[LFF]

I love import CD's! In Japan you find some of the best releases with extra bonus tracks and sometimes better mastering and it's not limited to Japan either. Check out the 21 CD Frank Sinatra EMI set from the UK.

 

[YamiTenshi]

Sorry to tell you, but I am fairly certain that these are bootlegs. Yes, they are "imported", but noticed that nowhere in the email does it say they are licensed in Japan. "Poorer Asian countries" usually means Taiwan which does not have the same copyright laws as Japan and America who have signed the Berne Convention so they can protect their copyrights aboard. Technically, Japanese and American companies view these as bootlegs. Yes, these CDs are legal but only in their country of origin.

Legal DVDs from Japan are Regional 2 DVDs. The fact that this website sells Regional 0 (meaning no code at all) is another indicator that these are in fact bootlegs. Also, legal DVDs from Japan and the US do NOT fit 8+ episodes on one DVD. The video is usually compressed from the originals to get that much onto one DVD.

The email also never denies that these are bootlegs. It only states that these are "NOT CD-R, burned, homespun or anything like that."

Think of this like the physical version of the Russian site allofmp3s.com. It is licensed and legal... in Russia. But that doesn't mean these are legal in America nor does it mean they have a valid license from America.

eBay Guides - How to spot bootleg anime

Anime Digital - The Pirate Anime FAQ

Bootleg FAQ

Japanese Music - Bootleg Anime Music

I'd advise you not to buy from this site, as you are probably giving the artist as much support as bittorrent.

Edit: If you are interested in buying legal Japan imported CDs check out:

CDJapan - Japanese Anime, Jpop, Japanese music, Game music, Japanese movie, CD, DVD -

YesAsia.com: Free Shipping on Asian (Chinese, Japanese, Korean) DVDs, CDs, TV Drama, Karaoke, Anime, Manga, Games, Books, Posters, Gifts, Toys, and more!

 

[terrymx]

I agree with your post, I tried to make similar point on another thread. But I think you shouldn't say it helps artist as much as bittorrent, since some new artists do use it to promote themselves. And also now that Comcast is trying to make a deal with Bittorrent there could be some improvements, [size=xx-small]but not that I trust comcast regardless anyway.[/size]

 

[YamiTenshi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by terrymx /img/forum/go_quote.gif I agree with your post, I tried to make similar point on another thread. But I think it's not a good analogy to say it helps artist as much as bittorrent, since some new artists do use it to promote themselves. And also now that Comcast is trying to make a deal with Bittorrent, [size=xx-small]but not that I trust comcast regardless anyway.[/size]

I was referring to bittorrent as in how much royalties the artist is getting, not necessarily how much publicity.

 

[Luminette]

Thanks YamiTenshi..

Now I'm unsure as to wether I want to purchase or not, still

Comparing the pricing of these to 20-40 dollar american and japanese imports.. well, it's quit ridiculous. There is no way I'd ever be purchasing /any/ of these soundtracks at that kind of pricing.

Ergh, friggin bootleggers.

Of course, in the back of my head, I knew this was too good to be true, but I actually allowed his responses to fool me. I hate semantical avoidance of dishonesty, especially when they know they are doing just that..

Guess I'm gonna go ahead and just pull out on all of these

 

[TSi]

I would say, check the catalog number and match it with a legit site (like amazon or something).

btw, music has no regions, so basically, its actually kind of harder to tell whether it is bootlegged or not.

 

[davisac]

prob use lead somewhere in the manufacturing process

 

[The Actual]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Luminette /img/forum/go_quote.gif Of course, in the back of my head, I knew this was too good to be true,

Hm, really does sound too good to be true...

It is tough though that some prices in Japan are just so much higher than US norms- CDs, movie tickets and some DVDs for example.


You have been getting quick responses in email, right? Maybe ask about the legality issues YamiTenshi brought up. I think the allofmp3.com comparison makes a lot of sense.

 

[vcoheda]

CDs generally are not that cheap.

 

[hershann]

For most of these cheaper "Japanese" CDs (Anime, JPop etc) - it is most likely pressed in Taiwan.

The quality of the pressing / mastering from Taiwan is usually not as good and is readily apparent if you compare the original vs Taiwan pressed products.

Ask the seller if the CDs are pressed in Taiwan?

her shann

 

[infinitesymphony]

Quote:

Originally Posted by YamiTenshi /img/forum/go_quote.gif Sorry to tell you, but I am fairly certain that these are bootlegs. Yes, they are "imported", but noticed that nowhere in the email does it say they are licensed in Japan. "Poorer Asian countries" usually means Taiwan which does not have the same copyright laws as Japan and America who have signed the Berne Convention so they can protect their copyrights aboard. Technically, Japanese and American companies view these as bootlegs. Yes, these CDs are legal but only in their country of origin.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hershann /img/forum/go_quote.gif For most of these cheaper "Japanese" CDs (Anime, JPop etc) - it is most likely pressed in Taiwan. The quality of the pressing / mastering from Taiwan is usually not as good and is readily apparent if you compare the original vs Taiwan pressed products.

QFT.

Look carefully at the product photos and description, if possible, for "Made in Taiwan," a catalog number with the letters "MICA" in it, "SonMay," or "EverAnime." These are some of the most common signs of bootlegs.

It's also a give-away when items that should be super-rare are priced at $0.99 each.

EverAnime Logo

SonMay Logo

Most genuine pressings seem to be on Victor Entertainment or Geneon, these days, at least for the stuff I listen to.

Victor Entertainment Logo

Geneon Logo

In addition to the sites YamiTenshi listed, RightStuf also sells genuine merchandise. Most of their stock consists of U.S. pressings of more popular shows. I've ordered from them before and while shipping was a little slow in my case, everything was authentic.

 

[vhobhstr]

It looks like this is an auction (or am I mistaken?). The price is so low because not many people have bid yet. You could make a really low bid for one that you want (some of the auctions are ending soon) and see if it's for real. If you find out that they are indeed the real thing, maybe you can get in on some of the auctions that are ending later.

 

[Mister Crash]

I agree with the sentiment in this thread. I have several hundred game music CDs, and the typical price for a new Japanese CD is in the neighborhood of 3000 yen. Some of the CDs he has listed would actually go for more than that. For example, there are a couple copies of Shenmue Orchestra Version on Yahoo! Japan right now, one of which has a bidder at 4980 yen:

Yahoo!¥ª¡¼¥¯¥·¥ç¥ó - ¿·ÉÊ̤³«Éõ èµÌÚ ¥·¥§¥ó¥à¡¼ ¥ª¡¼¥±¥¹¥È¥é ¥Ð¡¼¥¸¥ç¥ó SEGA

If you look closely in the lower right-hand corner of the front cover of the booklet, you can see that the catalog number (POCX-1116) is actually printed there. Here's another auction with a better view of the cover:

Yahoo!¥ª¡¼¥¯¥·¥ç¥ó - ¨·è¢¡èµÌÚ(¥·¥§¥ó¥à¡¼) -¥ª¡¼¥±¥¹¥È¥é¡¦¥Ð¡¼¥¸¥ç¥ó

The picture that I see for the copy on eBay does not have the catalog number printed on it, so it is almost certainly a bootleg.

If you're looking at game music CDs, ask for the catalog number and compare it to the catalog numbers here:

Game Music Revolution