I also stopped buying Japanese singles. Maybe I'll get the ones with exclusive content like B-sides or excellent remixes (LEGEND, BLUE BIRD) but other than that.. nah.

Most Ayu singles strive to have some remix on them.. except the spring ones.

Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't :p

That's kind of the point. You're trying to focus on the album sales, rather than the single sales. Imagine if you didn't have the album, and the 2nd single that came out of the album, you really enjoyed it, so you bought the single, then you realised that it was on an album, so you buy the album, and you get satisifed with that as well.

Albums are so cheap here in the US x.x

12 dollars for Back to Basics, a dualdisc album compared to like 18 for a CD+DVD single.. x.x

^ Yeah, that album is around the same price here too. I wonder why Japanese albums are so darn expensive. Is it that tax?

It's not tax..

I'm guessing that it's because of the whole industry.. you know?

No, I don't.. Explain?

I don't know really.. but for some reason, singles and albums are 2-3 times more expensive than in the U.S. x.x

Yeah, cost of living probably? It's ridiculous though. Maybe Japanese people earn so much so they have to spend equally as much. It's only fair?

I'm guessing it's because most things in Japan are.. more expensive that in other places. Other than the 100-200yen stores, there is.. like.. so many things that are expensive.

12 dollar album vs. 29 dollar album..
3-6 dollar single vs. 8-15 dollar single.. :o

I think currency exchange rate also plays a part in this. Like....US albums may be cheaper for US residence, but not for Japanese albums, due to the high currency exchange rates. But I may be wrong, since I do not know how high is the differences.

Feel free to correct my thoughts.

It's very VERY wrong.

If a Japanese person were to shop at an American place online to get American music, it would cost about as much as a single for them [minus shipping.. but even then it might cost less than the Japan release.]

American CDs in Japan usually have extras not in any other version to compensate for the higher price.. :o

I wonder what it was that made the prices for CDs/DVDs in Japan into what they are.

Probably just the industry itself.

In Japan, 8 dollars is a huge bargain for a SINGLE. :<
And LIVE DVDs.. don't get me started.

Like 20-25 bucks for a 2-disc set in the US is like 4900 yen in Japan x.x

LIVE DVDs there are OVERpriced. Terribly. Arena Tour when converted to my local currency would cost me more than RM200. :x But I went to the store yesterday and they had the new Countdown Live for only RM80.

I see. Thanks for explaining, th. :yes


MC: Exactly. I'm still saving for Namie's SOHP, but her LIVE STYLE is coming out anytime soon. >.<
Over here, the price of that DVD is twice the price of the album itself, which is IDR 250,000++ >.<

CDs and DVDs are overpriced in the US too.

Way overpriced.

I prefer getting them for free.

Oh, it was probably the Overseas version then..

CDL05-06 (Japan Version) = 43USD
CDL05-06 (Overseas Version) = 22USD

:p

immel, you cheapskate:heart

Eh? Is that piracy I'm sensing? :no