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 1990, and was the first label by the Group.

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, Namie Amuro, Ami Suzuki). It also appealed to artists not content with their current labels (e.g. Gackt). Formerly distributed by the Nippon Crown label, excluding several early releases from 1990 to 1992 which were distributed by, in 1997 Avex became a self-distributed label together with Cutting Edge, which was formerly distributed by Toshiba-EMI.

Sub-labels

Current

Defunct

Notable artists

Labels

B-ME

Bluestar Records

Love Life Records

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影別苦須 虎津苦須

Former artists

J-Friends Project

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