Want your favorite anime music without having to tune in to any shows? You’re in luck: a highly-specialized streaming music service is debuting in America in August.
Since the 1960s, music from anime has begun to develop into its own popular sub-genre. Now, the people behind subscription service ANiUTa are hoping that will pay out dividends with their western audiences.
It’s already proven successful in Japan, where the service is being offered for 600 yen ($5.43) a month. Part of the service’s success can be attributed to the big names behind its foundation. The venture is backed by some of the biggest labels in Japan, including TOHO, Flying Dog, Lantis, and Toei Animation Publishing.
ANiUTa isn’t focused exclusively on songs from animated series.
Live action Tokusatsu series, video game themes, and songs from other pop entertainment are also highlighted in the package. They’ve brought together major Japanese game developers like Capcom and SNK as well as American studios like Warner Bros. to bolster their catalog and offer over 50,000 music tracks.
The targeting towards western audiences shows how much attitudes towards eastern animation have changed in the past quarter century. In the past, American and European audiences had to rely on imports, bootlegs, and poorly translated versions of the most popular shows if they wanted to enjoy quality Japanese animation. Today, services like Crunchyroll demonstrate how hungry the world is for quality animation, and ANiUTa could further cement anime’s reputation as a dominant force in international entertainment.
The western launch is a single brick in the service’s expansion, as plans are already in place to use it as a platform for single pre-releases, voice actor collaborations, and an aggressive merchandising push. The service will be available for both Android and iOS devices.
A subscription is required to make the most of the platform, but streaming previews are available to free users.