brand of Zilog Z80-based 8-bit home computers released by Nippon Electric Company (NEC) in 1981 and primarily sold in Japan. The PC-8800 series sold extremely well and became one of the four major Japane ...

Famicom The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan on 15 July 1983 as the and was later released as the redesigned NES in several test markets in the ...

Game Boy Advance The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console, manufactured by Nintendo, which was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, and to international markets that June. It was later released in mainland China in 2004, under the name iQue Game Boy Advanc ...

, and

MSX2 MSX is a standardized home computer architecture, announced by ASCII Corporation on June 16, 1983. It was initially conceived by Microsoft as a product for the Eastern sector, and jointly marketed by Kazuhiko Nishi, the director at ASCII Cor ...

platforms. On February 1, 2016, King Records restructured Starchild and renamed it King Amusement Creative. Paddle Wheel Records is a division of King Record Co. You! Be Cool was the official sub-label for

AKB48 AKB48 (pronounced ''A.K.B. Forty-Eight'') is a Japanese idol musical girl group named after the Akihabara area in Tokyo, where the group's theater is located. AKB48 has sold more records than any other female musical act in Japanese history. AK ...

. Venus-B is the company's official

urban music Urban contemporary music, also known as urban music, urban pop, or just simply urban, is a music radio format. The term was coined by New York radio DJ Frankie Crocker in the early to mid-1970s as a synonym for Black music. Urban contemporary r ...

imprint. Evil Line Records is the label's new division, established in April 2014, and comprises artists like

Momoiro Clover Z is a Japanese idol girl group, commonly abbreviated as MCZ or . The four members of MCZ are known for energetic performances, incorporating elements of ballet, gymnastics, and action movies. MCZ is notable for being the first female group to ho ...

and

Meg Meg is a feminine given name, often a short form of Margaret, Megan, Megumi (Japanese), etc. It may refer to: People *Meg (singer) (born 1980), Japanese singer *Meg Baird, American musician *Meg Bateman, Scottish writer * Meg Bellamy, British ac ...

, among others. Nexus is the label's division specialized for metal/underground music from Japan also overseas. Notable artists in it label are Earthshaker, etc. Seven Seas is the label's division focusing on world music from overseas artists in many genres. King Custom was a special division of King Records in Japan that began in the early 1960s. It allowed individuals to release their own works without oversight or promotional support from the label. King Records provided only the branding and distribution, leaving creators with full control over their content. This unique system supported independent and regional artists, preserving their artistic freedom while leveraging King Records' established reputation and network. The division worked with the following matrix numbers: NCS (7-inch records), NDS (33⅓ RPM EPs) and NAS (LPs). The label was discontinued in the late 1980s.

Notable artists

Bolbbalgan4 BOL4 (), also known as Bolbbalgan4 or , is a South Korean musical act formed by Shofar Music in 2016. They appeared on '' Superstar K6'' in 2014 before signing a contract with their current agency. BOL4 was originally a duo consisting of Ahn Ji-y ...

Stomu Yamashta Stomu Yamashta (or Yamash'ta), born , is a Japanese percussionist, keyboardist and composer. He is best known for pioneering and popularising a fusion of traditional Japanese percussive music with Western progressive rock music in the 1960s and 1 ...

Inoran , better known exclusively by his stage name Inoran, is a Japanese musician and singer-songwriter. He is best known as the rhythm guitarist and co-founder of the rock band Luna Sea since 1986. He started his solo career in 1997. Luna Sea disba ...

Kana Uemura , known professionally as Ka-Na, is a Japanese singer-songwriter, who debuted in 2004. She is best known for her song " Toilet no Kamisama", an acoustic ballad about her grandmother, which became a hit in 2010. Biography Uemura first became in ...

Diedrich Hartmann Diedrich is both a masculine German given name and a German surname. Notable people with the name include: Given name *Diedrich Bader (born 1966), American actor, voice actor and comedian * Diedrich A. Bohlen (1827–1890), German-born American arc ...

Nogod Nogod (stylized as NoGoD) is a Japanese visual kei heavy metal band formed in 2005 by vocalist Dancho. Originally named , the band has been using simply Nogod since signing to the major label King Records in 2010. History 2005–2009: Formati ...

