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]

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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 [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.

• 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
• Frame [ja] - joint venture with Level-5
• 影別苦須 虎津苦須 – Kishidan's vanity label

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

• Be First
• Novel Core
• Sky-Hi

• MASH [ja]

• Hitomi

• Nanase Aikawa

• Kishidan

Groups

• AAA
• After School
• SweetS

Soloists

• Sae Ōtsuka
• Hitomi Shimatani
• Namie Amuro

Duos

• Soul Control

• J-Friends

• Dead End
• Janne Da Arc
• Oblivion Dust

• Official website (in Japanese)
• Parent Company website (in Japanese)
• Avex Trax discography at Discogs
• Avex Trax at Anime News Network's encyclopedia