UK Project
UK Project is a Japanese independent music company combining record labels, artist management, live venues, and related hospitality businesses.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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History
UK Project was founded in Japan in September 1987 with the purpose of finding and supporting artists who had not yet gained broad recognition. Its first record was released in April 1989. The company was incorporated as UK Project Co., Ltd. in December 1991, creating the formal corporate basis for a business that would later encompass labels, artist agencies, venues, restaurants, and concert events. In 1994, UK Project entered into a recording relationship with Toshiba EMI. The agreement ended in 1997, and the company subsequently continued as an independent operation. It was not registered with the Recording Industry Association of Japan, reinforcing its position outside the principal major-label trade structure. Rather than operating as one monolithic label, UK Project organized its activities through an umbrella model. Record production and artist management were handled through separate related entities, including privately held labels and management companies. This structure allowed individual labels to develop distinct identities while remaining connected to UK Project's broader artist and business network. The group accumulated a series of label brands during the 1990s and 2000s. These included Wonder Release Records, Rice Records, TV-Freak Records, Aaron field, Tinstar Records, Deckrec, Libra Records, Daizawa Records, Famires Records, and RX-Records. The company also continued releasing music through other associated names, including Benten. Daizawa Records, founded in 2001, and RX-Records, founded in 2005, became especially visible parts of the group's independent-label portfolio. Management activity was conducted through companies including Light Agent, associated with UK Project from 2001, and UKPM, formerly known as Jidai, from 2002 onward. UK Project's identity was closely tied to Japan's live-house and alternative-rock culture. Club Que in Shimokitazawa began operating in October 1994 and became an important venue for rock, DJ, and club programming. Zher the Zoo Yoyogi opened in February 2005 as another concert venue with bar activity, while Fuchi Kuchi opened in Shimokitazawa in September 2006 as a restaurant and event space that could also host intimate acoustic performances. These sites gave the company direct involvement in presenting artists and cultivating audiences, rather than relying exclusively on external promoters. The organization also managed Highline Record, a Shimokitazawa record store and label created in 1997 by a subsidiary of Space Shower TV. UK Project managed the store during its early years and acquired it as a wholly owned subsidiary in 2002. Highline Record was dissolved in July 2006. Its historical roster included Bump of Chicken, Good Dog Happy Man, and Nananine. From 2011, UK Project expanded its public festival activity through UKFC on the Road. The first edition was a nationwide tour. In later years the event moved toward a concentrated festival format, particularly at Studio Coast in Shin-Kiba, Tokyo. The 2013 edition marked a significant transition into a festival with live performances and DJ sets. The 2014 program combined regional concerts, a two-day Tokyo festival, and an additional appearance connected with Monster Bash. In 2015, the Tokyo event used three stages, including two live-performance areas and a DJ stage. Participating artists included acts associated with UK Project as well as affiliated and international performers. Through its labels, management businesses, venues, and events, UK Project became an important platform for Japanese independent rock and adjacent genres. Artists connected with the company appeared at nationally prominent television programs and festivals including Rock in Japan Festival, Countdown Japan, and Fuji Rock Festival. The company's enduring model is therefore based on a full artist ecosystem: discovering performers, managing their careers, issuing recordings through specialized labels, and creating physical spaces and events in which those artists can build audiences.
- 2013
UKFC on the Road becomes a festival format
[1]The event's first concentrated festival edition includes multiple performances and DJ sets at Studio Coast.
- 2011
UKFC on the Road begins
[1]UK Project starts its annual summer concert and festival series.
- 2006
Highline Record is dissolved
[1]The UK Project-owned record store and label is dissolved in July.
- 2005
RX-Records is launched
[1]RX-Records joins the group's portfolio of independent labels.
- 2005
Zher the Zoo Yoyogi opens
[1]The Yoyogi concert venue opens in February.
- 2002
Highline Record becomes a UK Project subsidiary
[1]UK Project takes full ownership of the Shimokitazawa record store and label.
- 2001
Daizawa Records is launched
[1]Daizawa Records becomes one of the labels within the UK Project network.
- 1997
Major-label contract ends
[1]The Toshiba EMI agreement is dissolved, after which UK Project continues independently.
- 1994
Toshiba EMI recording relationship begins
[1]UK Project signs a contract with Toshiba EMI.
- 1994
Shimokitazawa Club Que opens
[1]The company begins operating the 280-capacity live venue in October.
Products and positioning
An independent Japanese music group focused on discovering and developing emerging artists through a connected network of labels, management agencies, venues, recordings, and live events.
Record label · 2001
Daizawa Records
Daizawa Records is an independent label within the UK Project network. Established in 2001, it reflects the group's practice of using specialized labels to release and develop Japanese alternative and rock artists while preserving an overall connection to UK Project's management and live-event activities.
Record label · 2005
RX-Records
RX-Records is a UK Project-associated independent record label launched in 2005. It forms part of the umbrella company's multi-label structure, through which artists can receive specialized recording releases alongside management and touring support.
Live music venue · 1994
Shimokitazawa Club Que
Club Que is a 280-capacity venue in Tokyo's Shimokitazawa district. Operating since October 1994, it is known especially for rock performances but also hosts DJ and club events, making it one of the physical spaces through which UK Project connects artists with audiences.
Live music venue · 2005
Zher the Zoo Yoyogi
Zher the Zoo Yoyogi is a 280-capacity concert venue in Tokyo's Yoyogi area. Opened in February 2005, it presents live music and operates as a bar after performances, extending UK Project's involvement beyond recorded music.
Restaurant and event space · 2006
Fuchi Kuchi
Fuchi Kuchi is a small casual restaurant and event space in Shimokitazawa. Opened in September 2006, it includes indoor and terrace seating and has been used for intimate acoustic performances and other events.
Music festival and touring event · 2011
UKFC on the Road
UKFC on the Road is UK Project's annual summer live-music event. It began as a nationwide tour in 2011 and later developed into a multi-stage festival featuring current and former UK Project artists, affiliated performers, DJs, and occasional international acts.
Marketing campaigns
- 2013UKFC on the Road festival transition
Japan
The annual event shifted from primarily regional touring to a festival at Studio Coast in Shin-Kiba, Tokyo, combining live performances with DJ sets.
Outcome. The festival format became the central public event for presenting current, former, and affiliated UK Project artists.
- 2011UKFC on the Road
Japan
UK Project launched UKFC on the Road as a nationwide summer tour featuring artists connected with its labels and management network.
Outcome. The event continued annually and evolved toward a concentrated festival format.
Brand decisions
2011
Create an annual UK Project live platformOtherBackground
UK Project's labels and management businesses represented a broad roster of independent artists.
Action taken
The company established UKFC on the Road to present associated artists through a recurring summer tour and festival.
Aftermath
The event expanded into multi-stage festival programming and included affiliated and foreign performers.
2002
Highline Record becomes wholly ownedM&ABackground
Highline Record had been established by a Space Shower TV subsidiary and was managed by UK Project.
Action taken
UK Project acquired full ownership of the record store and label.
Aftermath
Highline Record remained within the UK Project structure until its dissolution in July 2006.
1997
Continue as an independent multi-label companyStrategyBackground
After its recording contract with Toshiba EMI was dissolved, UK Project remained outside the major-label system.
Action taken
The company continued developing artists through its own umbrella of labels, management companies, venues, and event activities.
Aftermath
UK Project maintained its independent positioning and expanded its role in Japan's alternative-music ecosystem.
Sources1 sources
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