He sold out seven straight nights at Tokyo Dome. He sang AKB48 and Utada Hikaru songs in Japanese on stage. He staged a fireworks show set to his music, in Japan. Now Bruno Mars has partnered with a Japanese company to manage his songs worldwide.

What the Deal Actually Covers

On March 17, 2026, Avex Music Group (AMG) announced a global music publishing administration partnership with 16-time Grammy Award-winning superstar Bruno Mars. Under the agreement, AMG will serve as the exclusive worldwide administrator for all music written by Mars during the term of the deal.

The partnership kicks in once Mars completes his current contract with BMG/Warner Chappell this summer. Note the scope: it covers what he writes going forward, not a sale of his back catalog. Publishing administration means managing the rights to a songwriter's compositions and collecting royalties whenever those songs are played on streaming platforms, radio, TV, movies, commercials, or covered by other artists. Avex won't be Mars' record label or manager. It will be the global steward of his songs as intellectual property.

Katsumi Kuroiwa, CEO of Avex Inc., described Mars as one of the most culturally impactful songwriters of his generation. Brandon Silverstein, CEO of Avex Music Group, expressed excitement about welcoming Mars to the Avex family and supporting his catalog.

Why Avex? The Japan Connection Runs Deep

To understand why Mars chose a Japanese-founded company, you need to understand his relationship with Japan, a connection that goes well beyond typical international touring.

In 2022, Mars sold out five Tokyo Dome shows (capacity: 55,000 each) despite announcing them just one month in advance, drawing 210,000 fans. In January 2024, he performed seven consecutive nights at Tokyo Dome, drawing 350,000 fans in total. In 2025, he launched the world's first "Bruno Mars Fireworks Show" in Saitama and Osaka, combining his hit songs with traditional Japanese hanabi (fireworks) artistry.

What makes Mars' popularity in Japan truly unique is his deep respect for Japanese pop culture. During his Tokyo concerts, he has performed AKB48's "Heavy Rotation" and Utada Hikaru's "First Love" in Japanese. He's collaborated with Sanrio's Hello Kitty on exclusive merchandise. His and BLACKPINK Rosé's "APT." became the fastest Western song to reach 100 million streams in Japan, hitting the milestone in 10 weeks.

What Is Avex Music Group?

For readers unfamiliar with the Japanese music industry, Avex Inc. (listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange as TYO: 7860) is one of Japan's largest entertainment companies. Think of it as Japan's answer to a combination of Universal Music and Live Nation, it operates across music, animation, live entertainment, merchandise, and more. The company employs over 1,500 people and generates more than $1 billion annually.

AMG is Avex's global music division, headquartered in both Tokyo and Los Angeles. It handles music publishing, recorded music, studio operations, catalog acquisitions, and artist management through S10 Entertainment, the management company Silverstein founded and which sits inside AMG. That is the other half of the fit: Avex supplies Asian market access, Silverstein supplies a network in the American music business.

Avex has produced Japan and Asia tours for global superstars including Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber. More recently, the company has been making waves by launching international acts like the girl group XG and boy group ONE OR EIGHT, who are trained in Japan but create music aimed at global audiences. The Avex Academy auditions over 10,000 candidates annually and develops artists through studios across Tokyo and other major cities.

In February 2026, AMG also signed a global distribution deal with The Orchard (excluding Japan, China, and Korea), further expanding its international infrastructure.

Perfect Timing: 'The Romantic' and the Biggest Tour of 2026

The Avex deal comes at what might be the most commercially successful moment in Mars' already legendary career.

On February 27, 2026, Mars released The Romantic on Atlantic Records, his fourth solo album and first since 2016's 24K Magic, a gap of a decade. It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 186,000 units in its first week, the first Mars album to open atop that chart. In the same tracking week, lead single "I Just Might," released in January, climbed back to No. 1 on the Hot 100.

The Romantic Tour, a 70-date stadium run produced by Live Nation, opened April 10 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas and closes October 17 at BC Place in Vancouver. On the day tickets went on sale, Mars moved 2.1 million of them, the highest single-day sales figure in Live Nation's history across North America, Europe, and the UK. The run includes six nights at London's Wembley Stadium in July, four shows each in Toronto, Amsterdam, East Rutherford (NJ), and Los Angeles, and three nights in Paris, Vancouver, and Berlin. Anderson .Paak joins all dates as DJ Pee .Wee, putting the Silk Sonic pair back on the road together.

This commercial momentum follows the massive success of his 2024 collaborations: "Die With a Smile" with Lady Gaga and "APT." with BLACKPINK's Rosé, both of which dominated global charts and earned Grammy nominations.

What This Means for the Global Music Industry

Traditionally, the world's biggest songwriters have had their publishing managed by Western giants: Universal Music Publishing, Sony Music Publishing, Warner Chappell. For a Japanese-founded company to win administration rights for someone at Mars' level is unusual, and it says Avex's international strategy has moved up a level.

With the Orchard distribution deal, the Mars publishing partnership, and a roster of artists aimed at international audiences, Avex is positioning itself between Asian market knowledge and Western industry infrastructure.

Keep the scale honest, though. This is an administration deal, not a label signing and not a defection. What Avex won is the right to administer the future output of one of the most commercially active songwriters alive. Unglamorous work. But being handed unglamorous work is a form of trust.

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