Epic Records Japan is a Japanese

record label "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of Sound recording and reproduction, music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a Music publisher, ...

owned by

Sony Music Entertainment Japan , often abbreviated as SMEJ or simply SME, and also known as Sony Music Japan for short (stylized as ''SonyMusic''), is a Japanese music arm for Sony. Founded in 1968 as CBS/Sony, SMEJ is directly owned by Sony, Sony Group Corporation and is ...

. Its founder was

Shigeo Maruyama (born August 8, 1941 in Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese businessman. He is best known for being the founder of Epic/Sony Records, former chairman of Sony Computer Entertainment and former CEO of Sony Music Entertainment Sony Music Entertainme ...

. Between 1978 and 1988 the label operated as a wholly owned subsidiary: Epic/Sony Inc. () was established in August 1978History.
Sony Music Entertainment Japan. Accessed October 3, 2010 and was folded back into CBS/Sony Group in March 1988. Notable music artists for this company have included

Hikaru Utada , also known mononymously as Utada, is a Japanese and American singer, songwriter, and producer. She is considered to be one of the most influential and best-selling musical artists in Japan. She is best known by international audiences for w ...

Tetsuya Komuro is a Japanese musician, songwriter and record producer. He is recognized as the most successful producer in Japanese music history and has introduced contemporary electronic dance music to the Japanese mainstream. He was also a former owner of t ...

, and

Kimiko Itoh is a Japanese jazz singer. She was born on the island of Shikoku in Kagawa Prefecture, Japan. After graduating from Musashino Art University with a degree in oil painting, she studied under Yasushi Sawada. In 1982, she made her debut with h ...

. In 2001, it was re-established as .

Games published

During the late 1980s and early 1990s they also published video games for Nintendo consoles. * 1987 - ''Tokoro-san no Mamoru mo Semeru mo'' for Famicom – developed by

HAL Laboratory formerly shortened as HALKEN, is a Japanese video game developer based in Chiyoda, Tokyo. It was founded on February 21, 1980 by Mitsuhiro Ikeda. The company started out developing games for home computers of the era, but has since establishe ...

* 1988 - '' Vegas Dream'' for Famicom * 1989 - ''Flying Hero'' for Famicom – developed by

Aicom Aicom was a Japanese video game developer, founded in 1988. The Sammy Corporation website gives 1990 as its first year and says it was a subsidiary of Jaleco. Sammy bought it in 1992. Its games include ''The Mafat Conspiracy'', ''Totally Rad'' a ...

* 1989 - '' Tashiro Masashi no Princess ga Ippai'' for Famicom * 1990 - サッカー・ボーイ ''Soccer Boy'' = ''Soccer Mania'' for Game Boy * 1990 - ''

Solstice A solstice is the time when the Sun reaches its most northerly or southerly sun path, excursion relative to the celestial equator on the celestial sphere. Two solstices occur annually, around 20–22 June and 20–22 December. In many countries ...

'' for Famicom – developed by

Software Creations (UK) Acclaim Studios Manchester (formerly Software Creations) was a British video game developer based in Manchester, England. The company was established in 1985 by Richard Kay. They were primarily known for their video games based on movie and com ...

* 1991 - ''

RoboCop ''RoboCop'' is a 1987 American Science fiction film, science fiction action film directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Edward Neumeier and Michael Miner. The film stars Peter Weller, Nancy Allen (actress), Nancy Allen, Dan O'Herlihy, Dani ...

'' for Game Boy * 1991 - ''Hakunetsu Pro Yakyuu Ganba League'' = ''

Extra Innings Extra innings is the extension of a baseball or softball game in order to break a tie. Ordinarily, a baseball game consists of nine regulation innings (in softball and high school baseball games there are typically seven innings; in Little Lea ...

'' for Famicom – developed by

Sting Stimulator of interferon genes (STING), also known as transmembrane protein 173 (TMEM173) and MPYS/MITA/ERIS is a regulator protein that in humans is encoded by the STING1 gene. STING plays an important role in innate immunity. STING induces typ ...

