Joe Hisaishi Releases Statement on Unauthorized Use of His Music

Joe Hisaishi, known as the composer behind the many beloved songs in Studio Ghibli films, recently released a statement against the unauthorized use or arrangements of his music. He emphasized that he and his company, Wonder City Inc., does not allow usage that doesn’t follow proper procedures and requested those without formal permission to discontinue arranging his scores.

The statement was made on the composer’s official X (formerly Twitter) on April 26. See the full post:

Composer Joe Hisaishi and Wonder City Inc. do not permit any unauthorized use or arrangement of Hisaishi’s music without proper procedures. You must apply to a copyright management organization to use music, and it is required to obtain official permission from the composer to arrange his music.

Currently, we can find many concerts around the world that arrange and use Hisaishi’s music without permission. Arranging his music without permission is a violation of the composer’s copyright and moral rights, and is totally unacceptable. Additionally, there are some concerts that include Hisaishi’s name in the title, which could be interpreted by many people as concerts involving Hisaishi himself, but they are not approved by us.

We urge all users of Hisaishi’s work to obtain formal permission from the composer and adhere to copyright laws. We hope that Hisaishi’s music will be used more widely and fairly under mutually agreed conditions between users and copyright holders.

In recent years, the anime community has seen a rise in musicians who do anime song covers, often with their own spin on it. While this kind of content is usually well-received by the fans, it can still be perceived as copyright infringement. Ghibli’s content especially has been quite popular, due to iconic visuals and tracks many associate with their anime beginnings.

Joe Hisaishi is a composer, conductor, and pianist. He is well-known for his musical contributions to Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli films including:

• Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)
• Laputa: Castle in the Sky (1986)
• My Neighbor Totoro (1988)
• Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989)
• Porco Rosso (1992)
• Princess Mononoke (1997)
• Spirited Away (2001)
• Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)
• Ponyo (2008)
• The Boy and the Heron (2023)

Joe Hisaishi received the Medal with Purple Ribbon in 2009 and the Order of the Rising Sun with Small Ribbon in 2023. He also served as the principal guest conductor of the Japan Century Symphony Orchestra in April 2021 and is scheduled to become music director in April 2025. He is currently the Composer-in-Association of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Joe Hisaishi’s music activities are updated on his website and YouTube.

Source: Joe Hisashi Official X (formerly Twitter), Website
© Wonder City Inc