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AlphaTheta Corporation began as a division of Pioneer Corporation in 1994, when it released the world’s first commercially available flat-top DJ CD player. Since then, AlphaTheta has continued to challenge itself by releasing groundbreaking DJ and club equipment that’s been loved by customers around the world.

After the first 2 years of the pandemic, 2022 was the first time we saw “light at the end of the tunnel.” We’re pleased to see that the music industry, which we share close ties with, continues to gradually return to its former self, with events and festivals resuming since then.

2023 marks AlphaTheta’s 29th anniversary and 8th year as a standalone company since becoming independent in 2015. Always with our original intentions in mind, each of us at AlphaTheta will keep working hard every day and strive to achieve our mission: “One Through Music.”

As a company that we think is valued by society, we’ll continue to transform, create innovative products and services, strive for the development of music culture, and take on challenges. We look forward to another great year in music and hope that our valued customers and fans will continue to support AlphaTheta.

January 2023

Yoshinori Kataoka
President and CEO

Our Business

Business Overview

DJ Equipment
Since we launched the world's first flat-top CD DJ player in 1994, the CDJ-500, we’ve worked tirelessly to fulfill our motto of providing "surprise and excitement" to our customers. The high quality and attention to detail in our professional equipment have earned us the trust of DJs and clubs around the world. We'll continue to innovate and contribute to a world where more customers can enjoy a lifetime of music through DJing.
Music production equipment
In 2016, the TORAIZ SP-16 standalone sampler was released under the brand concept: "Inspiration Tools, where new sounds are generated one after another". “TORAIZ” series with an intuitive workflow and high performance, which is widely used not only for music production in studios, but also for live performances. In addition, we will strive to create new values that are unique to AlphaTheta and resonate with the sensibilities of artists.
Audio equipment
Following the release of the HDJ-1000, our first model of DJ headphones, in 2002, we launched the SDJ Series of monitor speakers in 2011. Ever since, the product line, developed in the pursuit of maximizing the creativity and performances of DJs, has been loved by customers around the world. In 2013, we introduced the XY Series of professional PA/SR speakers, contributing to the creation of a comprehensive entertainment space. We will continue our efforts to over new value that meets customer need through high-quality sound and technology.
Apps
AlphaTheta has always produced DJing environments for the changing times. In 2009, we released rekordbox, a music management software application that supports DJ performances. Then, in 2020, we gradually set up its subscription service to enable DJs to manage and play music from the cloud. We’ll continue to work to empower innovative DJ sets and enhance the DJing experience. Using our expertise in music analysis gained through DJing, we recently released DanceTribe, an iPhone app for dancers that supports everything from choreography to practice and filming of moves and routines, in December 2022.
Digital Services
To ensure that customers who purchase products such as our CDJ-3000 can continue to use them over long periods with peace of mind, we launched AlphaTheta Care, the DJ industry's first product warranty service, in April 2022. In September 2022, we entered into a strategic investment and alliance with DJ Monitor B.V., a global market leader in monitoring and reporting music usage using AI music recognition technology, to help fairly provide the creators at the core of the music industry with the royalties they’re owed – something we believe is important for the continued growth of the music industry. In the future, we aim to create an environment where music creators can achieve maximum creativity, by working on collaborative development projects such as KUVO, a service that supports the fair distribution of royalties.
Yokohama DJ Lab
As an initiative to expand the DJ Culture to as many people as possible, we run the DJ school “Yokohama DJ Lab” for customers to continuously enjoy DJing. As well as holding DJ classes, Yokohama DJ Lab rents out DJ space, runs various events (online events, presentations, etc.), offers workshops for companies and organizations, provides opportunities for DJs to perform at sporting and retail events, and offers many other initiatives that customers can enjoy.

Research and Development

AlphaTheta research and development creates surprise, joy, and excitement that exceeds customer expectations.
We continue rising to the challenge of developing new technologies that enable professional DJs to intuitively express themselves through sounds. Our core technology comprises user interface, digital audio analysis/processing, high-quality sound, and data analytics technologies. This, together with our decades of experience, helps us to support the performance of professional DJs, as well as bring creativity and diversity to the enjoyment of music by analyzing and utilizing data collected from around the globe to create new surprises, joy, and excitement. We're also engaging in new technologies that are important to the evolution and growth of our business, including AI, technologies related to the latest forms of music media, cloud and network technologies, and wireless technologies. All these technologies can be used in, or to support, products for all levels of DJs ー from first-timers to professionals. As a hardware company, we also recognize that it’s important to pay close attention to our use of finite resources and energy to realize a sustainable society. That's why we’re working to make our products more energy-efficient, smaller, and lighter, while striving to reduce the amount of plastic and parts in our products.
User-Interface Technology
Motorized jog wheel offering more than an analog turntable
Featuring high rotational stability and a customizable feel, this jog allows DJs to check waveforms and other information necessary for scratching as if they’re touching the music itself, in addition to offering a faithful analog feel. From now on, we’ll continue developing user interfaces that enhance DJs’ expressiveness in performances.
High-Quality Sound Technology
Club sound that knows the scenes
Ever since the introduction of our first DJ mixer in 1995, our unique design knowledge has enabled us to achieve tight low-frequency, realistic mid-range, and high-resolution high-frequency audio ranges. We often conduct field tests at the world’s top venues to help us create a club sound that evokes a sense of euphoria.
Digital Audio Analysis and Processing Technologies
Waveform display for detailed understanding of songs and smooth mixing
DJs make their mixes sound smooth and exciting by understanding the composition of the songs they play. Analysis technology quickly analyzes the music and displays crucial information for DJs in a waveform – a visual format that’s easy to understand. Digital audio processing technology makes mixing songs easier, even when they have vastly different tempos and keys.