Sting
at gdri * 1991 - ''Jerry Ball'' = '' Smart Ball'' for Super Famicom * 1991 - ''

Dragon's Lair ''Dragon's Lair'' is a video game franchise created by Rick Dyer. The series is notable for its film-quality animation by ex-Disney animator Don Bluth, and complex decades-long history of being ported to many platforms. It has also been adapte ...

'' for Famicom – developed by Motivetime * 1991 - ''Dragon's Lair'' for Game Boy – developed by Motivetime * 1991 - Altered Space'' for Game Boy * 1991 - Xenon 2: Megablast for X68000 and PC-98 - developed by

The Bitmap Brothers The Bitmap Brothers is a British video game developer founded in 1987 by Mike Montgomery, Eric Matthews, and Steve Kelly. The company released its first title, the scrolling shooter ''Xenon (video game), Xenon'', in 1988. Shortly thereafter, i ...

* 1991 - ''

Hudson Hawk ''Hudson Hawk'' is a 1991 American action comedy film directed by Michael Lehmann. Bruce Willis stars in the title role and also co-wrote the story. Danny Aiello, Andie MacDowell, James Coburn, David Caruso, Lorraine Toussaint, Frank Stallo ...

'' for Famicom * 1992 - ''

'' for Game Boy * 1992 - ''Robocop2'' for Game Boy * 1992 - ''

Hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved/bent back or has a deeply grooved indentation, which serves to grab, latch or in any way attach itself onto another object. The hook's d ...

'' for Famicom – developed by

Ocean The ocean is the body of salt water that covers approximately 70.8% of Earth. The ocean is conventionally divided into large bodies of water, which are also referred to as ''oceans'' (the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian Ocean, Indian, Southern Ocean ...

* 1992 - ''

'' for Game Boy – developed by

* 1992 - ''

'' for Super Famicom – developed by

Ukiyotei was a Japanese video game developer based in Yodogawa-ku, Osaka, Yodogawa-ku. The company was founded on 15 March 1991 by Kenshi Naruse, who served as its Representative director (Japan), representative director. The company is believed to ha ...

* 1992 - ''Ganba League '93'' for Famicom – developed by

* 1993 - = '' Utopia: The Creation of a Nation'' for Super Famicom * 1993 - ''Solstice II'' = ''

Equinox A solar equinox is a moment in time when the Sun appears directly above the equator, rather than to its north or south. On the day of the equinox, the Sun appears to rise directly east and set directly west. This occurs twice each year, arou ...

'' for Super Famicom – developed by

Software Creations Acclaim Studios Manchester (formerly Software Creations) was a British video game developer based in Manchester, England. The company was established in 1985 by Richard Kay. They were primarily known for their video games based on movie and com ...

* 1993 - ''Ganba League '94'' * 1994 - ''Karura Ou'' = '' Skyblazer'' for Super Famicom – developed by

Record labels

Active

* Epic Records Japan

Inactive

* Antinos * Dohb Discs * So What? Records * Kowalski * mf Records (joint venture with

Motoharu Sano , is a Japanese singer-songwriter and musician. A graduate of Rikkyo University, Sano is a frontman with a history of performing in several bands which feature music both in Japanese and occasionally, English, playing songs that often have a rock ...

) * Mint Age

Current artists

2PM 2PM () is a South Korean boy band formed by JYP Entertainment. The group is composed of six members: Jun. K (formerly known as Junsu), Nichkhun, Taecyeon, Wooyoung, Junho, and Chansung. Originally a seven-piece group, Jaebeom left the band ...

* 7!! *

Abingdon Boys School Abingdon Boys School (stylized as abingdon boys school and abbreviated a.b.s.) is a Japanese rock band formed in 2005. It consists of vocalist Takanori Nishikawa, guitarists Sunao and Hiroshi Shibasaki, and keyboardist Toshiyuki Kishi. They have ...