Takeshi Terauchi , also known as Terry, was a Japanese instrumental rock Instrumental rock is rock music that emphasizes instrumental performance and features very little or no singing. Examples of instrumental music in rock can be found in practically eve ...

Hiroko Moriguchi (born June 13, 1968, in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan), better known by her stage name is a female Japanese singer and tarento. Moriguchi is affiliated with the talent agency NoReason Inc., where she also serves as Second Production Departm ...

Morning Musume , formerly and commonly known as and colloquially referred to as , is a Japanese girl group, holding the second highest overall single sales (of a female group) on the Oricon, Oricon charts as of February 2012, with the Oricon record of most to ...

Tomomi Itano is a Japanese recording artist, songwriter, dancer, model, and actress. She is a former member of the Japanese idol girl group AKB48. She was born in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture. In 2011 she debuted solo with a single titled " Dear J", which wa ...

Atsuko Maeda is a Japanese actress and singer. She is a former member of the idol girl group AKB48, and was one of the most prominent members in the group at the time, regarded as the group's "absolute ace", "immovable center", and the "Face of AKB." After ...

Yuki Kashiwagi is a Japanese singer. She was a member of the Japanese idol girl group AKB48, NMB48 and NGT48. She auditioned for AKB48 on December 3, 2006, and was a member of AKB48's Team B. She was previously the captain of Team B before she was replaced ...

Momoland Momoland (, stylized in all caps) is a South Korean girl group formed by MLD Entertainment (formerly known as Duble Sidekick, Duble Kick Company) through the 2016 reality show ''Finding Momoland''. The show's winners Hyebin, Yeonwoo, Jane, Nayu ...

Miss Monochrome is an original character created and voiced by Japanese singer and voice actress Yui Horie, first appearing as a 3D virtual singer in March 2012 at the concert . A 13-episode anime television series by Liden Films aired in Japan between Octobe ...

Aice5 is an all-female Japanese pop group that comprises five voice actresses: Yui Horie, Chiaki Takahashi, Akemi Kanda, Masumi Asano and Madoka Kimura. Yui Horie founded the group on October 29, 2005. Two of the songs they produced, "Yūjō Mo ...

(Evil Line) *

Earphones Headphones are a pair of small loudspeaker drivers worn on or around the head over a user's ears. They are electroacoustic transducers, which convert an electrical signal to a corresponding sound. Headphones let a single user listen to an ...

(Evil Line) * Hypnosis Mic (Evil Line) * Charisma House (Evil Line) * Otsuki Miyako *

(Evil Line, formerly Starchild) *

(Evil Line) * Lynch. * Theatre Brook *

Haruka Fukuhara is a Japanese actress, singer and model from Saitama Prefecture. From 2009 to 2012, she starred in ''Cooking Idol! I! My! Main'' as Main Hiiragi, portraying the character in both animated and live-action segments. Following the series' end, she h ...

Sawa Sawa may refer to: Places * Saveh, sometimes transliterated Sāwa, a city in Iran * Sawa Lake, Iraq * Sawa District in Gunma Prefecture, Japan * Sawa, Nepal, a village development committee * Sawa, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, a village in Polan ...

(Bellwood) * Park Junyoung *

Hiroki Nanami Hiroki Nanami (七海ひろき, ''Nanami Hiroki'') is a Japanese actress, singer, voice actress, and former otokoyaku (male role) star of the Takarazuka Revue (2003–2019). Troupe History * 2003–2015, Cosmos Troupe * 2015–2019, Star Tro ...

Jan Linton Jan Linton is a British singer, musician and producer from Warrington. Biography One of the first few western musicians to ever sign directly to a Japanese major label ( King Records) Linton helped internationalize the Japanese music indu ...

(as dr jan guru) "Planet Japan" * Rock A Japonica (Evil Line) * Senri Kawaguchi *

Block B Block B () is a South Korean boy band managed by KQ Entertainment, and consists of seven members: Taeil, B-Bomb, Jaehyo, U-Kwon, Park Kyung, Zico, and P.O. Block B has received several accolades, including nominations for seven Golden Disc ...

Nana Mizuki , better known by the stage name , is a Japanese voice actress, singer, and narrator. She is represented by the agency StarCrew. Mizuki was trained as an enka singer, releasing one single under her birth name in 1993 and made her debut as a voic ...

