IA

IA (イア) (subtitled "- ARIA ON THE PLANETES -") is aVocaloid3 whose voicebank was provided by the Japanese singer Lia, known for "Tori no Uta". This song was written by Jun Maeda and used for the opening theme of the visual novel, Air. Her design was illustrated by Aka Akasaka (D. Z.), while the design direction was by Maxilla Inc.

Etymology
"IA" is taken from her voice provider's name "Lia".

There are at least two ways to read her sub-title of "Aria on the Planetes":
 * The words "Aria" and "Planetes" are Latin and Greek for "open space" and "planet" respectively, giving the translation of "Open Space on the Planet".
 * "Aria", is also the Italian word for "air" and was used as a term in opera for expressive pieces, usually sung by a single singer.

Marketing
Information on IA was released much slower than the average Vocaloid. Her promotions have taken the approach to make her seem otherworldly and mysterious.

The licensing for IA is slightly different to past Vocaloids, and it is worth taking the time to read this page for more details. Unlike some past Vocaloids, users can use her image on CDs, flyers and posters without requesting permission, although some consent from the company is needed for greater use of her image. This is a departure from past Vocaloids such as Crypton Future Media, who require you to ask permission for use of their Vocaloids' images on such things as CDs, flyers and posters.

Clothing
Prior to her release, you could buy a t-shirt with her logo on it.

Figurines
The garage kit IAA Garage Kit has been made and the PVC version is being produced by Aquamarine. It is already up for pre-order and was released late May, 2013.

Concerts
IA has collaborated with Nippon engineering to preform at Kamarok Festival 2012, however, this was not leaked. On November 28th, IA performed with Jin at Voice Fes 2012, singing Live drive and World Calling, the theme song of the event. 1st Place also announced their next project 'IA Project Next Stage' which will start in 2013. Information about it is unknown, although they have mentioned promoting IA more in the following year.

The IA project is currently sponsoring the LEXUS TEAM SARD at Super GT300 on 18/08 at the seasons opening event, which will mark IA's debut as a sponsor girl.
===Game ===

IA is due to make an appearance in the RPG "Demon Gaze" along with an IA theme song. The content will be added as DLC and is being released to celebrate the game selling 50,000+ units, other characters and content are also being added.

Popularity
IA was well received and had many hits in the Nico Nico Douga weekly rankings after her release. On 08/04/2012, research conducted showed she had 679 hits on Piapro, 2459 hits on Pixiv (after search was refined) and 2,872 hits on Nico Nico Douga, making her the most popular of the early Vocaloid 3 releases. Within 6 months of her release, several songs hit 1,000,000+ views on Nico Nico Douga, whereas none of the other Vocaloid 3 vocals achieved success of this calibre. This therefore put her on par with some of the more successful Vocaloid 2 era voicebanks, IA being the only new Vocaloid to achieve this thus far in the Vocaloid3 era.

Trivia

 * Some overseas fans have mistaken the "Aria" in her boxes subtitle as part of her name, using it as her surname, or believing "IA" to be shorthand for "Aria".
 * Despite the myth of IA's age being 15, she has had no age assigned to her. This myth seems to originate from a section underneath the paragraph on IA about her provider Lia, wherein one of the first things mentioned on Lia is that she debuted in America at 15 years old.

Notable for...

 * First 1st Place Vocaloid released.
 * First female Vocaloid released by 1st Place.
 * First VOCALOID3 to hit over 1 million views on NND.
 * Having the highest tempo among all VOCALOIDs.