Avex Trax
 | |
| Parent company | Avex Inc. |
|---|---|
| Founded | September 1988 |
| Founder | Max Matsuura |
| Distributors |
|
| Genre | Various (mostly J-pop and Dance) |
| Country of origin | Japan |
| Location | Minato, Tokyo |
| Official website | avexnet.jp |
Avex Trax (Japanese: エイベックス トラックス, Hepburn: Eibekkusu Torakkusu) is a record label owned by Japanese entertainment conglomerate Avex Inc. The label was launched in September 1988, and was the first label by the Group.[1]
History
[edit | edit source] | This section needs additional citations for verification. (March 2025) |
Two years after Max Matsuura began a career distributing studio albums from other countries, he and his two Avex co-founders, Tom Yoda and Ken Suzuki, decided to found their own label. Aiming to compete with more established labels such as Nippon Columbia, Nippon Crown, BMG Victor, Victor Musical Industries, Toshiba-EMI, CBS/Sony, Teichiku Records, King Records, Nippon Phonogram and PolyGram K.K., they created the Avex Trax label.
The first artist to sign to the label was the band TRF, which became a success. This led to Avex Trax becoming a "house of refuge" for artists who had left their former labels (e.g. Bananarama from Polydor K.K., Ayumi Hamasaki from Nippon Columbia, Namie Amuro from Toshiba-EMI, Ami Suzuki from Sony Music Japan).[2][3][4] It also appealed to artists not content with their current labels (e.g. Gackt from Nippon Crown).[5]
Formerly distributed by Sohbi Corporation until 1992[6] and then by the Nippon Crown label from 1992 on, in 1997 Avex became a self-distributed label together with Cutting Edge, which was formerly distributed by Toshiba-EMI.
Sub-labels
[edit | edit source]Current
[edit | edit source]- B-ME – joint venture with BMSG
- Bluestar Records (Since 2019) – formerly a sub-label of Cutting Edge
- Love Life Records – Hitomi's private label
- motorod (Since 2002) – formerly a sub-label of Cutting Edge
- Frame - joint venture with Level-5
- 影別苦須 虎津苦須 – Kishidan's vanity label
Defunct
[edit | edit source]- J-Friends Project (1997–2003) – joint venture with Johnny & Associates
Notable artists
[edit | edit source]Labels
[edit | edit source]B-ME
[edit | edit source]Bluestar Records
[edit | edit source]Love Life Records
[edit | edit source]motorod
[edit | edit source]影別苦須 虎津苦須
[edit | edit source]Former artists
[edit | edit source]- Groups
- Soloists
- Duos
J-Friends Project
[edit | edit source]motorod
[edit | edit source]Notes
[edit | edit source]References
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External links
[edit | edit source]- Official website (in Japanese)
- Parent Company website (in Japanese)
- Avex Trax discography at Discogs
- Avex Trax at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
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