(King Amusement Creative) *

Mamoru Miyano is a Japanese actor and singer. He is best known for his roles in ''Death Note'', ''Steins;Gate'', ''Mobile Suit Gundam 00'', '' Durarara!!'', '' Soul Eater'', ''Wolf's Rain'', '' Ouran High School Host Club'', '' Ajin: Demi-Human'', '' Fullmeta ...

(King Amusement Creative) * Suneohair (King Amusement Creative) *

Ryoko Shiraishi is a Japanese voice actress and singer from Kashiba, Nara. She is affiliated with Aoni Production. Possessing a husky voice, Shiraishi voices young to teenage men as well as young girls and teenage women. However, in a break from tradition, o ...

(King Amusement Creative) * angela (King Amusement Creative) *

Ai Nonaka is a Japanese voice actress and singer. She works for Aoni Production and was formerly a member of the voice actor unit Drops, which included fellow voice actor Akemi Kanda, Tomoko Kaneda, Mariko Kōda, and Ryōko Shiraishi. In high school ...

(King Amusement Creative) *

Yoko Takahashi is a Japanese singer, who is best known for her work throughout the 1990s, most particularly for her singles which were performed for and featured in anime, most notably the ''Neon Genesis Evangelion'' franchise. Early life Takahashi began le ...

(King Amusement Creative) * Soichiro Hoshi (King Amusement Creative) *

Sumire Uesaka is a Japanese voice actress and singer associated with Voice Kit. She won the Best Rookie Actress at the 10th Seiyu Awards. She made her singing debut in April 2013 under King Records. Career Uesaka became a regular on the web radio program ' ...

(King Amusement Creative) *

Inori Minase is a Japanese voice actress and singer affiliated with Axl One. In March 2016, she won the Best Lead Actress Award in the 10th Seiyu Awards for her leading roles as Jun Naruse in the box office hit '' The Anthem of the Heart'' and as Yuki Ta ...

(King Amusement Creative) *

Shouta Aoi , is a Japanese singer and actor. Under the stage name Showta (stylized as "SHOWTA."), he debuted as a singer with the song "Negaiboshi" in 2006 and released his first studio album, ''Eve (Showta album), Eve'', in 2008. In 2009, he left his agenc ...

(King Amusement Creative) *

Satomi Sato is a feminine Japanese given name which is also a surname. Written forms Satomi can be written using different kanji characters and can mean: *里美, "hometown, beauty" *怜美, "wise, beauty" *聡美, "wise, beauty" *智美, "wisdom, beauty" ...

(King Amusement Creative) * Yuuma Uchida (King Amusement Creative) *

Yui Horie is a Japanese voice actress and singer affiliated with VIMS and Starchild. She has been affectionately nicknamed by her Japanese fans. She debuted as a voice actress in 1997, releasing her debut single "''My best friend''" on . Since then, s ...

(King Amusement Creative) *

Niji no Conquistador is a Japanese girl group formed in 2014. The group's themes are illustration, cosplay, and voice acting. It was originally managed by the illustration website Pixiv as a part of the before passing to Dear Stage. Members Akagumi (Red Team) * ...

(King Amusement Creative) * B2takes! (King Amusement Creative) *

Miho Okasaki is a Japanese voice actress and singer from Okayama Prefecture who is affiliated with I'm Enterprise. She debuted as a voice actress in 2017, playing mostly background roles in anime series, as well as playing some roles in a number of video g ...

(King Amusement Creative) * AMATSUKI * AIMI (King Amusement Creative) * Mardelas (Nexus) * Light Bringer (Nexus)

Former artists

Alice Nine is a Japanese visual kei rock band formed in Tokyo in 2004. They were a part of PS Company until 2014. The band had King Records as its record label until 2010, when they joined Tokuma Japan. Then, in 2013, the band joined Universal Music Grou ...

(2005-2010; to

Tokuma Japan Communications is a publisher in Japan, headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. The company was established in 1954 by Yasuyoshi Tokuma in Minato, Tokyo. The company's product portfolio includes music publishing, video game publishing, movies, anime, magazines, man ...

) *

(You, Be Cool!) (2008-2023; to

Universal Music Japan , often referred to as just Universal Music Japan or UMJ, is a Japanese subsidiary of the Universal Music Group founded in 1990. It is the largest subsidiary for a foreign company in Japan regarding music distribution. The company is responsible ...

