Optical recording medium comprising a dye-incorporated composition

An optical recording medium comprising a substrate and a recording layer formed thereon for information to be written in and/or to be read out, wherein said recording layer contains a dye-incorporated composition which comprises a mixture of a cyanine dye and an azo metal chelate compound, wherein the azo metal chelate compound is an azo compound of the following formula (I):

• ##STR69## wherein A is a residue forming a hetero ring together with the carbon atom and the nitrogen atom to which it is bonded, B is a residue forming an aromatic ring or a hetero ring together with the two carbon atoms to which is bonded, and X is a group having an active hydrogen, wherein ##STR70## is a thiazole ring, a benzothiazole ring, a pyridobenzothiazole ring, a benzopyridothiazole ring, a pyridothiazole ring, a pyridine ring or a quinoline ring;
• or a thiazole ring, a benzothiazole ring, a pyridobenzothiazole ring, a benzopyridothiazole ring, a pyridothiazole ring, a pyridine ring or a quinoline ring substituted by an alkyl group, an alkoxy group, an aryloxy group, an aralkyl group, an aryl group, a halogen atom, a cyano group, a nitro group, an ester group, a carbamoyl group, an acyl group, an acylamino group, a sulfamoyl group, a sulfonamide group, an amino group, a hydroxyl group, a phenylazo group, a pyridinoazo group or a vinyl group;
• and ##STR71## is a benzene ring, a naphthalene ring, a pyridine ring, a pyridone ring, a tetrahydroquinoline ring or a pyrazole ring;
• or a benzene ring, a naphthalene ring, a pyridine ring, a pyridone ring, a tetrahydroquinoline ring or a pyrazole ring substituted by an alkyl group, an alkoxy group, an aryloxy group, an aralkyl group, an aryl group, a halogen atom, a cyano group, a nitro group, an ester group, a carbamoyl group, an acyl group, an acylamino group, a sulfamoyl group, a sulfonamide group, an amino group, a hydroxyl group, a phenylazo group, a pyridinoazo group or a vinyl group;
• chelated with a metal.