Horipro (株式会社ホリプロ) is a Japanese talent agency that manages actors, entertainers and musicians, as well as commercial and television productions.It has locations in Nashville and Los Angeles in the United States.
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.
In the 1970s, Hori Productions managed singer Momoe Yamaguchi.
In 1989, Horipro purchased the publishing assets of 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] Over the years, Horipro's songwriters would go on to write hits for country musicians.
In the late 1990s, Horipro planned to create a "virtual idol", an electronic rendition using motion capture methods of Kyoko Date.[2][3]
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 and Dori Caymmi.
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]