Intellectual Property

Own technologies that enable intuitive DJing and creative performances
DJs perform by preparing the mix points for individual songs, then choosing the order to play them in based on the reaction of the audience. Some DJs add visual effects to their shows too. Analysis technologies for tempo, beat position, and percussion position are used to display the waveform and information of each track so the DJ can quickly and accurately understand its sound and structure for optimal music selection and mixing. Analysis technology can also be used to automatically trigger lighting effects that match the rhythm and mood of the music. Our technology broadly supports intuitive DJing and creative performances. We strive for unique technological innovation to further improve our customers’ DJ experiences.
Our DJ players can automatically synchronize lighting equipment and effects with the rhythm and mood of the music, even in clubs and venues without lighting operators.

Design

Making dreams a realityWe dream of what customers will want in 5 years and use our creativity to make it happen.
AlphaTheta has created a design center that specializes in product design, digital design, and communication design. The mission of the design center is to “Make dreams a reality.” There, we work to envision what we, ourselves, and our customers, will want in the near future, consult with people from diverse backgrounds, and combine our creativity to turn those ideas into real products, software, and services.
DDJ-FLX4
product design
DDJ-FLX4
Product Design
rekordbox ver. 6.0
application design
DDJ-FLX4
Packaging Design

Sustainability

Creating customer and social value for the sustainable growth of AlphaTheta
By identifying material ways to achieve our mission of “One Through Music” and solving environmental, social, and governance issues, we aim to achieve sustainable growth through the creation of medium-to-long-term corporate value. We believe it’s a company’s duty to contribute to society and people through its ventures, not only by providing products and services that help customers but also by being fair with suppliers and business partners, and by complying with laws and regulations to ensure sound business practices. In accordance with our environmentally friendly product and service initiatives, including reducing paper, plastic, and power usage, we offer extended warranty services to increase the lifespan of our products. Moreover, we, at AlphaTheta, with a belief that ensuring respect for human rights is a business fundamental, conduct regular in-house training with the aim of operating respectable business practices based on our human rights policy and basic compliance policy.

Social Contributions

Event for an inclusive crowd of people with and without hearing impairment using a tool to experience and enjoy music through their bodies
Recently, our Yokohama DJ Lab took part in the “Furueru Sports Kansen Project” (Touch and Feel Live Sports Project) at one of Japan’s largest bouldering gyms during a competition that saw the participation of hearing-impaired competitors for the first time. Using a tool called Ontenna,* a user interface that allows sound to be felt through the body, rekordbox wirelessly transmitted the DJ’s music as vibrations based on different signals. In the future, we’ll continue to take part in activities that allow all people to connect through music. *Ontenna is manufactured and marketed by KAGA FEI Co., Ltd.
Eco-friendly events that utilize power from fuel cell vehicles to easily enjoy music outside
In collaboration with Kanagawa Toyota Motor Sales Co. Ltd., our Yokohama DJ Lab also took part in the “iimono ippai marche” (Good Things Market) held every month at Yokohama Bay Quarter to power DJ equipment from a Toyota Mirai fuel cell vehicle. This was an opportunity for Toyota and AlphaTheta to inspire a new lifestyle option and promote an easy, eco-friendly way to supply power for outdoor music.

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Company Info

Company name

AlphaTheta Corporation
* We’ve changed our company name to AlphaTheta Corporation. For more information on the change follow this link.

Headquarters

Yokohama i-Mark Place 6th floor, 4-4-5 Minatomirai, Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 220-0012 Japan
Phone +81-45-522-5400

Mission

One Through Music

Vision

To enhance the creative potential of music and enable a world filled with joy

Management Team

YOSHINORI KATAOKA President and CEO
MASAKAZU SUZUKI Executive Director in board
RYUKICHI IWAKIRI Director
RYOSUKE YOKOBARI Director
DAI NAKAMURA Corporate Auditor
KEI AIKAWA Executive Officer
KAZUHITO TAKIGUCHI Executive Officer
AKIRA YOKOYAMA Executive Officer

Number of employees

471 (as of December, 2022)

Business

Design, Production, Sales and related services for the DJ, Professional Audio and Music Production markets

Capital

100,000,000 Yen (as of December, 2021)

Shareholders’ composition

Parent Company: Noritsu Koki Co., Ltd.
(Listing: Prime Market, Tokyo Stock Exchange)

Sales subsidiaries

AlphaTheta EMEA Limited
Unit 39, Tileyard Studios, Tileyard Road, London, N7 9AH

AlphaTheta Music Americas, Inc.
2050 W 190th Street, Suite #109, Torrance, CA 90504, USA

AlphaTheta (Shanghai) CO., Ltd.
Unit 01, 6th Floor, Golden Hongqiao International Center, No.523, Lou Shan Guan Road,
Changning District, Shanghai, China

HISTORY

1994 June Entered the DJ equipment business as one of Pioneer Corporation’s businesses
2013 Aug. Announced entry into professional audio equipment business
2014 Oct. Started offering KUVO, a club culture entertainment service, as one of the related services businesses
2015 Mar. Independent from Pioneer Corporation as “Pioneer DJ Corporation” through a stock split
Head Office established in the former Kawasaki Head Office of Pioneer Corporation
Nov. Head office moved to the current location of Yokohama City.
2016 Aug. Announced entry into the music production business
2019 Oct. Opened Pioneer DJ Yokohama DJ Lab, a DJ school in Yokohama City, as one of the related services businesses
2020 Jan. Company name changed from Pioneer DJ Corporation to AlphaTheta Corporation
2022 Sep. Announced a strategic investment and alliance with DJ Monitor B.V., a global market leader in music recognition technology.