Josaka is an independent record label

Independent record label

An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...

 and music company based jointly in Reading

Reading, Berkshire

Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....

 and London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

.

History

Josaka was founded in 1999 in order to host a presentation

Presentation

Presentation is the practice of showing and explaining the content of a topic to an audience or learner. Presentations come in nearly as many forms as there are life situations...

 given by Kevin Harrington to a Gartner Group conference in Amsterdam

Amsterdam

Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...

.

For the next nine years, the domain josaka.com was used as a promotional platform for Berkshire

Berkshire

Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...

-based bands, in the form of a forum.

In 2004, Josaka started an annual music showcase

Variety show

A variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is an entertainment made up of a variety of acts, especially musical performances and sketch comedy, and normally introduced by a compère or host. Other types of acts include magic, animal and circus acts, acrobatics, juggling...

, held at Reading

Reading, Berkshire

Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....

's South Street Arts Centre until 2006. In 2007, the event moved to Reading's Plug 'n' Play venue for one year only. The same year, Josaka became affiliated with the Reading leg of the Jail Guitar Doors

Jail Guitar Doors

"Jail Guitar Doors" is a song by The Clash, recorded during October and November 1977 and released on February 17, 1978 as the b-side of their fourth single "Clash City Rockers". The song is featured on the U.S...

 charity.

Record label

In 2006, Josaka Music Limited was formed as record label and music management company. The label's first release was in April 2006; a double a-side by Wire Jesus entitled "The Intruder/Another Day".

Artists

The following artists have released music through the Josaka label:

• Ben Marwood
  Ben Marwood
  Ben Marwood is an English singer-songwriter from the English town of Reading.-Musical career:As part of the contemporary London folk scene, Marwood has performed alongside Frank Turner , Chris T-T, Pete and the Pirates and Glasvegas...
  
  
• Hello Wembley
• Projekt A-ko

• Rebus
• The Trouble With Me
• To The Barricades
  To The Barricades
  A las Barricadas was one of the most popular songs of the Spanish anarchists during the Spanish Civil War. A las Barricadas is sung to the tune of Warszawianka 1905...
  
  

• Tripwires
  Tripwires
  Tripwires are a band from Reading, UK.- Biography :Tripwires are a band from Reading, UK, the band formed in 2007 and have regularly been performing around the country since...
  
  
• Urusei Yatsura
  Urusei Yatsura
  is a comedic manga series written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi that premiered in Weekly Shōnen Sunday in 1978 and ran until its conclusion in 1987. Its 374 individual chapters were collected and published in 34 tankōbon volumes. The series tells the story of Ataru Moroboshi, and the alien...
  
  
• Wire Jesus
• Secret Rivals
  Secret Rivals
  Secret Rivals aka Northern Leg, Southern Fist aka Silver Fox Rivals is a 1976 kung fu film directed by James Nam and Ng See Yuen and starring Hwang Jang Lee, John Liu and Wong Tao.-Plot:...