Japanese Music

The bulk of my music collection is now coming from paid iTunes. I like not having to waste money on a CD that there's only a few songs that I like.

I rarely update my music list, though if there is a song I like I will look for it. I find downloads here and there, though I will buy a CD if the majority of the songs on the CD is worth listening to.

i buy 1 or 2 CDs every year. from singers that i really like. the rest i'll just download them from the net. no point getting the whole album if you only like 1 or 2 songs.

even if i bought the CD, i'll rip the songs out and convert them to mp3 and listen to them on my phone.

who carry around a CD walkman nowadays anyway? ('~')

I do confess that I sometimes download free music, I tried buying music from iTunes, and even got myself one of those 50 dollar card which to my dismay won't work outside of the united states!

If theres only one song from a band that I like, I rather download it (for free).If there are some really good songs on the album or I'm a big fan of that band I buy it. I kinda collect CDs, it feels good to have something material and not just a file on your comp. (I hope that doesn't sound too weird...)

Good one, I actually haven't bought a CD for some years now sadly.. I think they take up space and get scratched / lost easily. iTunes seems to rule at the moment. I can't imagine life without it haha!

Its good to give someone a CD album as a gift but not something I would see myself going to buy.. I'd rather have the file on my iTunes or MP3 player.

I do a little of everything. It wasn't too long ago since I bought a CD, it just depends on the artist/band, etc. etc. Sometimes, I borrow cd's from friends...

*On Anime songs only mode. Not interested in occidental music anymore since a few years*

If only I could find the CDs I wanted... Voted for free download without a doubt.

I only listen to Jpop/anime and iTunes has a very very limited selection of that kind of music. Same with the music stores here.

Does free downloading mean illegal downloading? xD

Download? No no no... I get my songs from the internet LOL

for me... I only listen to JPops and Anime tracks... i would like to buy a physical CD cause i wany my collection to be perfect...

but my local stores are s*ck...

so.. i get my favourite tunes through p2p.. T.T

actually I do freedownloads
and if i am really kigahen over the songs, i will actually buy the real CD which includes other merchandises

I guess in a way this has helped the CD sales.

i download my sounds off the net and if i like or loved the music, i'll buy an original CD to support the artists ^^

and buying an original CD has a different experience or feeling compared to a pirated one lolz

First option.

I rarely ever get to see someone with a CD Player these days...

Like everyone else, I download a log of songs and only buy when I really like the songs.

Majority of my music library is still based on new CDs. Jazz, along with other style, just don't sound well at lower bit rates. I do download music from sites like iTMS. Usually it's music I figure I will not listen to a lot.

Japan is a great place to buy music. I can find albums long ago discontinued, both new and in use shops. I have rented music before as well. I don't know of any place else where one can rent CDs.

i used to buy a lot of CD's but now i only buy CD's for the GOOD ROCK BANDS the rest i free download 'em

My philosophy on the matter is this: if I can buy the CD by going to a store then I will buy the CD and support the artist. Most of my Jpop is downloaded- simply because I do not have the ability to buy it easily. Import CDs to the USA and I will buy the CDs.

Usually the ones that I like the most I would buy, maybe a few OSTs from Games and Animes, some artists, etcc... Mainly I usually download off torrents, or leech off at mIRC to get my music. It's alot easier to put in my iPod than ripping off a whole bunch of CDs.

Generally because there's no concept of ownership with downloads (Most music download services in Japan, JiTMS included, are DRM ridden...), people thus prefer to buy physical copies instead. Quality is another issue.(A ripped WAV file of the highest quality is still relatively poor when compared to CD audio)

Honestly, there's still a market for LPs, so I can't see CDs going out of style any time soon.

I'm sure I'm one of the people supporting the Japanese CD sales...
reason being that Japanese CDs come with interesting goodies in their "first press edition". I know it's a ripoff to make you buy 2 copies but I can't help it.... -_-;
another reason is that I listen to mostly Visual Kei and indies stuff which can't be easily found online in good quality.

I generally buy CDs when I'm at a concert and have just heard a band play and feel like supporting them.

Especially as for me a concert consists of a basement/bar/etc show where some bands are counting on merch/demo/cd sales to help cover their touring expenses.

Otherwise I tend to be downloading. Saddest thing is the amount of downloaded music on my PC that I didn't even download. Having friends really generates an eclectic mix of stuff in the old library.

passerby117, i agree with you 100% on the quality issue.

I only download what i can't afford to try out new or old songs from an artist. But on some occasions...a CD may be out of print so i have no choice then, heh.

I buy CDs only if I really like the artiste and feel that he/she/they deserve my support.

They rent out CDs over there?

wildarmsheero,
They sure do. Something to do with the Japanese Music Association making payments to the record labels for each CD that gets rented.