* Akeboshi, Yoshio *

Angela Aki known professionally as , is a Japanese pop singer, songwriter and pianist. Biography Early life Aki was born in the small town of Itano in Tokushima Prefecture, in the mostly rural island of Shikoku. Her mother is Italian American and her fa ...

Aqua Timez Aqua Timez is a Japanese rock band signed to Epic Records. Overview Futoshi and OKP-Star met on with9.com in 2000 and attempted to start a band together. Unable to agree on the band's future, the two disbanded. In 2003, the current band members ...

Kousuke Atari is a Japanese pop singer. He is a self-trained musician, and performs in the shimauta (island-song) style of his hometown. Discography Albums * 999.04.04Atari (アタリ) (Indies) * 000.07.30Kurudando (くるだんど) (Indies) * 002.0 ...

* Aura *

Brian the Sun Brian the Sun is a Japanese Rock music, rock band from Osaka. History The band was formed in 2007 in Osaka by Ryota Mori and Haruki Hakuyama. The name was inspired by the Arctic Monkeys song Brianstorm. The band's songs have been used for nu ...

* Cinemusica * The Condors * Daisuke * Deen *

Dreams Come True Dreams Come True or Dream Come True may refer to: Organizations * Dreams Come True (British charity) * Dreams Come True (American non-profit) Film and television * ''Dreams Come True'' (film), a 1936 British musical film * " "Dreams Come True" ...

Dustz Dustz (currently stylized as DUSTZ) is a Japanese rock band fronted by French-Japanese actor Ray Fujita. Formed by Fujita and two of his classmates from the ''Lycée franco-japonais de Tokyo'', the group has gained national renown by performing t ...

* Hajime, Chitose * Got7 *

Halcali , were a Japanese J-pop duo consisting of Halca and Yucali from Meguro, Tokyo, Japan. Its name is a portmanteau of and . Their debut album, ''Halcali Bacon'', reached #5 on the Oricon charts, making it the first album by a female hip-hop artist ...

* Hanabie. * Haneyuri *

Ikimono-gakari The romanization of the group's name does not have the hyphen according to Sony's websites for their albums. is a Japanese pop rock duo from Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan consisting of Yoshiki Mizuno and Kiyoe Yoshioka. The group started in Februa ...

* Yuki *

Sawa Sawa may refer to: Places * Saveh, sometimes transliterated Sāwa, a city in Iran * Sawa Lake, Iraq * Sawa District in Gunma Prefecture, Japan * Sawa, Nepal, a village development committee * Sawa, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, a village in Polan ...

* LGMonkees ( No Doubt Tracks/Epic) * LMYK * Lizabet *

Yui Makino is a Japanese actress, voice actress, singer, and pianist. She is best known for her work in the anime '' Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle'' where she voices Sakura and some of the theme songs for the ''Aria'' anime series. She is associated with ...

Nao Matsushita is a Japanese actress and singer. Personal life Nao was born in Ikoma, Nara on 8 February 1985 and grew up in Kawanishi, Hyōgo. Winning Japan's Elite Model Look started her modeling career in earnest. She attended the Tokyo College of Mus ...

Yuya Matsushita is a Japanese pop and R&B singer and actor under Japanese Dream Records. His debut single " foolish foolish" was released on November 26, 2008. He had his first breakthrough as Sebastian Michaelis in the '' Black Butler'' musical and since the ...

Yukie Nakama is a Japanese actress, singer and former idol. Biography She was born in Urasoe, Okinawa, Japan, into a fisherman's family, the youngest of five siblings. At the start of her career she was a gravure idol and singer (her debut single "Moonli ...

* Nangi * Naoto *

Nexz is a Korean and Japanese boy band based in South Korea. The band was formed through the reality-survival program '' Nizi Project Season 2'' and managed by JYP Entertainment and Sony Music Entertainment Japan. The group consists of seven members: ...

NiziU NiziU (; ) is a Japanese-Korean girl group formed by JYP Entertainment and Sony Music Entertainment Japan through the reality-survival program '' Nizi Project'' (2020). The group is composed of nine members: Mako, Rio, Maya, Riku, Ayaka, Mayuka, ...

