logo
Beyond Music Signs Strategic MOU with Japan-Based Startup UTAGE3.0

Beyond Music Signs Strategic MOU with Japan-Based Startup UTAGE3.0

Korea Herald6 hours ago

Partnership aims to redefine new fan experiences across global music markets
Beyond Music to expand its presence in the Japanese market through UTAGE3.0's network
Companies to seek a variety of business opportunities like developing fan engagement initiatives built around music IP
SEOUL, South Korea, June 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Beyond Music, a leading Asia-based music IP investment and data management firm, has entered into a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Japanese startup UTAGE3.0.
The agreement responds to evolving trends in artist-fan interactions across live events and digital platforms, aiming to generate new value by aligning both companies' experience and technical capabilities. Through the MOU, the two companies intend to establish a long-term partnership focused on delivering innovative fan experiences in the global music market rooted in digital assets and music IP.
"We are pleased to formalize our partnership with UTAGE3.0 as we expand Beyond Music's presence in the Japanese market. This collaboration reflects our shared commitment to accelerating innovation in the music IP industry and driving cross border growth across Asia." said Jinwoo Jo, CEO of Beyond Music. "By combining Beyond Music's investment expertise and global network with UTAGE3.0's creative platform, we see strong potential to deliver new value to artists, rights holders, and fans alike. We look forward to building a scalable and sustainable foundation for long-term collaboration." he added.
Takumu Tsuruta, CEO of UTAGE3.0, commented, "We're honored to formalize this partnership with Beyond Music. Together, we aim to redefine music experiences globally by enabling deeper, more dynamic connections between artists and their fans."
Under the terms of the agreement, Beyond Music will support UTAGE3.0's international expansion, while UTAGE3.0 will facilitate Beyond Music's entry into the Japanese market and expanding its music IP business through digitized assets and engagement channels. The companies also plan to co-develop new fan engagement strategies by leveraging Beyond Music's IP portfolio and to collaborate on various commercial initiatives by drawing on their respective core competencies.
Since its founding in 2021, Beyond Music has become one of Asia's foremost music IP investment and data management firms, completing over 100 large-scale music IP acquisitions across international and domestic markets. The company manages copyrights and neighboring rights for more than 35,000 tracks, covering iconic hits from the 1990s through today, and has built a leading position in the global music IP landscape. Recently, it has acquired a copyright stake in "Butter," the global hit song by BTS.
Beyond Music's model centers on maximizing the value of music IP through precision data analysis, licensing optimization, and value enhancement strategies. To realize this corporate objective, the firm's initiatives include IP remakes, social media activations, trend-driven catalog revivals, seasonal marketing campaigns, and strategic collaborations with external partners.
UTAGE3.0 is a Japanese startup focused on reimagining fan experiences through digital services that facilitate communication and relationship-building between fans and artists. Its offerings include digital access passes for live performances and collectible digital trading cards, creating a consistent fan journey before, during, and after events. The company is backed by key investors in Japan's music and entertainment industries, including SKY-HI (CEO of BMSG) and Osamu Suzuki, former TV scriptwriter and current General Partner of Startup Factory.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Posco pursues ‘direct lithium extraction' in North America for 1st time
Posco pursues ‘direct lithium extraction' in North America for 1st time

Korea Herald

time4 hours ago

  • Korea Herald

Posco pursues ‘direct lithium extraction' in North America for 1st time

Posco Holdings announced on Monday plans to test the viability of directly extracting lithium — a key material for electric vehicle batteries — highlighting the significance of establishing a supply chain in North America amid the ongoing pressure of decoupling from China. In partnership with Anson Resources, Australia's natural resource developer, Posco will start the construction of a demonstration plant next year in Green River City, Utah. The facility will evaluate whether Posco's Direct Lithium Extraction technology is feasible for large-scale commercial production. Unlike traditional lithium extraction methods that depend on the natural evaporation of brine in large ponds, DLE is a cost-effective, innovative process designed to selectively extract lithium from low-concentration brine lakes. The project marks the first time a South Korean company has taken steps toward directly producing lithium in North America. In contrast, Posco's domestic rivals, including LG Chem, have primarily secured supply agreements with US-based lithium producers rather than pursuing local production. Earlier Monday, the two companies signed a memorandum of understanding under which Anson Resources will provide the raw materials for lithium and the construction site, where it holds mining rights for lithium brine. While the additional details of the project, including its timeline and investment volume, remain undisclosed, Posco stated: 'By successfully operating the demonstration plant in the US, we aim to commercialize the DLE technology we have developed since 2016. The company intends to leverage this technology for investment and commercialization of undeveloped lithium brine lakes across North America.' According to World Population Review, the US ranked third in the world for lithium deposits in 2023, behind Bolivia and Argentina. This initiative is in line with the company's focus to secure additional lithium resources outside China, which dominates the global lithium hydroxide market, under Posco Holdings CEO Chang In-hwa's '2 Core + New Engine' strategy, referring to focusing on its core steel and battery materials businesses, while also developing new growth engines. Meanwhile, Posco Holdings has secured an annual production capacity of 68,000 metric tons of lithium hydroxide, enough to manufacture batteries for approximately 1.6 million EVs. This includes 25,000 tons from its brine lithium plant in Argentina and 43,000 tons from its ore lithium plant in the Yulchon Industrial Complex in South Jeolla Province.

