How Does Something Qualify As An "Image Song?"

[MagicBox]

I was half-tempted to post this in the "Website Discussion" section, but in the end, I thought it would be slightly more relevant if I put it here. Just to clarify, I already know what an "image song" is. I love 'em. That's not what I'm asking. If anyone's curious as to what an "image song" is, the main site does a great job of defining the term.

Okay, so this is something I've been meaning to ask for a while. Whenever I browse the "CD Singles" page, I notice that the "bonus track" songs are usually classified as one of two things.

1.) "Image Song, Performed By [Insert Artist Name Here]"
2.) "Original Song Unrelated To Dragon Ball"

I guess this question is mostly directed toward the website staff, but can you guys provide any insight as to how exactly you make this distinction? For example, why is Hiroki Takahashi's "Let's Go Recklessly" (on the "Power Of Dreamer" single) classified as an image song, while Hironobu Kageyama's "Stardust In The Galaxy" (on the "Super Survivor" single) is classified as "unrelated to Dragon Ball?" I can certainly understand why you guys didn't count the DBGT artists' b-side tracks ("Dear Old Days," "Try Again," etc.) since they're just random J-Pop songs, but then again, you counted AKB48's "The Rain Throughout The World" (another random J-Pop song) as an image song, so I'm just a tad confused.

I'm not arguing against your choices, I'm just curious about them. How do you guys make the distinction? Does it have to do with the people who work on the songs themselves (composers, arrangers, lyricists), or do you guys focus on the content of the lyrics?

[VegettoEX]

The way it usually goes:

If the CD single is for the performer him/herself or the record label just as much (if not more so) than being as promoted as a "Dragon Ball Release", it's an unrelated song. This applies to things like the Dragon Ball GT theme song CD singles (as you noted), where the songs were just as important to the bands as they were for the series, and released as just another single on the way to promoting their full-length album.

"Image Songs" are almost exclusively contained on albums that are most-predominantly branded as a "Dragon Ball Release" (so things like the Hit Song Collection CDs).

I think that AKB one might be a mis-paste. Unless Julian says otherwise from the lyrical content (like you were talking about), yeah, I'd classify it as a totally unrelated song.

There's some murky territory, like Kageyama's recent CD singles that contain video game theme songs... but I'm still going with "unrelated" on those.

[TheBlackPaladin]

Actually, on a (vaguely) similar note, I was wondering what it would take to qualify a song as an "insert song"?

[VegettoEX]

That's pretty easy: inserted directly into an episode or movie . As in, it actually plays during something for the show.

[cRookie_Monster]

Heh, I guess my Z Music album would be an "Image Album" then.

[linkdude20002001]

Unless Z Music was an officially licensed product, I think it would only be classified as "fan-music".

[Gonstead]

Unless Z Music was an officially licensed product, I think it would only be classified as "fan-music".

Would it actually classify as fan-music if it was created by an official composer though?

[MagicBox]

Thanks for the insight, VegettoEX! That was a big help. Odd as it may sound, minor stuff like this helps me prioritize which CDs to import next. Thanks again!

[Puto]

That's pretty easy: inserted directly into an episode or movie :). As in, it actually plays during something for the show.

Yeah, but what distinguishes an 'insert song' from 'normal BGM'? Obviously you can just say that if it has vocals, then it's an insert song, but what about instrumental inserts like Battle Power Unlimited and Solid State Scouter...?

[VegettoEX]

I would say their one-time-use (or maybe two-time-use, usually within the same special or episode) and specific compositions for particular scenes.