Sega's president: "Few companies can boast such a fantastic music catalogue as us"
Shuji Utsumi want to make it easier to enjoy the company's vast music history on streaming services, live concerts, and more.
During the '80s and especially the '90s, Sega created gaming magic and gave Nintendo itself a serious run for its money with the Mega Drive. But the Sega Saturn and Dreamcast also saw an incredible number of great titles, many of which shared the common thread of incredible music.
In an interview with Famitsu, Sega president Shuji Utsumi receives praise for Sega's excellent game music, and since he himself has rare insight into the industry following his time as president of Warner Music Japan, he agrees with the statement, noting that few companies can match Sega in this area and that he wants to make this music more accessible to people (translated using DeepL):
"From a business perspective, few companies can boast such a fantastic music catalog. I previously served as president of Warner Music Japan, and based on my experience in the music industry, I truly believe that 'Sega's music is outstanding.' I want to create an environment where everyone can more easily listen to these songs, for example via Spotify or Amazon Music."
Utsumi continues his line of reasoning, citing Sega's studio Atlus as an example of a label that's doing exceptionally well on Spotify:
"Incidentally, Atlus is registered as a single artist on music streaming services, but on Spotify, they rank at the top alongside artists who sell well worldwide. This shows just how popular video game music really is."
That's why he now wants to make it easier to enjoy Sega's music, with plans that include playlists, collaborations with other artists, and even live performances. He says that the fact that some songs are in Japanese isn't a problem, citing the iconic Yakuza track "Baka Mitai" as an example:
"There are many fans all over the world who love Sega's music, so it would be great if we could, for example, create playlists featuring Sega tracks to make it easier to listen to them. Of course, we're also considering collaborations with other artists and live performances.
"At gaming-related concerts, even international visitors sing along in Japanese, and that's when you really feel the power of the music. I've even seen audiences from both Japan and abroad sing the popular song 'Baka Mitai' from the Yakuza series in unison."
How interested are you personally in video game music, and do you usually listen to it on platforms like Spotify?
