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darkshade 
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 Topic: Why Does Japan Get All The Bonus Tracks, etc?
Posted: December 29 2010 at 17:51 |
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ive been checking out some jazz-rock/fusion albums, and noticed online that the Japanese releases for a lot of these albums (RTF, CCEB, Weather Report, etc...) have bonus tracks and special editions. Same thing with some Dream Theater releases. They're either live versions of songs, or unreleased material. There's more but i cant recall off the top of my head.
Do you know why Japan gets all these special releases? Is their fan base larger there?
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Mastosis
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Posted: December 29 2010 at 17:55 |
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Magnets.
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zravkapt
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Posted: December 29 2010 at 17:57 |
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This is a very good question. AFAIK *every* Japanese release has songs on them not available anywhere else. I remember hearing something about a law in Japan where CDs had to have so many songs. Of course, this doesn't make any sense when dealing with prog albums with only 3 songs. I know some UK releases of US albums have bonus songs that are not on the US version.
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ProgressiveAttic
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Posted: December 29 2010 at 18:00 |
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They have a really big purchasing power over there... that's why every major band has toured Japan at least once
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WalterDigsTunes
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Posted: December 29 2010 at 18:04 |
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Japanese CDs are expensive and imports tend to be cheaper than their domestic pressings. Adding bonus material to the Japanese issues ensures sales of the local item.
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Nathaniel607
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Posted: December 29 2010 at 18:09 |
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I don't know but it's freaking annoying. One particularly annoying instance recently. I got "Amaran's Plight - Voice in the Light" and it actually has a track called "Reflections Pt.1" and lyrics for "Pt.2" but no part 2. It even blatantly has space on the tracklist for it, but it's a freaking Japanese bonus track. Keep in mind this is a concept album.
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darkshade
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Posted: December 29 2010 at 18:23 |
 Nathaniel607 wrote:
I don't know but it's freaking annoying. One particularly annoying instance recently. I got "Amaran's Plight - Voice in the Light" and it actually has a track called "Reflections Pt.1" and lyrics for "Pt.2" but no part 2. It even blatantly has space on the tracklist for it, but it's a freaking Japanese bonus track. Keep in mind this is a concept album. |
oooo that just sends me. You cant do that with concept albums. It's quite frustrating not having all the pieces of the puzzle, if you know what i mean
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Slartibartfast
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Posted: December 29 2010 at 19:00 |
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They do have a respectable prog fanbase over there. Plus they issue a lot of my favorite CD format: the mini-LP.
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Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened... 
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moshkito
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Posted: December 29 2010 at 20:00 |
Hi,
I've always thought that whatever BS laws show up in America and England that prevent some things from getting released, tend to disappear real quick when they can get a quick million in Japan!
It has been all about the money and the numbers! ... but I tend to think that there is a much louder and use'able respect for the art and the work, that allows for it to be released over there, but not in London and New York.
I am of the opinion that a law should be passed that if the record company does not do anything with the work after 20 years that they have to release it to the artist's owners and control ... because too many of these record companies are hurting music because of their greed ... but then you get this one guy in Southern California that has a massive number of Salvador Dali prints that were numbered and signed ... and when we asked why he was not showing them and selling them? ... "I'm waiting for him to die, so I can sell those for 100k each, since they are authentic".
Now you know the kind of scum that run the arts ... and wave money in front of your nose instead of carrots!
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Manuel
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Posted: December 29 2010 at 21:06 |
This has been going on for several years now, and it's quite annoying to me. Do I have to become Japanese to get the music?, does it mean if I'm not Japanese I'm worth less to the artists/ record labels?, or do they want to take more money out of my pocket by forcing me to buy Japanese imports?
Quite unfair indeed, and a very unethical marketing strategy.
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CCVP
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Posted: December 29 2010 at 21:16 |
ProgressiveAttic wrote:
They have a really big purchasing power over there... that's why every major band has toured Japan at least once |
This. Japan is the second biggest music market in the world, even though it has a third of the US' population. And music there can be very specific niche-wise. Europe also has the same bonus track thing as Japan does, though in a smaller extent.
Edited by CCVP - December 29 2010 at 21:16
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qscprog
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Posted: December 29 2010 at 22:36 |
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I believe that It may still be due to the old "cross import" law that prohibited imports of the same item into the US that forced companies like YSL Records out of business in the 80"s. If the CD has extra tracks it could be imported as it was not the same as the domestic release. Stupid, as Jap vinyl was about double the cost of domestic at the time. So extra tracks allows other countries to export to the US for those extra bucks.
Edited by qscprog - December 29 2010 at 22:39
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darkshade
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Posted: December 31 2010 at 13:30 |
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well i would like to know why America or Europe does not get these tracks 'eventually' considering how many labels re-release albums to make a buck
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crimhead
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Posted: December 31 2010 at 16:19 |
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Why Does Japan Get All The Bonus Tracks, etc?
