Yoshitaka Hori, the chairman & CEO of Horipro, on April 7, 2013
Horipro (株式会社ホリプロ, Kabushiki-gaisha Horipuro) is a large Japanese talent agency.
History
It was founded in 1960 as Hori Productions (ホリプロダクション Hori Purodakushon) and changed to its present name in 1990. Horipro has two locations in the United States: Nashville and Los Angeles.[1]
In the 1970s, one of Hori Productions' most famous stars was singer Momoe Yamaguchi.
In 1989, Horipro purchased the publishing assets of famed rock band Kiss. Next, the company moved on to invest in more catalogs. A year later, HoriPro Entertainment Group opened their first U.S. location in Nashville, Tennessee.[1][failed verification] Over the years, Horipro's songwriters would go on to write many hits for some of Country music's most recognized voices.[citation needed]
In the late 1990s, Horipro planned to create a "virtual idol", an electronic rendition using motion capture methods of Kyoko Date.[2][3] The virtual idol based on Date charted in Tokyo in 1996, and provided inspiration for the character of Idoru in William Gibson's eponymous novel.[4]
In 2006, Horipro's first Los Angeles location opened. The company's catalog has expanded to include over 13,000 songs in each major genre. HEG's Los Angeles location is in partnership with Horipro Music Academy, a music enrichment school for children. Additionally, HEG Los Angeles began MusicTaste, a boutique artist development label that is placed within the publishing company. MusicTaste's artists include Matt Palmer, Dori Caymmi, and more.
Horipro contracted with MediaHorse, an American music licensing and marketing firm, in 2015 for synchronization licensing in the United States.[1] Horipro sold HoriPro Entertainment Group to Mojo Music & Media in 2019.[5]