) *

CHAGE and ASKA were a Japanese popular music duo composed of male singer-songwriters from Fukuoka Prefecture: and . To date they have sold over 31 million albums and singles in Japan. History They were formed in the late 1970s at the suggestion of the A& ...

(1985-1999; to

Toshiba EMI , formerly , was one of Japan's leading music companies. It became a wholly owned subsidiary of British music company EMI Group Ltd. on June 30, 2007, after Toshiba sold off its previous 45% stake. Its CEO and president was Kazuhiko Koike. When ...

) *

Eri Kitamura is a Japanese voice actress and singer. She was previously affiliated with Early Wing, but is now a freelancer. She is known for voicing prominent roles in anime and games such as Sayaka Miki in '' Puella Magi Madoka Magica'', Saya Otonashi in ...

(2011-2016; to TMS Music) *

GFriend GFriend (stylized in all caps; ) is a South Korean girl group formed by Source Music in 2015. The group consists of six members: Kim So-won, Sowon, Yerin (entertainer), Yerin, Eunha (singer), Eunha, Yuju (singer), Yuju, SinB, and Umji. They deb ...

(2018-2021) *

Kagrra, was a Japanese visual kei folk rock band. They were originally signed to the now defunct Key Party Records under the name "Crow". The group changed its name when they signed to PS Company in 2000. History The band's major debut was in 2004 w ...

Masumi Asano is a Japanese voice actress, singer and narrator who worked for Aoni Production, but now as of January, 2021, a Freelancer. Biography Asano was born on August 25, 1977, in Noshiro, Akita and studied at the Kokugakuin University Faculty of L ...

Matenrou Opera is a Japanese visual kei symphonic power metal band. It was formed in 2006 by vocalist Sono and drummer Yuu, who were previously in the band Jeniva together.

(to self-owned amairo records) *

Mikako Komatsu is a Japanese voice actress and singer. Career Komatsu passed an audition held at the first corner of Nippon Broadcasting System "Takashi Fujii's All Night Nippon R". A member of "Younger Sister", she left the group in September 2007. She worke ...

(2012-2016; to

Toy's Factory is a Japanese record label founded in the late 1980s as a subsidiary of the entertainment company VAP, based in Japan. On May 30, 1990, it was established as an independent company. It is an associate member of the Recording Industry Assoc ...

) *

Megumi Hayashibara is a Japanese voice actress, singer, lyricist and radio personality from Kita ward in Tokyo and is affiliated with self-founded Woodpark Office. One of the most prominent Japanese voice actresses since the 1990s, Hayashibara is best known for ...

(1991-2019; freelance) *

Masami Okui is a Japanese singer and songwriter from Itami, Hyōgo. She began her professional musical career at age 21 as a concert backup singer. From almost the very beginning of her career, Masami has sung themes for anime television and movies. She ...

(1993-2004; to

Geneon (abbreviated as NBCUEJ) is a Japanese music, anime, and home entertainment production and distribution enterprise that is a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, owned by American telecommunications/media company Comcast headquartered in Akasaka, Tokyo ...

until 2011 when she signed with Lantis) *

Michiyo Azusa Michiyo Azusa () (4 May 1943 - 29 January 2020) was the stage name of Michiyo Hayashi , a Japanese singer and actress known for her 1963 song ''Konichiwa Akachan'', or ''Hello Baby''. Born in Fukuoka, Hayashi trained at the Takarazuka Music Scho ...

Miho Nakayama was a Japanese singer and actress. She made her debut in the 1985 drama ''Maido Osawagase Shimasu'', where her performance led to instant stardom. Nakayama released her debut single, " C", shortly after, and finished the year with her film deb ...

Minori Chihara is a Japanese Voice acting in Japan, voice actress and singer who has had roles in several anime series.Doi, Hitoshi"Chihara Minori" ''Seiyuu Database''. January 3, 2011. Retrieved January 10, 2011. She is well known for her voice role as Yuki ...

(2004) *

Sung Si-kyung Sung Si-kyung (; born April 17, 1979) is a South Korean singer, entertainer and television host. He debuted in 2001 and has released eight studio albums in Korean and two studio albums in Japanese. He has also hosted and appeared on numerous So ...