Most of the times I just download them, but once in a blue moon I also buy the CD if it's THAT good.

it just too expensive for too buy cd
but the music company blame illegal downloads are the reason why.

although the reason why we download is because its too expensive.

too bad they dont include all the extra stuff you get like they do in japan.

the thing is. it costs a record company less then 25p to burn a load of CDs CDs use to be over 15pounds but now prices are under 10pounds but thats still not enough I can pay for a months worth of broadband & download a as many albums as id like for 10pounds.

so people might flame me for not supporting my favorite band by buying their cds but i do make a huge effort to see all my favorite bands live at least a few times if i can while their touring. its my way of saying thanks for the great music

I wonder, what keeps rented CD's from being ripped to mp3?

Japanese can easily afford CDs and other electronics, since they have a high, high standard of living, and have really high salaries; even food could be more expensive than that stuff. On the other hand, most other countries' electronics prices are unbelievably high, when compared to the actual manufacturing cost. It's for this reason that most people just download - because the price does not justify the product (most of the time). At least, that's what I'd like to think.

I'm an advocate for owning original materials for many reasons. One, I'm an enthusiast that like to collect and show proof of his collection. Secondly, I support the industry (both anime and music) simply because BOTH are to some extent, in a decline. Lastly, I'm too lazy to continuously clean my computer of downloaded content (dvds and what not).

If you've been keeping your ears open btw, yes Anime is in decline (even more so in Japan; so North America sources say) simply because more people pirate rather than buy. I know its tough on me(and my wallet!) to continuously buy, but whenever I do have that opportunity, I make sure I do. It's my little way of showing support.

It's interesting that CD sales are still doing pretty well in Japan. Is the adoption rate of various types of online sales typically slower in Japan? Or is there more of a want to own physical copies of media? I'm actually kinda surprised that more people aren't opting for something like iTunes given that foregoing CDs in favor of downloadable music would free up a lot of space in one's already tiny Japanese apartment.

I buy CDs when it's worth it.

not much choice for japanese music here, so I am forced to free downloads. Had few experiences of importing CDs from Japan though. Not cheap.

is this just me or what?
i don't like any music except BGM, anime OP/insert/ED music.

all the music i don't know/ not anime stuff its just noisy annoying noise to me. lately -_-

Sometimes it's not worth no buy a CD if you like only one or two songs that come with so I download everything. I don't download entire CDs from the net only the songs I want. Lately I've downloaded only singles at nipponsei since it's impossible to get Japanese CDs here because they don't exist XD.

I remember the last time I brought a CD (when I had a job with steady pay) $30 bucks for the Killers and I only liked two of the songs, no wonder I never heard the rest on the radio. I also prefer to have the physical real thing but sometimes there are things which stop me so I resort to other methods...

Although it would be nice if they include more extras with the cds. Although there's no way I would import cds, I defiantly don't have the money for that.

The sad thing is that LP production costs more than CD production but they're actually sold cheaper...

I think it's quite hard to get to know new and different music without downloading. When you find bands you really like it's nice to own their CDs. Not only to support them but because its just a nice "fandom" article to possess.

i buy the CD and rip it myself to play it either in my PC or my portable media player.... and i put the CD a safe place

I download all my music~ :x

But if there's an album I like (from the downloaded music) then I try to buy the CD itself if I can. :)

chinese singers in aisa like to release multiple editions of their albums.

for example shortly after the album is released, a 2nd edition with bonus DVD will follow. this is kinda like a slap on the face for those who bought the 1st edition. >_<

i hate this kind of marketing scams by the music companies. but there are still those who fall for it, mostly young teens in a bid to own everything by that idol.

normally i download, but if i like the song/album i will give the support(buy it).

i will always buy the songs/CD i love, and ya download actually helps me comfirms whether or not the song is worth spending money on. and yes getting Limited edtion is quite fun, though it cost more but is well worth it.

If only they have it here T.T Once I step into Japan, I'll definitely go on an anime shopping spree.

Having a physical CD is like a form of security? Imagine one day when you have to format or whatever to your HDD with all your downloaded stuff, you'll cry like a hardcore fangirl with the trouble of getting everything back again.

I'll lie if I said I don't download free music... but when the band really deserves it I buy the CDs. For example, Queen or Guns N' Roses (which are my all time faves).

I love buying CDs but because they are so expensive I end up taking advantage of free downloads. Also, I prefer to try out a CD via free download before actually buying it. No point spending alot of money to get a CD shipped half way across the world only to find you don't like it, right?

I'll buy CDs or even vinyl if it's an Indie band I like. Some music is hard to find, so I'll buy that too. Otherwise, major label stuff I usually pirate (gasp!).

