Kalafina Post-Kajiura thread (Upd:「Kalafina Anniversary LIVE 2026」Jan 14-19 2026)

[CloisteredFlame]

Part of me is happy that they are doing lives, even if I cannot go... but another part of me is sad because they ignore Kajiura existence even if she was the backbone of Kalafina back then. If they don't plan to release new songs they will just do easy money with Kajiura previous work, sadly... I know she will gain her royalities, but I believe when she was part of SC she could get more money from Kalafina lives.

I suspect she was earning an OK sum. The thing about your royalties is it depends on the contracts you signed.

As I saw in a explanatory video on YouTube about the American industry, I learned that if you sign a recording contract you no longer have full rights to the "masters" (the finalized originals) as it belongs to the recording company. If you sign a publishing contract, you give up full rights to the composition and so on to take advantage of their ability to print and promote the work. It actually belongs to the publishing company.

For example, Michael Jackson purchased the publishing rights to the majority of The Beatles' catalog in 1985 for $47.5 million but it was later worth close to billion. https://finelytunedmusic.com/articles/michael-jackson-and-the-beatles-music-catalog/ (In the article, "Retaining the publishing rights gave him authority to regulate the commercial usage of these legendary songs.").

Kajiura cannot regulate the commercial use of her music if it's in the hands of others.

You can bet that Kajiura is earning a lot more per song for her post-Kalafina stuff under her own management, having taken up and putting together her own team. Building her own recording studio also means she doesn't need to pay for studio time or depend on anyone else. She can just bring in the people to work on projects as she needs them, so she can fully own her masters.

 

[CloisteredFlame]

~ I did a little AI questioning on the issue of rights for Kajiura and this is what I got. Please people here with industry experience can review and chime in on/correct whatever seems off. ~



Here’s how Yuki Kajiura’s transition from agency representation to independent management affected her career and royalties:

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Before FictionJunction Music (Pre-2018)​

• Agency: Space Craft Produce managed her career and negotiated contracts with record labels and publishers.
• Record Label: Her music was released under labels like Victor Entertainment, FlyingDog, and Sony Music Japan, depending on the project.
• Publisher: Publishing rights were typically held by the production companies behind anime or game projects she scored — meaning she had limited control over licensing and royalties.

After Founding FictionJunction Music (2018–Present)​

• Independent Management: By launching FictionJunction Music, Kajiura gained full control over her career decisions.
• Record Label: She continues to release music through FlyingDog, a subsidiary of Victor Entertainment, but now likely negotiates terms directly.
• Publisher: FictionJunction Music likely administers her publishing rights, giving her:
  • Greater control over licensing (e.g., for anime, games, concerts)
  • Direct access to royalty streams
  • Flexibility in collaborations and international deals

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Impact on Royalties and Career​

Area	Before (Agency-managed)	After (Independent via FictionJunction)
Creative Control	Limited by agency and label	Full autonomy
Publishing Royalties	Shared or managed externally	Likely self-administered
Licensing Decisions	Agency/label-led	Artist-led
Brand Identity	Tied to agency	Unified under FictionJunction brand

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This move mirrors what many established composers and artists do when they want to consolidate their creative and financial power. If you’re considering a similar path, I can help you explore what it takes to set up your own label or publishing entity.

 

[CloisteredFlame]

The more skills you have as a musical creative the better you can have a possibility of more value, i.e. a greater spread of income, from your music, depending on your contracts.

From her boldly taking on SC for the Kalafina copyright, back in the day, I think it's fair to say that Keiko is a fairly shrewd, and business-minded person. I wonder what she was able to negotiate with SC for the group, if anything. They wouldn't just go cap in hand, at least I hope not.