NME Teams With Kyodo

The joint venture has launched a web-based, Japanese-language version of the magazine and will also present “live NME-branded music events” in Japan, according to Music Week. Most of the content of the web magazine consists of NME articles translated into Japanese, but there will also be original content about local artists, including interviews.

NME director Jo Smalley said, “I’m absolutely delighted to be working with Kyodo Tokyo to bring NME to Japan. It’s a brilliant opportunity to deliver our content to an appreciative Japanese audience boosted by an exciting experiential strategy. Both our companies are rich in heritage – NME has been the definitive voice of everything that matters in music since 1952, while Kyodo Tokyo has been putting on world-class events in Japan since 1962 and continues to do so with the likes of Sir Paul McCartney and Taylor Swift this spring and The Rolling Stones in February 2014.”

Kyodo president Yoshito Yamazaki added, “We are extremely excited to work with NME, an innovative and renowned media brand with a long history. When we had The Beatles at Nippon Budokan in 1966, it was the first time the venue had been used in Japanese history for an event other than martial arts. Sir Paul McCartney returned to Japan to perform there again in April, and NME has named this venue as one of the ’14 Legendary Rock Venues in the World.'”

The new site was launched on July 10 for both PCs and mobile devices. The first joint event for the venture will be The Jesus & Mary Chain performing its classic album Psychocandy in Tokyo and Osaka in November.