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Why do Japan releases have extra tracks?


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Old 27-05-2016, 19:11
boysforpele
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Does anyone know why japenese releases have all the extra tracks from various markets/forms and additional bonus tracks exclusive to Japan only?
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Old 27-05-2016, 21:34
Ænima
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I've always wondered this.

I presumed it was a marketing attempt to butter up the Japanese market, since it's a big market, with a tendency to follow crazes. You'd hear the term "big in Japan", which tended to relate to a band that had managed to create a craze in Japan, despite failing in other countries.
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Old 27-05-2016, 22:24
soapfan_1973
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it's because it is invariably cheaper for Japanese buyers to import CDs rather than purchase them in their local record store. The extra tracks are there to provide an incentive for buying the domestic version. Without the extra tracks, Japanese retailers are reluctant to sell the CDs knowing that a large portion of the potential purchasers will simply be importing the product.
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Old 27-05-2016, 22:33
casualviewer
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it's because it is invariably cheaper for Japanese buyers to import CDs rather than purchase them in their local record store. The extra tracks are there to provide an incentive for buying the domestic version. Without the extra tracks, Japanese retailers are reluctant to sell the CDs knowing that a large portion of the potential purchasers will simply be importing the product.
I thought I had read that it was more than being arbitrary too, it was sort of a trade agreement so that the music wasnt just an import, sort of a trade restriction. The extra tracks have to be added. Someone can correct me.
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Old 27-05-2016, 22:48
Torch81
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it's because it is invariably cheaper for Japanese buyers to import CDs rather than purchase them in their local record store. The extra tracks are there to provide an incentive for buying the domestic version. Without the extra tracks, Japanese retailers are reluctant to sell the CDs knowing that a large portion of the potential purchasers will simply be importing the product.
That's very interesting info. I've always wondered about this myself and had presumed it was purely because the Far East is a big money earning market for artists and that extra tracks were purely a consumer orientated buying incentive type device. But maybe not.

I have also heard that Japanese manufactured CD's were supposedly better quality in terms of how they're made and indeed sound. Not that I've noticed any discernible difference sound wise in Japanese imports I've acquired over the years. Any truth in that anyone know?
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Old 28-05-2016, 10:55
nattoyaki
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it's because it is invariably cheaper for Japanese buyers to import CDs rather than purchase them in their local record store. The extra tracks are there to provide an incentive for buying the domestic version. Without the extra tracks, Japanese retailers are reluctant to sell the CDs knowing that a large portion of the potential purchasers will simply be importing the product.
This is correct. When I lived in Japan some years ago the imports were 1800 or so yen (about £8) and the Japanese versions cost 2800+ (so about a fiver more). You didn't have to import them yourselves either - my import shop of choice was in one my city's biggest department stores. I understood it was because of the low import tax versus Japanese product tax, but that doesn't quite make sense. Perhaps the CDs are actually made in Japan, in which case that would explain the production expense? I'll check one in a minute...

The less mainstream Japanese releases can be a headache - I found a Svan Vath compilation the other day and the included bonus disc isn't listed on the box, as they'd just used the 'normal' release. There's a paper sheet inside which probably will have the tracks listed but I don't read Japanese!

I thought I had read that it was more than being arbitrary too, it was sort of a trade agreement so that the music wasnt just an import, sort of a trade restriction. The extra tracks have to be added. Someone can correct me.
Not sure if it's a trade agreement, but there definitely seems to be something contractual there, hence e.g. Coldplay's Ghost Stories, instead of having extra tracks in Japan, they just cut three tracks - including the title song! - from the rest of the world (except a US retailer exclusive I believe)!!! I'll bet Sony have a big say in all of this.

...

I have also heard that Japanese manufactured CD's were supposedly better quality in terms of how they're made and indeed sound. Not that I've noticed any discernible difference sound wise in Japanese imports I've acquired over the years. Any truth in that anyone know?
It doesn't make any sense to me. Encoding at the same bitrate would be the same quality, the quality wouldn't affect sound like vinyl. Better made? I guess they could last longer (?). The only way they could sound better is if they're mastered better, but that makes no logical sense to me.
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Old 28-05-2016, 11:39
nattoyaki
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Yep the three 'proper' Japanese releases I found (with the names in Japanese along the spine) without more digging are Made in Japan so I reckon it's production costs.

The Sven Vath CD does have the extra tracks listed on the insert - 4 remixes each of two tracks, not sure how rare they are.

Intensify by Way Out West has a bonus 14 minute remix.

I seem to recall that my The Cure Greatest Hits included a second disc of acoustic re-recordings of most of the tracks from the A-side which is incredibly generous (even if it's not a very good The Cure compilation)!

Enigma (the first album) doesn't have any extra tracks I don't think, just the spine name and insert.

So I'm pretty certain it's contractual with the record labels and artists. No doubt in return for promotion in Japan it's very much in the bigger or up and coming artists' interests to provide bonus tracks for a Japanese release, even if there's no further financial gain (which there may well be in terms of extra licensing revvenue and radio play fees).
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