Beyond Music Signs Strategic MOU with Japan-Based Startup UTAGE3.0
Beyond Music Signs Strategic MOU with Japan-Based Startup UTAGE3.0

Korea Herald

time6 hours ago

  • Korea Herald

Beyond Music Signs Strategic MOU with Japan-Based Startup UTAGE3.0

Partnership aims to redefine new fan experiences across global music markets Beyond Music to expand its presence in the Japanese market through UTAGE3.0's network Companies to seek a variety of business opportunities like developing fan engagement initiatives built around music IP SEOUL, South Korea, June 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Beyond Music, a leading Asia-based music IP investment and data management firm, has entered into a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Japanese startup UTAGE3.0. The agreement responds to evolving trends in artist-fan interactions across live events and digital platforms, aiming to generate new value by aligning both companies' experience and technical capabilities. Through the MOU, the two companies intend to establish a long-term partnership focused on delivering innovative fan experiences in the global music market rooted in digital assets and music IP. "We are pleased to formalize our partnership with UTAGE3.0 as we expand Beyond Music's presence in the Japanese market. This collaboration reflects our shared commitment to accelerating innovation in the music IP industry and driving cross border growth across Asia." said Jinwoo Jo, CEO of Beyond Music. "By combining Beyond Music's investment expertise and global network with UTAGE3.0's creative platform, we see strong potential to deliver new value to artists, rights holders, and fans alike. We look forward to building a scalable and sustainable foundation for long-term collaboration." he added. Takumu Tsuruta, CEO of UTAGE3.0, commented, "We're honored to formalize this partnership with Beyond Music. Together, we aim to redefine music experiences globally by enabling deeper, more dynamic connections between artists and their fans." Under the terms of the agreement, Beyond Music will support UTAGE3.0's international expansion, while UTAGE3.0 will facilitate Beyond Music's entry into the Japanese market and expanding its music IP business through digitized assets and engagement channels. The companies also plan to co-develop new fan engagement strategies by leveraging Beyond Music's IP portfolio and to collaborate on various commercial initiatives by drawing on their respective core competencies. Since its founding in 2021, Beyond Music has become one of Asia's foremost music IP investment and data management firms, completing over 100 large-scale music IP acquisitions across international and domestic markets. The company manages copyrights and neighboring rights for more than 35,000 tracks, covering iconic hits from the 1990s through today, and has built a leading position in the global music IP landscape. Recently, it has acquired a copyright stake in "Butter," the global hit song by BTS. Beyond Music's model centers on maximizing the value of music IP through precision data analysis, licensing optimization, and value enhancement strategies. To realize this corporate objective, the firm's initiatives include IP remakes, social media activations, trend-driven catalog revivals, seasonal marketing campaigns, and strategic collaborations with external partners. UTAGE3.0 is a Japanese startup focused on reimagining fan experiences through digital services that facilitate communication and relationship-building between fans and artists. Its offerings include digital access passes for live performances and collectible digital trading cards, creating a consistent fan journey before, during, and after events. The company is backed by key investors in Japan's music and entertainment industries, including SKY-HI (CEO of BMSG) and Osamu Suzuki, former TV scriptwriter and current General Partner of Startup Factory.

Coupang's GPU bid signals new ambition
Coupang's GPU bid signals new ambition

Korea Herald

time11 hours ago

  • Korea Herald

Coupang's GPU bid signals new ambition

Coupang has made a surprise entry into a government-led bid to secure and operate high-performance graphics processing units, signaling potential ambitions beyond its current e-commerce focus. The e-commerce giant is among four companies — including Naver Cloud, Kakao Enterprise and NHN Cloud — that have submitted bids for the Ministry of Science and ICT's 1.46 trillion won ($1.07 billion) GPU infrastructure support project, according to industry sources Monday. Under the initiative, the government plans to purchase 10,000 high-performance GPUs through its first supplementary budget and provide GPU services to companies and researchers over five years. The final operator will be selected next month. While Coupang declined to comment on its participation, sources view the move as a strategic attempt to gain operational experience in GPU-as-a-service, potentially laying the groundwork for a future pivot into the cloud services market. "This marks Coupang's first known foray into a government tech infrastructure project of this scale,' said an industry source who requested anonymity. 'Although it has not publicly operated GPUaaS, its internal services like Coupang Play and Coupang Eats have long leveraged GPU resources, possibly helping it meet the eligibility requirements.' 'Coupang, emerging as a dark horse in the recent GPU acquisition initiative, may be strategically aiming to solidify its identity as a competitive cloud service provider through this move. … Otherwise, it's difficult to justify the company's participation in the project, especially considering the massive costs associated with data center space rentals,' the source added. The unexpected bid has drawn considerable attention, with speculation mounting that Coupang aims to evolve into a cloud service provider, much like Amazon's trajectory from e-commerce to dominance in Amazon Web Services. Industry watchers have observed that Coupang is stepping up its infrastructure push. The company is reportedly working with Singapore-based Empyrion DC to lease space at the KR1 data center in Seoul's Yangjae area, while accelerating talent acquisition in cloud and GPU operations. 'Coupang has consistently benchmarked Amazon's business model,' said a source familiar with the matter. 'It now appears to be eyeing the next frontier -- emulating AWS.' Despite the ambitions, skepticism remains. Unlike its competitors, Coupang lacks a track record of large-scale GPU service deployment. Naver Cloud, Kakao Enterprise and NHN Cloud already operate substantial GPU clusters and have established GPUaaS platforms. This could put Coupang at a disadvantage when it comes to technical evaluations. 'Coupang is not disqualified by regulation,' the anonymous source said. 'But its limited hands-on experience with GPU infrastructure could be a critical shortfall.' Stability remains a priority for the government's GPU project, the official added: 'The ability to quickly recover from system failures is key, and Coupang's capabilities in this area have yet to be publicly proven.' Industry observers are now watching to see whether Coupang can leverage this opportunity to transform into a next-generation cloud provider and challenge South Korea's established cloud service players. 'Coupang has been heavily investing in infrastructure talent,' another anonymous industry source said. 'If it can gain practical experience through a project of this scale, it could rapidly internalize GPU technology and accelerate its pivot into cloud computing.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store