I think the overall problem with music is that everyone more or less considers it to be public domain, so they don't feel guilty about getting it for nothing. Same thing is going to happen with books once eBooks become more popular.

I'm with the "download for test and get the original stuff if it's good" crowd.

Also: one more to add to all the proofs that piracy is more saving the music industry than hurting it.

The last two games I bought without playtesting them first are collecting dust on the back of some drawer right now. Namely Quake Wars and Hellgate London.

Battlefield, Battlefield 2, Orange Box, Call of Duty 4, and several other games... I playtested them first, and bought them later on.

Demos usually do a poor job on presenting the real feel of the games... but I just notice I completely got off track from the subject. Here I am yapping about games when the topic is about music.

But it goes along the line. I like to listen to several artists music, and if I think the music is good, I go ahead and buy some albuns. Or maybe just buy some musics from an online store.

But since I ain't listening to new stuff for a long time, I usually only buy CDs to give as birthday presents or something.

The last CD I bought was the one from Hachikuro. Imported. Probably cost me 5 times the original price on Japan. That's how far I go when I really like the music.

Before that, I bought the soundtrack from The Hours... imported from Amazon, the shipping cost me 3 times the CD.

And next I'm probably buying the soundtrack from Cowboy Bebop.

I don't buy cd's anymore, nor download. Good ol radio. Or get some tunes from friends.

I agree most of the cds/dvds i buy are because of free downloads. If I really like something I buy the original product. ^^

most of my music are downloaded, but when there's a really good song I usually buy the CDs. it has more value than a mere downloaded file(even lossless)

m-flo ftw!!!

Usually I buy CDs, if I want to get some music. I also like the cover art, which you don't get when downloading. And why not support artists I like? Okay, I admit, that I've also downloaded music, but mostly single songs or some albums. Never really a lot. And often in such cases I've bought the CD later anyway. And good thing is, that one of my favourite bands has let their fans to download their music for free.

Hendrik, I'm glad there is someone who thinks like me.

Can't explain why, but the same feeling occurs to me whenever I listen to occidental music: Even if some songs are good and the artists talented, I can't have any attraction to that anymore (The only ones that could move my old self are songs from the 70's, 80's and early 90's).

Maybe am I turning cranky and picky with time. ^^;

Download if available, for evaluation

Purchase if desirable or unavailable online:
- New if highly desirable, indie, collectable
- Used if lowly desirable, noncollectable, out of print

Evaluation for downloads remains until purchased or deleted

I get practically everything online for free. I don't sell them or anything of course. I just find it more practical to get one song for free than to buy one CD and I'll only listen to one of its 14-18 songs.

Call me old-fashioned but I still appreciate having a tangible artifact to hold on to when it comes to music. Free and paid downloaded music feels a tad bit disposable and unimportant to me.

The Japanese really are old fashioned in terms of downloading free music. They are WAY behind compared to Americans on that, though I actually like how people still buy CDs old fashioned way.

I download all my music for free and if I like it I buy a official copy off of iTunes. As a musician I like to support good music by buying as much of it as I can. But I also make a point of not buying anything until I know for sure that it is good, as I don't want to support the industry in general turning crappy--it's drowning in mediocrity enough as it is.

I always buy CDs, or DVDA/SACD if possible. All the CDs are then ripped to WMA Lossless. I've not really looked at downloadable music as there doesn't seem to be much available in lossless formats, legal or otherwise.

@ MrColosus

I mostly agree with you, however; most of the bands I listen to author their CDs from 192kbps mp3s anyway, so there really isn't any difference between buying the CD and just downloading.

If it is oldies or electronic music I tend to try and get it in records or SACD/DVDA. My record collection outweighs my mp3 collection at about 10 records to one mp3 album.

...which is pretty impressive, considering I have 213 GB of music on my computer.

Impressive, most impressive.
Don't have any vinyl myself, don't think I'd have room for it!

On the subject of music, I'm going to Japan for 4 weeks in April and my wife and I would love to see Ai Otsuka who is touring at this time. Does anyone know the best way to get tickets from outside Japan? As far as I can tell you really need to be in Japan to get them - usually from vending machines in the 24 hr stores.... can anyone help!?

Other than for supporting the and/music industry and owning an "authentic copy" , I don't see a reason to go all the way to HMV and pay for music when you have it all at the tips of your fingers on the interwebs.

I was in Japan, looking to buy some CD's, and they were SO EXPENSIVE!
Sex Machineguns CD was like 3000 yen...

although i have a big collection downloaded, I also buy CD's because I support the artist I love.

enven though i buy CDs on occasion coz i have the money. but when i dont have no cash i usually i have forur different methods of obtaining my music.

1.www.4shared.com (no sign up required)
2.emule
3.Limewire
4.Torrents

by using these methods i usually get what i want.