About the studio
Bandai Namco Music Live traces back to 1983, when it was founded as AE Planning Inc., the same corporate lineage that would eventually become Bandai Visual. Based in Tokyo, the company has been restructured repeatedly: Bandai Visual merged with music label Lantis (founded November 26, 1999) in February 2018 to form Bandai Namco Arts, and in 2022, the anime production side was spun off into Bandai Namco Filmworks, leaving the remaining company to rebrand as Bandai Namco Music Live, now focused purely on music production and artist management. *If you've lost track of the renames, you're not alone, honestly.* Its main anime-relevant work today runs through Lantis, still operating as a label under this umbrella, with credits including the Love Live! franchise's music. Over four decades removed from its AE Planning origins, this company's identity has shifted from home video distributor to dedicated music business, following the industry's changing needs the whole way.