MENT Recording
{{Short description|Japanese record label}}
{{more references|date=April 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2024}}
{{Infobox company
| name = MENT Recording inc.
| native_name =
| logo = Ment recording logo.svg
| logo_size = 250px
| image = Johnny & Associates2.jpg
| image_size =
| image_caption = Headquarters in Minato, Tokyo
| founder = Julie Keiko Fujishima{{cite web |title=【団体】レコ協 賛助会員にMENT RECORDINGが入会 |url=https://biz-m.oricon.co.jp/article/2664/ |website=Oricon Research Inc. |access-date=2025-02-09 |language=Japanese |date=2022-03-01}}
| foundation ={{start date|2022|01|11}}
| industry = Music
| key_people = Shintaro Higuchi,
Maiko Shino{{cite web |title=PRIVACY POLICY |url=https://mentrecording.jp/privacypolicy.html |website=Ment Recording |access-date=2025-02-09 |language=Japanese |date=2022-01-15}}
| products =
| services =
| revenue =
| operating_income =
| net_income =
| assets =
| equity =
| num_employees =
| parent = Smile Up (formerly Johnny & Associates), Avex Trax
| subsid =
| homepage = {{URL|mentrecording.jp/}}{{small|(Japanese)}}
| footnotes =
}}
{{Infobox record label
| name = MENT Recording
| image =
| image_bg =
| parent = Avex Trax, Smile-Up
| founded = 2022
| founder = Julie Keiko Fujishima
| defunct =
| distributor = Avex Trax
| genre = J-pop
| country = {{hlist|Japan}}
| location = {{hlist|Minato, Tokyo, Japan}}
| url =
}}
MENT Recording Inc. is a Japanese recording company and record label of the same name, founded on 11 January 2022. It was jointly established by Johnny & Associates and Avex Inc.{{Cite web |url=https://avexnet.jp/news/detail.php?id=1009556 |date=15 January 2022|title=ジャニーズ事務所とエイベックスがタッグを組んで、Kis-My-Ft2とSnow Manが所属する新レーベル「MENT RECORDING」を設立！ |accessdate=2024-04-25|publisher=avexportal}}
History
On January 11, 2022, record company Avex Trax and former talent agency Johnny & Associates announced the joint establishment of MENT Recording Inc.{{cite web |title=ジャニーズ事務所とエイベックスがタッグを組んで、Kis-My-Ft2とSnow Manが所属する新レーベル「MENT RECORDING」を設立！ |url=https://archived.avexnet.jp/news/detail.php?id=1009556 |website=avexportal |access-date=2025-02-08 |language=Japanese |date=2022-01-15}}{{cite web |title=ジャニーズ×エイベックスが新レーベル設立 キスマイ&Snow Man所属「MENT RECORDING」 |url=https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2221204/full/ |website=oricon |access-date=2025-02-08 |language=Japanese |date=2022-01-15}} The company is a privately held company.{{cite web |title=MENT RECORDINGの基本情報 |url=https://www.buffett-code.com/company/e0shxppwg7 |website=buffett-code |access-date=2025-02-08 |language=Japanese}} The meaning of "MENT" is an acronym for the four words "Music," "Entertainment," "Network," and "Transmission." "MENT" itself has a variety of meanings at the beginning and end of words, which is why it was chosen as the company name.{{cite web |title=新レーベル「MENT RECORDING」に関するお知らせ |url=https://mentrecording.jp/snowman/news/detail.php?id=1097086 |website=Ment recording Snow Man |access-date=2025-02-08 |language=Japanese |date=2022-01-15}}
The founding president was former president of Johnny & Associates Julie Keiko Fujishima. Shintaro Higuchi, a current president of the company, is an executive of an subsidiary of Avex Inc. He was a director of subsidiary Avex Entertainment Inc. until July 2023 and has been chairman of the board of Avex Music Creative Inc. since August 1, 2023.{{cite web |title=エイベックス及びグループ各社の組織再編並びに業務執行体制変更（2） |url=https://biz-m.oricon.co.jp/article/4477/ |website=Oricon Research Inc. |access-date=2025-02-10 |language=Japanese |date=2023-06-26}}{{cite web |title=人事、エイベックス・エンタテインメント |url=https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZTSJD80701_X20C23A6000000/ |website=nikkei |access-date=2025-02-10 |language=Japanese |date=2023-06-27}}
Former V6 members (20th century and Ken Miyake), Kis-My-Ft2, and Snow Man, all of whom belonged to Avex Trax, are affiliated with this company. The company became a supporting member of the Recording Industry Association of Japan on March 1.{{cite web |title=MENT RECORDING、レコ協賛助会員に入会 |url=https://www.musicman.co.jp/business/459366 |website=musicman |access-date=2025-02-08 |language=Japanese |date=2022-03-01}} The company address is Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo, the location of the former Johnny & Associates.{{cite web |title=会員社 |url=https://www.riaj.or.jp/about/member.html |website=日本レコード協会 |publisher=Recording Industry Association of Japan |access-date=2025-02-08 |language=Japanese}}
In the wake of the Johnny Kitagawa sexual abuse scandal, it was decided that Johnny & Associates would be closed down in October 2023,{{cite web |title=ジャニーズ事務所は解体へ、社名を変更し補償業務終了後に廃業の方針 |url=https://natalie.mu/eiga/news/543338 |website=natalie |access-date=2025-02-08 |language=Japanese |date=2023-10-02}} and accordingly, the artists belonging to the company was transferred to a new company, Starto Entertainment, and groups also belonged to Starto.{{cite web |title=旧ジャニーズ所属タレント「ほとんどは新会社に移籍」 「STARTO ENTERTAINMENT」福田淳CEOが説明 |url=https://www.tokyo-np.co.jp/article/295151 |website=Tokyo-np |access-date=2025-02-08 |language=Japanese |date=2023-12-09}} However, the details of the affiliated company, Ment Recording, Inc. are unknown, as it was only reported that Julie Fujishima had stepped down as president.{{cite web |title=旧ジャニーズ性加害問題、藤島氏が関連会社の会長職退任 |url=https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZQOUC09BK50Z00C24A9000000/ |website=nikkei |access-date=2025-02-08 |language=Japanese |date=2024-09-09}}
