Up-Front Group Co., Ltd. (株式会社アップフロントグループ) is a Japanese holding company for various entertainment companies.[1] 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 Hachama.
Groups
Soloists/Entertainers
was originally founded in May 1993 as, a joint venture between the Up-Front Group and Warner Music Japan. In April 1998, Up-Front merged One Up with Y.J. Sounds to form Zetima. At the same time, Up-Front ended its distribution deal with Warner Music Japan and switched to Sony Music Entertainment Japan.
has a distribution deal with Pony Canyon.
had a distribution deal with King Records from April 2001 to August 2013, when it switched to Pony Canyon in September 2013.
was originally founded in March 1995 as. After being absorbed into Zetima in 1998, the label was resurrected in September 2004 to focus on Kayōkyoku and enka. Like Piccolo Town, Rice Music had a distribution deal with King Records from September 2004 to August 2013, when it switched to Pony Canyon in September 2013.
is Up-Front Group's in-house label that specializes in limited edition releases that are sold either online or exclusively at music chains such as Tower Records. The label previously had distribution deals with Pony Canyon, Daiki Sound, and Universal Music Japan before 2019.
is Up-Front Group's indie in-house label founded in May 2019.
was founded in 2003, with music inspired by those of the countries by the Mediterranean Sea, most prominently France, Italy and Greece, or even cover versions of songs from those countries. The label was handled by Epic Records Japan until December 2009, when Up-Front consolidated it with Zetima.
Sub-units
Project groups Shuffle units
Collectively known as Nice Girl Project!. Best known for assisting in Nintendo's Rhythm Heaven series after being discovered by Tsunku.
