I've never been, but i've heard asst'd speculation about the Japanese music scene. can anyone offer any insight as to why Japan (vs. China, Germany, the Netherlands, etc. etc.) for such targeted imports?

I know the UK scene is supposedly knowledgeable and "ahead of the game" and Europe in general seems to be less commercial and open-minded but it seems that over the years, Japan has gotten quite a bit of gems that no other country has. Are the sales of certain albums/artists really that stark in comparison in Japan? I know they're rapid for hip hop and I even heard that gospel, and country have amassed huge followings, or was that China....anywho any thoughts, or just a case by case basis?

I think you mean why Japanesse releases have extra content?

It was to counter pirated CD's that came into Japan through the rest of Asia which were usually pirated versions of the U.S or european versions.

I hate when I have to spend $40 for a Japanese import CD....by an American music artist! That's ridiculous.But these CDs have amazing sound and other goodies.

CDs are very expensive in Japan and imported CDs in Japan cen be actually cheaper than the versions released by the record companies there. The bonus tracks on the Japanese editions of releases are there to attract buyers, as the Japanese consumers often have a "completionist" mindset. It's apparently developed into something of a "culture" on its own right - the Japanese want products that are specifically done for them.

The reason why those CDs get imported to other countries is just because they have those bonus tracks and in some cases different type of artwork, liner notes etc. It has nothing to do with the Japanese being somehow "ahead of the game" or anything like that.

I don't really know why some bands have done some "Japan only" releaseses that aren't available elsewhere (many jazz artists come to mind). Maybe it's just because the audience base is large enough there to justify releasing them over there and the labels sometimes allow the artists to put out "smaller" releases over there that they couldn't see doing that well in the US / UK / Europe.

In general, CDs by foreign artists in Japan sell nowhere nearly as much as it's sometimes made to be the case.

I have gotten some great music via Japanese imports!

I've noticed that Japanese exclusive bonus tracks on new releases have become less and less frequent over the past several years. And ya'll remember back in the 90's, the only way we could get first-time-on- CD reissues (especially R&B) was via Japan imports. Now, with FTG, BBR and Soul Music.com, these have become less and less frequent also.

The Japanese version of Whitney Houston's I'm Your Baby Tonight had the remix instead of the US album mix of the title song and 2 or 3 exclusive songs. The remix was released on the maxi single in the US. Swing Out Sister had an album released in Japan only called Filth And Dreams. They also have a live album recorded in Tokyo.

Well as someone that has spent a fortune on bands that rarely get released here, like a-ha who from 1993 on didnt have a proper american release though were signed to Universal in 2005 and were supposed to have them. When getting these imports i rely almost always on Record Runner here in NYC, now its one of the FEW places still standing here, but i remember when a-ha's last album came out in 2009 the owner of the store was telling me, about costs and releases and what he would and would not buy anymore to sell in the store unless it was a guarantee sale. The difference between German imports and UK imports is CRAZY!! and not even talking about tracks, just costs are almost triple to get it, Japan basically the same thing. I remember when the lead singer of a-ha had his last solo album a few years ago it was only issued in Norway first and the guy told me simply, WAIT, cause the cost to get that here you'd be paying 50-60 bucks for a cd.