J-Pop Expensive?

I'm trying to get a J-Pop album but it's going to me £20 for the CD alone, Is this standard price in Japan?

 

Yes.

 

You can be happy that you don't want to buy DVD's. I'm not up to date anymore, but in the DVD-era there were i.e. boxsets of few dozen DVDs + nice box (anime series) that retailed for incredible sums like 2000$ (150-250k yen)... single movies 40$, boxsets like Indiana Jones 100$ et cetera. Laserdisc era was even worse or so I've heard.

 

£20 for a cd? Does that include posted. I got DBSK's Mirotic (KPOP) both editions for £30.

 

Take it from someone who works in the industry... the prices are high because of price fixing. The cost to produce the product doesn't warrant the sale price. The distributors and retailers get together and decide what the prices will be.

That's why you see relatively the same prices from store to store and no price wars. There's no competition.

 

Ain't there an antitrust division in Japan? This sounds like a prime case for them.

 

It doesn't matter. The deeper you get into Japanese business, the more crooked it becomes.

 

Probably...

 

No, No, No. It's a mindset. It's like laws are general guidelines that you can't stray too far from; but don't have to be followed to a "T".

With Prices, the way it was described to me (when I suggested we sell our DVDs for a lower price because it cost us less to produce them and there's a recession that's putting the pinch on consumer's wallets) was that the price from all studios was XXX and it had always been XXX so don't try to change that face, or they won't be able to carry our product.

When I described the experience to a Japanese friend of mine in the anime industry, he cautioned me to be careful, lest I be branded a troublemaker and blacklisted.

 

If you're a foreigner never break the Japanese status quo.

 

Hell, if you're Japanese never break the status quo.

 

I just looked on Amazon JP for it, It was cheaper then they charge £24.79 for shipping!

 

I like that the fattest one also has the smallest loin cloth. Crazy Yakuza.

I read an article a few weeks ago about how the Japanese government was trying to keep the Yakuza out of clean up efforts and mostly failing. I've also read that the reason a LOT of Japanese albums get bonus tracks is because of the high costs. Even American releases that go to Japan get bonus tracks.

 

I got a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell!

 

Most of my friends rent CDs and DVDs as opposed to buying them. With digital content delivery, the whole landscape of the market is changing.

But that still hasn't changed the Japanese mindset at the distribution level about what cost should be.

 

Price fixing is a staple of Japan. Apparently the Akiba shops have an agreement not to deviate too far from each other... or did, anyway.

 

now you can never have to much cowbell.

the fact that you are wanting to buy the music instead of downloading it illegal say alot about your character . good character is becoming harder and harder to find . honesty is key.:clap:

 

I remember getting stung on a Japanese DVD copy of Leon because it was the only way to get the fully uncut 'Integral' version at the time (2000 I think) and it ended up costing close to £50. Considering that at the same time I was able to import brand new movies from DVDExpress in the States that were available on DVD there before they'd even hit UK cinemas for $20/£12 it kind of pissed me off. Massively. But, you live and learn.

Conversely though, back in the early 80's I was able to buy Japanese imports of singles and albums for pretty much the same or even less than their UK counterparts. My KISS, Iron Maiden, Deep Purple and Rainbow 7'' singles used to look fucking amazing in their poly bags and paper sleeves whilst the albums always felt heavier and without fail had a printed inner sleeve or insert/poster of some sorts and sometimes a bonus track. Happy days :nod:

 

When i went to Japan 3 years ago, i was already amazed by CD, DVD prices being too expensive. This is what happen when people dont pirate things, industry has no limits ripping off customers with overpriced products.