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Avex Trax or Avex Entertainment Corporation is a music record label originally from Japan. The label is also known sometimes as Avex Entertainment Inc.. The origin of the word Avex comes from the English words Audio Visual Expert. Avex is one of the largest independent record labels in the world, since they are not associated with any of the "Big Four".^{[citation needed]}

Avex was Japan's leading dance record company during the nineties, and continues producing and recording some of Japan's most famous J-pop singers. Avex Trax also provides theme music soundtracks to many anime and a few video games.

The company was established in 1988 as "AVEX D.D., INC", a CD wholesaler. They opened a recording studio and created Avex Trax as a music label in 1990. In the same year, they created "MUSIQUE FOLIO INC.", a music publishing company, which later became "PRIME DIRECTION INC." In 1993, they created a U.S. branch, called "AV EXPERIENCE AMERICA INC." The year also marked the first of Avex's yearly events. It was held in Tokyo Dome under the name "avex rave '93" and attracted 50,000 attendees. In 1994, they formed two UK subsidiaries, "RHYTHM REPUBLIC LIMITED" and "AVEX U.K. LIMITED". Later that year, they opened a disco, claimed on their website to be "the world's largest scale disco" [1].

In 1997, they opened a series of concert halls called "Zepp" along with Sony Music Entertainment Japan. In early 1999, they signed an agreement with Walt Disney Records and Hollywood Records to handle both companies' Japanese CD releases. Later that year "Avex Mode", an animation company, was established. Avex Mode has since released the movie Initial D: Third Stage

In 2001, Avex opened "avex artists academy", a music school. In 2002, they released the "CCCD", a type of copy-protected CD. In 2003, they opened a classical music business. In 2004, they began selling Japanese music CDs in Korea.

In 2004, Avex President Max Matsuura "spotted" former-idol Suzuki Ami performing live at the annual festival of their school, Nihon University. He subsequently signed her to the Avex label.^[1]

In 2005, Avex acquired distribution rights for Aozora Records' catalogue including all future Hitomi Yaida releases.^[2]

Each year since 2002, Avex has hosted a summer concert tour around Japan, "a-nation", featuring the company's most successful acts. Top Avex acts like Ayumi Hamasaki, Koda Kumi, Namie Amuro, TVXQ, BoA, TRF, Ai Otsuka, and Every Little Thing, have performed to major crowds each year.

See Avex Trax artists.

• Avex Entertainment (BeForU, Riyu Kosaka's label)
• Avex Mode
• Avex Trance
• Avex Tune (DA PUMP, move's label)
• Avex Globe (globe's label)
• Cutting Edge (Fantastic Plastic Machine, Back-On,and Olivia Lufkin's label)
• RHYTHM REPUBLIC (elly Eriko Imai)
• Rhythm Zone (TVXQ, m-flo, Exile, Kumi Koda's label)
• Espionage Records (Heartsdales's label)
• Disc Du Soleil
• Mad Pray Records (Tsuchiya Anna's label)
• Motorod Records (Aikawa Nanase's label)
• Love Life Records (hitomi's label)
• Sonic Groove (hiro Hiroko Shimabukuro, Uehara Takako, HITOE Arakaki)
• Tearbridge Records
• True Song Music (Dai Nagao's label)
• J-more

• List of record labels
• Velfarre

• Avex Group Holdings (in English)
• Avex Group Holdings (in Japanese)
• Avex Group Holdings (in Simplified Chinese)
• Avex Network (in Japanese)
• Avex Asia (in Traditional Chinese)
• Avex Taiwan (in Traditional Chinese)
• Avex China (in Simplified Chinese)