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 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 either ended contracts with their former labels (e.g. 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 it became a self-distributed label together with Cutting Edge, which was formerly distributed by Toshiba-EMI.

Current

 * B-ME – joint venture with
 * 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

 * Groups
 * Aina the End
 * Bridear
 * Chō Tokimeki Sendenbu
 * DA-ICE
 * Do As Infinity
 * Every Little Thing
 * Exo
 * GENIC
 * Kamen Rider Girls
 * Ketsumeishi
 * kolme
 * lol
 * Mameshiba no Taigun
 * Michael Fortunati
 * NCT
 * @onefive
 * Seiko Oomori
 * Ai Otsuka
 * Piko Taro
 * 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
 * Piko Taro
 * Shuta Sueyoshi
 * Misako Uno
 * Naoya Urata
 * Takuro Yoshida

B-ME

 * Be First
 * Novel Core
 * Sky-Hi

Bluestar Records

 * MASH (musician)

Love Life Records

 * Hitomi

motorod

 * Nanase Aikawa

影別苦須 虎津苦須

 * Kishidan

Former artists

 * Groups
 * AAA
 * After School


 * Soloists
 * Sae Ōtsuka
 * Hitomi Shimatani
 * Namie Amuro

J-Friends Project

 * J-Friends

motorod

 * Dead End
 * Janne Da Arc
 * Oblivion Dust