CONNECTONE

CONNECTONE (コネクトーン) is a Japanese record label established in April 2015 as an in-house imprint of Victor Entertainment, itself part of the JVCKenwood group. The label was founded by Ryo Takagi, a veteran music executive with prior experience at EMI and Universal Music, who had worked with international acts such as The Rolling Stones and The Smashing Pumpkins. The name combines "connect" and "tone," reflecting its concept of "music that connects, music that is connected." The label was first announced publicly in September 2014 at Victor's MUSIC STORM 2014 presentation event and officially began operations in April 2015 with Awesome City Club as its first major debut artist. CONNECTONE positions itself as a genre-agnostic label focused on artists with strong originality and attitude. It aims to earn "label buying" trust from listeners, rather than relying on individual hit artists. The label operates on a 360-degree business model, sharing an artist's overall income with management companies and music publishers, moving away from the traditional record company model. Its philosophy includes "batting average over distance" — prioritizing consistent team success over one-off home runs. Contract structures include joint-venture, mutual rights/revenue, and dual label/agency roles. The label hosts the annual CONNECTONE NIGHT event since 2016, which also serves as an audition platform for new talent. It has expanded internationally, seeking partnerships with overseas labels. In April 2019, Victor Entertainment merged its Western music department with CONNECTONE's production department to form CONNEXTONE (コネクストーン), which now handles artists such as Nulbarich, LUCKY TAPES, and LOVEBITES. A sub-label, CONNECTUNE (コネクチューン), was also established. The label's current roster includes RHYMESTER (since 2015), lyrical school (since 2019), and minan (since 2021), while past artists include Awesome City Club, SANABAGUN., and Reol.

CONNECTONE was first announced in September 2014 at Victor Entertainment's presentation event "MUSIC STORM 2014" as a new label concept. It officially began activities in April 2015, founded by Ryo Takagi, a music industry veteran who had worked with international artists such as The Rolling Stones and The Smashing Pumpkins during his time at EMI and Universal Music. The label's name combines "connect" and "tone," embodying the concept of "music that connects, music that is connected." Its first major debut artist was Awesome City Club in 2015. In May 2016, the label held its first self-produced event, "CONNECTONE NIGHT Vol.1," which also included auditions for new talent. The label continued to sign artists such as RHYMESTER (2015), SANABAGUN. (2015), and later lyrical school (2019) and minan (2021). In April 2019, Victor Entertainment merged its Western music department with CONNECTONE's production department to form CONNEXTONE (コネクストーン), which now handles both Japanese and international artists including Nulbarich, LUCKY TAPES, and LOVEBITES. A sub-label, CONNECTUNE (コネクチューン), was also established within CONNEXTONE. The label has maintained a focus on flexible contracts and international outreach, reflecting the changing needs of artists in the digital age.

• 2019

  Merged with Victor's Western music department to form CONNEXTONE; sub-label CONNECTUNE established.

• 2016

  Held first self-produced event "CONNECTONE NIGHT Vol.1".

• 2015

  Officially began activities; Awesome City Club made major debut as first artist.

• 2014

  Announced at Victor Entertainment's MUSIC STORM 2014 event.

Genre-agnostic label focused on artist originality and a 360-degree business model, aiming for 'label buying' trust.

• lyrical school - DAY 2

• 伊東歌詞太郎 × BaishaJAWS - ReStart (Japanese Version)

• Penthouse - 我愛你

• る鹿 - 体がしびれる 頭がよろこぶ (冥丁Remix)

• Night Tempo × JQ from Nulbarich - 夢の続き

• Penthouse - フライデーズハイ (Shingo Suzuki Remix)

• FANCYLABO - Kira Kira

• LOVEBITES - 明日への裁き

• Halie Loren - Dreams Lost And Found

• DragonForce - Warp Speed Warriors

• CONNECTONE NIGHT

1. 1CONNEXTONE official websitejvcmusic.co.jp
2. 2CONNECTONE - Wikipedia (Japanese)ja.wikipedia.org
3. 3CONNECTONE - Wikidatawikidata.org