Avex Trax

Avex Trax (エイベックス トラックス) 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

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 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

Notable artists

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

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

Former artists

• Groups
• AAA
• After School
• SweetS

• Soloists
• Sae Ōtsuka
• Hitomi Shimatani
• Namie Amuro

• Duos
• Soul Control

External links

• Parent Company website