Last week Cherry Lane music publishing signed a deal with Sanrio Inc., the home of the Japanese anime character Hello Kitty, according to Billboard magazine.
The agreement means that Cherry Lane artists will exclusively write and perform music for all characters in the Sanrio family — including Hello Kitty, Chococat, Keroppi the Frog, Deery Lou and Badtz-Maru the Penguin, just to name a few.
The music will include specialized sounds, themes and songs for all the characters. CDs, digital tracks, ringtones, TV shows and specialized products — such as music included in the paw of a Sanrio plush toy — are some of the other outlets for the Cherry Lane artists.
This is similar to the music publisher's contract with NASCAR, in which all the music assets are bound in a joint venture, according to the Billboard report.
What sweetens this deal is that Cherry Lane artists are a natural choice to align themselves with Sanrio characters.
Cherry Lane is the home of the Black Eyed Peas — including Will.i.am and Fergie. However, those who are not a part of the Cherry Lane family, but have worked with Cherry Lane artists, will also be considered.
Since Gwen Stefani has worked with Will.i.am, she could also be contacted to write some songs for Sanrio, according to Billboard.
When you see the larger-than-life artists such as Stefani, Will.i.am and Fergie, you can't miss the connection they could naturally have with various Sanrio characters.
Stefani — who has brought Japanese anime cosplay (costume creations) to her stage show — could be Hello Kitty. Will.i.am is a dead-ringer for Chococat. Fergie would be the perfect fit for Deery Lou.
The band Jimmy Eat World could easily capture the characteristics of Badtz-Maru. If Weezer's Rivers Cuomo signed a deal with Cherry Lane, he could become the human persona of Keroppi.
It will be interesting to see (or hear) how the developments go.
But right now, it seems like a perfect match.
E-mail: scott@desnews.com