Sony Music Japan

Sony Music Entertainment Japan Inc. is a Japanese music company that was founded in 1968 as CBS/Sony Records, a joint venture between Sony Corporation and CBS Records. It was renamed to its current nams in 1988 after Sony purchased CBS Records and alongside it, its remaining shares in CBS/Sony. The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony Corporation, operating independently from the international SME although SMEJ markets and distributes SME's library in Japan.

Production LogosCommercial TagsWarning Screens

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1st Logo (1984-1992)

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Visuals: The visuals consist of the text in blue:

A
CBS/SONY GROUP
RELEASE

Variants:

• From 1991 onwards, the text reads:

A
Sony Music Entertainment
RELEASE

• Sometimes, the text says "CBS/SONY HOME VIDEO".
• Sometimes, the text was in white.
• A variant with the text in Didot, CBS' (the company's co-owner) corporate font, exists.

Technique: Fading effects.

Audio: None.

Availability: Seen on releases from the company including anime such as Penguin's Memory: Shiawase Monogatari and Tama and Friends: Third Street Story.

2nd Logo (October 1, 1992-1998)

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Visuals: On a gray gradient background, there is a flash that reveals a light blue parallelogram which divides itself into slanted lines. The lines disappear to reveal the text "Sony Music Entertainment" in white. Then, a red line draws the white italic word "(Japan) Inc." below the text.

Variants:

• Sometimes, the text reads "Sony Records", "Ki/oon Sony Records" or "Epic/Sony Records" and then the line forms the normal text below in italics.
• On SNES games, the text is already formed, except for the line drawing the text.

Technique: 2D animation.

Audio:

• 1992-1994: A singing choir followed by wobbling synth noises. This track entitled "SME logo A" was composed by Masaya Matsuura.
• 1994-1998: A choir, followed by a xylophone theme, which is actually the Roland D-50 Fantasia preset.
• On the SNES version, the logo is silent.

Availability: Seen on anime and music releases from the company in Japan, as well as on SNES games in the Japanese market, such as the Japanese version of Solstice.

3rd Logo (1994-1998)

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Visuals: On a black background, there is a white vertical rectangle in the middle with the Columbia Records "walking eye" symbol inside of it. Below that, there is the text "Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc.".

Variants:

• On Lagnacure, the logo fades to white at the end, transitioning to the Art System logo.
• On Bakuden Unbalance Zone, the Amuse logo is shown below the logo.

Technique: Fading effects.

Audio: None.

Availability: It was seen on Japanese PS1 games that distributed their music on the Japanese Sony Music label. ^[Examples?]

4th Logo (February 26, 1998-)

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Visuals: On a black background, 3 white lights appear and wipe in the 3D white text "Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc." in stacked form, which starts off on the sides of the letters before they rotate one by one to face the camera. A CD is also formed among the letters, which starts to spin rapidly before flashing and turning into the letter "a".

Variants:

• Sometimes, the text would read either "Sony Music Labels Inc.", "Sony Music Direct (Japan) Inc.", "Sony Music Records", "Ki/oon Records" or "SME Records". Here, only one light is shown because there's only a line of text.
• The SME version also has a light forming the italic text "Sony Music Records Inc." below the logo, this time flipping up from below.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: The 1994 theme of the second logo. On some occasions, the logo is silent.

Availability: Seen on Japanese music VHS and DVD releases from the company, as well as PS1, PS2, PSP, and PS3 video games from the era. ^[Examples?]

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1st Tag (1997-2003)

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Visuals: Over a pitch black background, multiple colored stringed circles of blue, green, orange, yellow and red where it quickly spinned like a vinyl record to stop into showing the "Sony Music" logo, which then the logo immediately swipes out of the screen to the left as the it spins again.

Technique: 2D computer animation.

Audio: A fast swirly-like sound that is close to a record scratch.

2nd Tag (2003-)

Standard VariantsCustom VariantsVideos

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Visuals: Over a white background, multiple oval rings in red, gray, and black, zoom in. Larger, taller ovals - looking like curved lines - are shown behind them. A pair of two ovals, one in bold and red, and the other in gray and slanted, zoom at the center where the "Sony Music" logo is shown along with the registered mark. While the logo zooms in, another diagonal gray oval appears zooming out in-between the logo.

Variants:

• There is a variant where a black background is used.
• There also exists custom variants used by a few artists.
  • On commercials by the rock band Orange Range, the "Sony Music" text is replaced by a rounded square outline in orange with an R inside it. An orange dot is also shown above the logo, with the design resembling an orange.
  • On a few commercials by R&B artist Crystal Kay, the text reads "Crystal Kay".

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A camera shutter style sound effect.

3rd Tag (Mid-Late 2000s)

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Visuals: Over a white background, multiple oval rings in red, gray and black rotate quickly; larger, taller ovals - looking like curved lines - are shown behind them. In the center the "Sony Music" logo appears spinning as quickly as the other elements. These then slow down as the logomark rotates to the left.

Variants:

• There is also a variant where all the elements are moved further back and spinning in regular speed without changes.
• Like the 2nd, a black background variant is used.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A camera shutter style sound effect.

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Contents
1st Screen (1984-1992)	2nd Screen (1992-)

1st Screen (1984-1992)

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Visuals: On a black background is the following blue warning text, which fades in and out:

おことわり
このビデオ・プログラムは、一般家庭における
私的再生に用途を限って販売されています。
従って製作・著作者の書面による事前の承認が
ない場合、各種の複製(コピー)、 家庭内の
個人使用以外で再生、レンタル目的での利用
などを行うことは一切できません。

Variant: A later version exists where the text says:

おことわり
このビデオ・プログラムを
書面による許可なく、複製、
放送、有線放送、営利的上映
などに使用することは、法律
で禁止されております。

Technique: Digital graphics.

Audio: None.

2nd Screen (1992-)

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Visuals: On a black background is the text "Warning" in cursive. A red line draws behind the script. Below it is Japanese text reading:

--------おことわり--------
このビデオグラムは、一般家庭内における私的再生に
用途を限って販売されています。
従って有償・無償に拘らず、製作・著作者の書面による
事前の承認を得ず、貸与・複製・放送・有線送信・上映等を
行うことは一切できません。

It later fades to an English translation reading:

THIS VIDEOGRAM HAS BEEN SOLD FOR THE PURPOSE
OF PRIVATE HOME VIEWING ONLY.
THE RENTING, COPYING, BROADCASTING.
CABLE TRANSMISSION AND/OR PERFORMANCE IN PUBLIC
OF THIS VIDEOGRAM (WHETHER SUCH USE
ARE FOR COMMERCIAL OR NON-COMMERCIAL USE)
WITHOUT THE PRIOR WRITTEN PERMISSION
OF THE COPYRIGHT PROPRIETORS
IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED.

Variants: Over the years, the text changes various times.

Technique: 2D animaion.

Audio: None.

Availability: Seen on all Sony Music Japan releases since 1992. It was also seen on Aniplex releases, including the American Blu-ray of Blue Exorcist and the Japanese Blu-ray of Fireworks.