Avex Trax

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 1990, and was the first label by the Group.^[1]

Avex Trax
Parent company	Avex Inc.
Founded	September 1990; 34 years ago (September 1990)
Founder	Max Matsuura
Distributor(s)	Avex Music Creative (Avex Inc.) (since 1997) Former distributors SOHBI Corporation [ja] (1990–1992) Nippon Crown Co. Ltd. (1992–1997)
Genre	Various (mostly J-pop and Dance)
Country of origin	Japan
Location	Minato, Tokyo
Official website	www.avexnet.jp

History

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. 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 [ja] 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

Current

• B-ME – joint venture with BMSG [ja]
• 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
• 影別苦須 虎津苦須 – Kishidan's vanity label

Defunct

• J-Friends Project (1997–2003) – joint venture with Johnny & Associates

Notable artists

See also: Category:Avex Trax artists and List of artists under the Avex Group

Groups Bridear Chō Tokimeki Sendenbu DA-ICE Do As Infinity Every Little Thing Exo[a] GENIC Kamen Rider Girls Ketsumeishi kolme lol Mameshiba no Taigun NCT[a] @onefive Red Velvet[a] SKE48 Super Junior[a] TRF Tohoshinki[a] Tokyo Girls' Style

Soloists Aina the End Shinjiro Atae Beverly BoA[a] Che'Nelle Ayumi Hamasaki Chiaki Ito Hitomi Kaji Keiko m.c.A.T Michael Fortunati Nissy Seiko Oomori Ai Otsuka Piko Taro Shuta Sueyoshi Misako Uno Naoya Urata Takuro Yoshida

Labels

B-ME

• Be First
• Novel Core
• Sky-Hi

Bluestar Records

• MASH [ja]

Love Life Records

• Hitomi

motorod

• Nanase Aikawa

影別苦須 虎津苦須

• Kishidan

Former artists

Groups

• AAA
• After School
• SweetS

Soloists

• Sae Ōtsuka
• Hitomi Shimatani
• Namie Amuro

Duos

• Soul Control

J-Friends Project

• J-Friends

motorod

• Dead End
• Janne Da Arc
• Oblivion Dust

Notes

1. Japanese distribution