The Deals: Ryuichi Sakamoto Catalog Sells to Exceleration/NexTone; Primary Wave Enters Literary & Theatrical Catalog Space

The catalog of visionary Japanese composer and musician Ryuichi Sakamoto has been sold to U.S.-based Exceleration Music and Japanese rights company NexTone.

Sakamoto was a founding member of pioneering dance-pop group Yellow Magic Orchestra alongside bandmates Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi. The band, which released eight studio albums between 1978 and 1993, inspired contemporaries including David Bowie. Its work was later sampled by Mariah Carey and Jennifer Lopez, among others.

Sakamoto also worked prolifically as a composer for film and other mediums, and in 1987 won an Academy Award, a Grammy and a Golden Globe for his score to Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Last Emperor. He also starred in and scored Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence alongside Bowie and provided the score for 2015’s The Revenant.

Sakamoto died in 2023 aged 71, though his work has remained present, with a number of exhibitions and installations celebrating his storied career. In September, Sakamoto’s autobiography Music Sets You Free will be published in the English language for the first time.

In a statement, the Sakamoto estate said that both companies will act as joint custodians and work closely with KAB, Sakamoto’s management, to oversee future posthumous releases including reissues, new configurations of classic albums and unreleased tracks.

Exceleration’s existing company roster currently includes labels Cooking Vinyl, Kill Rock Stars and Bloodshot Records. It also works closely with the Ray Charles Foundation to release music from his archive. 

NexTone will handle the catalog inside Asia and collaborate with Fuji Pacific on the administration of publishing rights. 

The Sakamoto estate said of the partnership, “Music belongs to time, not to possession. We welcome those who will carry it forward.” — Thomas Smith

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