Balloom

Balloom

Type	Music publisher
Industry	Japanese music
Founded	March 4, 2011
Headquarters	Japan
Key people	Toku P
Website	balloom.net

Balloom is an independent Japanese record label that was created in 2011. Until 2013, it focused on releasing music by musicians who were popular on video streaming service Niconico Douga, especially those who used Vocaloid software, and people who created Dōjin music.

History

Balloom was created in March 2011 by Toku P, who asked seven other musicians who were popular on Niconico Douga in 2009 to join the label.^[1][2] Four founding members of the label, Wowaka, Toku, Fullkawa Honpo and Hachi (Kenshi Yonezu) formed a production collective called Estlabo to work on the ending theme song of the anime Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day, a cover of Zone's "Secret Base (Kimi ga Kureta Mono)" sung by voice actresses Ai Kayano, Haruka Tomatsu and Saori Hayami.^[3][4]

The first release on the label was the album Unhappy Refrain by Wowaka on May 18, 2011, which reached number 6 on Oricon's albums charts.^[5] The label organised their first live concert for Honpo Fullkawa's at Shimokita Mosaic in Tokyo on October 22, 2011.^[6]

Vocaloid producer Hachi released his debut album Diorama on May 16, 2012 under his real name Kenshi Yonezu, which debuted at number 6 on Oricon.^[7] The album was one of the winners of the 5th CD Shop Awards, an award voted on by music store personnel.^[8] Yonezu left the label in April 2013, and became a major label artist under Universal Sigma.^[9]

On September 25, 2013, Balloom Best was released: a 2CD compilation album of all of the musicians who released music under the label. In November 2013, Wowaka's band Hitorie was signed to major label Sony.^[10]

Former artists

• Agoaniki (アゴアニキ)
• Fullkawa Honpo
• Oster Project
• Scop (すこっぷ)
• Nanou (ナノウ)
• Toku P
• Wowaka
• Kenshi Yonezu

Released albums

• Wowaka - Unhappy Refrain (2011)
• Fullkawa Honpo - Alice in Wonderword (2011)
• Nanou - Waltz of Anomalies (2011)
• Oster "Big Band" Project - Gossip Cats (2011)
• Agoaniki - Agoagōgōgō (2011)
• Scop - Days (2012)
• Kenshi Yonezu - Diorama (2012)
• Nanou - Unsung (2012)
• Nanou - Andloids: All Time Best of Nanou (2013)
• Balloom Best (2013)

References

1. 人気クリエイター8組が音楽レーベル設立！ [8 popular creators form a music label!] (in Japanese). Oricon. March 4, 2011. Retrieved September 25, 2013.
2. "V.A.「BALLOOM BEST」発売記念特集インタビュー" [V.A. Balloom best release special interview.] (in Japanese). Natalie. September 27, 2013. Archived from the original on March 7, 2014. Retrieved March 8, 2014.
3. オープニングテーマ ＊ エンディングテーマ (in Japanese). Anohana Project. Retrieved March 29, 2013.
4. "劇場版「あの花」公開記念、「secret base」がLPサイズで" [Secret Base released in LP size to commemorate the film version of Anohana's release] (in Japanese). Natalie. August 2, 2008. Retrieved November 9, 2013.
5. 「アンハッピーリフレイン」 ｗｏｗａｋａ（現実逃避Ｐ） (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved March 8, 2014.
6. "News" (in Japanese). Balloom. Archived from the original on May 27, 2013. Retrieved March 8, 2014.
7. 「ｄｉｏｒａｍａ」 米津玄師 (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved September 27, 2013.
8. "CDショップ大賞入賞7作品決定、過去受賞者登場ライブも" [CD Shop Awards announces seven winners, past winners' live at event] (in Japanese). Natalie. February 4, 2013. Retrieved September 25, 2013.
9. 米津玄師、ユニバーサルシグマより5月にメジャーデビュー [Kenshi Yonezu, major debut in May under Universal Sigma] (in Japanese). Natalie. April 3, 2013. Retrieved September 25, 2013.
10. ヒトリエ新レーベル「非日常レコーズ」立ち上げメジャーへ [Hitorie new album! Creating Hichijo Records, and a major label.] (in Japanese). Natalie. November 5, 2013. Retrieved March 8, 2014.

External links

• balloom.net, official website (Japanese)