Currently, the two main groups that belong to this company are Kis-My-Ft2 and Snow Man. Snow Man debuted in 2020 and has since broken out, selling nearly 1 million CDs each time as of 2024, making up the core of the label's sales.{{cite web |title=Snow Man 最新シングルミリオンセールス達成！ 発売から2日で 初週での突破はグループ初 |url=https://www.sponichi.co.jp/entertainment/news/2024/02/15/kiji/20240215s00041000465000c.html |website=sponichi |access-date=2025-02-08 |language=Japanese |date=2024-02-15}}{{cite web |title=【ビルボード】Snow Man『BREAKOUT / 君は僕のもの』108.8万枚でシングル1位、自身2作目の初週ミリオン |url=https://www.billboard-japan.com/d_news/detail/140321/2 |website=billboard japan |access-date=2025-02-08 |language=Japanese |date=2024-08-05}}{{cite web |title=Snow Manの新アルバム『RAYS』、発売3日間で100万枚突破 自身最速でミリオン達成【オリコンランキング】 |url=https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2352435/full/ |website=oricon |access-date=2025-02-08 |language=Japanese |date=2024-11-01}}
Background
Groups affiliated with former Johnny & Associates often belonged to private labels financed by Johnny's, such as Arashi, NEWS and KAT-TUN, but it is said that the groups affiliated with Avex Trax had difficulty establishing private labels because of the different factions within the company.{{cite web |title=Kis-My-Ft2＆Snow Man、エイベックス新レーベル設立の背景に“派閥問題”の解消あった!? |url=https://cyzowoman.jp/2022/01/post_374468_1.html |website=cyzowoman |publisher=cyzo inc. |access-date=2025-02-08 |language=Japanese |date=2022-01-20}} V6 was said to be from the faction of late vice president Mary Fujishima and her daughter former president Julie Fujishima, Tackey & Tsubasa, which disbanded in 2018, was a neutral faction attached to Johnny Kitagawa, and Kis-My-Ft2 was from the Michi Iijima faction, which is opposed to Mary and Julie, and they were said to be enemies with each other.{{cite web |title=嵐を育てたジュリー氏のマネジメント術とは？ 伝統的なジャニーズ・マナーの強み |url=https://realsound.jp/2015/01/post-2355.html |website=realsound |access-date=2025-02-08 |language=Japanese |date=2015-01-29}} It is said that after Iijima left the company in 2016, SMAP, which she was in charge of, was disbanded and Kis-My-Ft2 was taken over by different people to manage, which eliminated the reason for the conflict and led to the establishment of the private label.
Executives
- Presidents: Shintaro Higuchi, Maiko Shino, since May 30, 2024.
- Former president: Julie Keiko Fujishima, until May 30, 2024.
- Directors: Shinsuke Hashimoto, Shintaro Higuchi, Maiko Shino
- Former director: Hideaki Takizawa, until October 31, 2022.
According to the company's register obtained on February 12, 2025, the four directors initially named as directors, besides President Julie, were Shintaro Higuchi, Hideaki Takizawa, Maiko Shino, and Shinsuke Hashimoto. Of these, Hideaki Takizawa resigned from this director position on October 31, 2022 upon his departure from Johnny & Associates. Keiko Fujishima Julie, who was initially the representative director of the company, resigned from the same position on May 30, 2024. Shintaro Higuchi and Maiko Shino, two of the company's directors, became representative directors on the same day, May 30, 2024.{{cite web |title=株式会社MENT RECORDING |url=https://www1.touki.or.jp/ |website=General Incorporated Foundation of Civil Legal Affairs |publisher=Legal Affairs Bureau |access-date=2025-02-12 |language=Japanese}}
Artists
- Current, {{as of|2025}}:
- 20th Century:{{cite web |title=20th Century |url=https://mentrecording.jp/20thcentury/ |website=Ment Recording |access-date=2025-02-08 |language=Japanese}}{{cite web |title=20th Century、V6解散後も歩みを止めない3人の活躍 それぞれが築き上げてきた厚い信頼感 |url=https://realsound.jp/2022/04/post-1006533.html |publisher=Realsound |access-date=2024-05-10 |language=Japanese |date=12 April 2022}} 20th Century is a group derived from V6 (band).
- Kis-My-Ft2{{cite web |title=Kis-My-Ft2、Snow Manが所属 ジャニーズ事務所とエイベックスが新レーベル＜MENT RECORDING＞設立 |url=https://realsound.jp/2022/01/post-947902.html |website=realsound |access-date=2025-02-08 |language=Japanese |date=2022-01-15}}
- Busaiku
- Snow Man
See also
- Johnny & Associates
- Starto Entertainment
- Avex Inc.
- Avex Music Creative
- Avex Trax – Avex Group's main label. Artists belonging to this label belonged to this label before its establishment.
- J-Friends – a special project launched in 1997 by artists affiliated with Johnny & Associates. The project ended in 2003.
References
{{reflist}}
Category:Japanese record labels
Category:Recording studios in Japan
Category:Japanese companies established in 2021
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