No3b was a subunit from idol group AKB48's original Team A, produced by Yasushi Akimoto. The group is commonly referred as no3b, a stylized version of the group's name, which is a ''wasei-eigo'' term for Sleeveless shirt, sleeveless clothes. Hist ...

* Nodame Orchestra *

Nothing's Carved in Stone Nothing's Carved in Stone is a Japanese rock band formed in January 2009. After Ellegarden decided to go into hiatus in 2008, the group's guitarist Shinichi Ubukata created Nothing's Carved in Stone as his solo project. Their debut album ''Paral ...

* Pengin *

(Epic/mf) * Shigi * Solita * Stance Punks (Epic/Kowalski/Dynamord) *

Stray Kids Stray Kids (often abbreviated to SKZ; ) is a South Korean boy band formed by JYP Entertainment. The band consists of eight members: Bang Chan, Lee Know, Changbin, Hyunjin, Han (musician), Han, Felix (rapper), Felix, Seungmin, and I.N. For un ...

* Sugaru, Matsutani (Epic/Informel) *

Masaki Suda , known professionally as , is a Japanese actor and singer. He won the Japan Academy Film Prize for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role for the film ''Wilderness''. Personal life Suda was born in Minoh, Osaka Prefecture. Hi ...

Masayuki Suzuki Masayuki Suzuki (鈴木雅之, ''Suzuki Masayuki'', born September 22, 1956, in Ōta, Tokyo) is a Japanese singer best known as a former member of pop group Rats & Star (previously called ''Chanels''), and for performing the opening themes for ...

* Takachiya *

Yutaka Take (born March 15, 1969, in Kyoto, Kyoto) is a Japanese jockey. Take made his riding debut in 1987 and currently holds seven all-time records in Japan. He has won at least one Grade 1 race for 23 straight years until 2010, and a graded stakes rac ...

Theatre Brook Theatre Brook (シアター・ブルック ''Shiatā Burukku'') is a Japanese funk rock band formed in 1986. The band's current line-up to date consists of Taiji Sato (vocals & electric guitar), Takashi Nakajo (bass), Takashi Numazawa (drums), ...

* T.M.Revolution * Uranino *

Anne Watanabe is a Japanese fashion model, actress and singer, the daughter of film actor Ken Watanabe and his first wife Yumiko. In her modeling work, she is known by the mononym Anne.Kuhn, Anthony"For Japanese Women, The Past Is The Latest Fad" Career Wat ...

Misato Watanabe is a Japanese pop singer. Discography Albums * ''Eyes'' (2 October 1985) * ''Lovin' you'' (2 July 1986) * ''Breath'' (15 July 1987) * ''Ribbon'' (28 May 1988) * ''Flower bed'' (1 July 1989) * ''Tokyo'' (7 July 1990) * ''Lucky'' (6 July 1991) * ...

* Yacht

Former artists

ViViD Vivid may refer to: Music * Vivid (band), a Japanese rock band * "Vivid" (song), by Electronic, 1999 *"ViViD", a 2016 song by Loona from ''HeeJin'' Albums * ''Vivid'' (Vivian Green album), 2015 * ''Vivid'' (Crystal Kay album), 2012 * ''Vivid ...

Crystal Kay is a Japanese singer, songwriter, actress and radio host. After releasing her first single, "Eternal Memories" (1999), Crystal Kay gained fame for her third studio album, ''Almost Seventeen'' (2002), which debuted at number 2 on the Japanese O ...

References

External links

Official website

Epic/Sony
at

Discogs Discogs ( ; short for " discographies") is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. Database contents are user-generated, and described in ''T ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Epic Sony Records Sony Music Entertainment Japan Sony Music Epic Records Mass media companies based in Tokyo Software companies based in Tokyo Video game companies of Japan Video game publishers Japanese record labels Record labels established in 1978 Record labels disestablished in 1988 Record labels established in 2001 Re-established companies