What is it with Japan and soundtracks?

[LeprikanGT]

I know in the US we have soundtracks for movies when they come out, but as far and DBZ and Kai are concerned it seems like they pump out like a zillion soundtrack cds for singles and re-release them and add a thing or two and release it again.

Is it just the culture for them to do SO much with the music of a show? It all seems like overkill to me.

[Kunzait_83]

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[Cowboy Dev]

This reminds me - My Urusei Yatsura soundtrack should be coming in the mail soon (Gotta love 80's anime music.)

[Piccolo Daimaoh]

Pretty much every Anime gets a soundtrack release in Japan. Seriously, even Kissxsis got like three fucking CDs.

[Echo64]

I wish America would release more of their background music for anime, I'm guessing most people wouldn't be interested in dub music, but there are some tracks from old shows that I would give anything to listen to.

[BluezaBladeNZ]

It's too bad only a portion of Shuki Levy's BGM was released as there were a lot of other great themes in there too so a complete release would of been awesome.

[VegettoEX]

The whole deal is the drastic difference in business models.

For Japan, the show itself is a toss-away product -- it's the one that airs on TV for free (minus any cable charges and such, of course). Far more people will have read the manga, which they likely paid for in some fashion (either through the weekly compilations like Jump or the tankoubon). Some fans may buy the show later when it's released on a home format (VHS / LD / DVD / BD), but it's a small minority compared to the fandom as a whole, which is why they justify their outlandish prices for media. So again, it's not the show itself that's driving the franchise... it's everything else.

Toys, video games, soundtracks, posters, etc... these are the things where they make their money and pump back into the system. By tossing the show out there "for free" (with advertisements, of course, which bring in some nice revenue and cross-promotion), they can blanket the market with ancillary products to gouge their customers with.

Anime is different here in North America (and throughout the rest of the world). We have it flipped on its head a little bit. With the exception of the big boys like Pokemon, the shows are *not* expendable products supported by marketing/merchandise juggernauts -- the shows themselves are the products companies like FUNimation are trying to directly sell to consumers, and it's the primary thing they're trying to sell.

It's only when you get into the upper-mid range with properties like DragonBall and Naruto that you can start merchandising them to a sustainable degree (and usually only with video games over on this side of the planet), and even then they'll never be anything to rival Pokemon with its well-enough-coordinated international push and mindset.

So instead of using the show to support the market (Japan), the show becomes the market (USA).

Things start getting a little different in the realm of co-productions, which is why FUNimation wants to move into that territory so badly (and why the industry needs it so badly). They can strike deals with huge starts like Mr. Sam Jackson, get a show aired on a television channel (Spike), advertise the Hell out of it with partners, and then reap the rewards from a later home release on top of all that prior stuff.

Not so with DBZ. First they've gotta license the thing from Japan in the first place (which puts them in the hole off the bat), hope to sell it to customers (which maybe breaks them even?), hope to get it on TV (here's where it really helps), and hopefully be marketing some sub-licensed merchandise to support it throughout the process.

Meanwhile, back on the ranch (read: Japan), they're airing the show and making pure profit off the multiple CD releases (which, yes, is also just a heavy part of the culture, to eventually answer that question more directly).

Companies tried releasing show/movie OSTs here in the US many years back. Always flopped. American fans just don't care. It's also why CDs really aren't sold at conventions, anymore. It makes Mike cry.