(2023 -) *

Neko Jump Neko Jump was a pop duo band in Thailand, composed of twin sisters Warattha "Noey (Thai: เนย)" (Thai: วรัฐฐา) and Charattha "Jam (Thai: แจม)" (Thai: ชรัฐฐา) Imraporn (Thai: อิมราพร). History The ...

(2006-2011; Former overseas partner of

Kamikaze , officially , were a part of the Japanese Special Attack Units of military aviators who flew suicide attacks for the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, intending to d ...

) *

Sound Horizon Sound Horizon is a Japanese symphonic rock musical group with composer () as the leader and only permanent member. They describe themselves as a "fantasy band" and have released works that closely resemble classical suites. Their songs often ...

Pony Canyon , also known by the shorthand form , is a Japanese company, established on October 1, 1966, which distributes music, films, home video, and video games. It is affiliated with the Japanese media group Fujisankei Communications Group. Pony Canyo ...

* the pillows (1994-2006; to

avex trax is a record label owned by Japanese entertainment conglomerate Avex Inc. The label was launched in September 1990, and was the first label by the Group. History Two years after Max Matsuura began a career distributing studio albums from othe ...

) * The Gazette (2005-2010; to

Sony Music Japan , often abbreviated as SMEJ or simply SME, and also known as Sony Music Japan for short (stylized as ''SonyMusic''), is a Japanese music arm for Sony. Founded in 1968 as CBS/Sony, SMEJ is directly owned by Sony Group Corporation and is opera ...

) *

TWO-MIX Two-Mix (temporarily known as II MIX⊿DELTA) is a J-pop, Japanese pop duo formed in 1995 by Minami Takayama (vocals and composer) and Shiina Nagano (synthesizer, composer and lyricist). Their style is fast Electronic music, electronic Pop music, ...

(1995-1998; to

Warner Music Japan Warner Music Group (WMG) owns, has a joint share, or is associated with the record labels listed here. Flagship labels *Atlantic Records *Elektra Records *Parlophone Records *Warner Records Atlantic Music Group * 1st & 15th Entertainment * A ...

) *

YuiKaori is a Japanese female voice actress and singing duo consisting of Yui Ogura is a Japanese voice actress and singer from Gunma Prefecture. Career In 2009, Ogura performed the motion capture for Hatsune Miku in the game ''Hatsune Miku: Pro ...

Yui Sakakibara is a Japanese voice actress, choreographer, dancer and singer from Hyōgo Prefecture.Doi, Hitoshi"Sakakibara Yui" ''Seiyuu Database''. January 3, 2011. Retrieved January 12, 2011. She appeared on Kōhaku Uta Gassen as background dancer behind A ...

to 5pb. Records *

Yui Ogura is a Japanese voice actress and singer from Gunma Prefecture. Career In 2009, Ogura performed the motion capture for Hatsune Miku in the game ''Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA (video game), Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA''. Ogura is a member of the J ...

(2012-2022; King Amusement Creative; to

Nippon Columbia , often pronounced ''Korombia'', operating internationally as , is a Japanese record label founded in 1910 as Nipponophone Co., Ltd. It affiliated itself with the Columbia Graphophone Company of the United Kingdom and adopted the standard UK C ...

)📝 小倉唯が所属レーベルを日本コロムビアに移籍。第1弾シングルを今冬リリース予定
/ref> *

Yukari Tamura is a Japanese voice actress and singer affiliated with Amuleto. She released her debut single "Yūki o Kudasai" on March 26, 1997. Biography Born in Fukuoka Prefecture, Tamura gained fame as an advocate for the Lolita fashion movement, wear ...

Yuki Uchida (born November 16, 1975) is a Japanese actress and former idol singer. Following her debut in the drama '' Sono Toki, Heart wa Nusumareta'' (1992), she received her first lead role in the 1994 drama adaption of '' The Girl Who Leapt Through Tim ...

Yuko Ogura is a Japanese gravure idol and model who typically aimed for the cute, innocent schoolgirl look prior to her 2011 marriage. She is represented by Platinum Production. History Ogura was born in Mobara, Chiba, and regularly, if not entirely seri ...

Sub-labels

Notable artists

Former artists

See also

References

External links