Japanese Collectibles -JAPAN CDs-: June 2012

<< tips about CDs pressed/released in Japan >>

If you are collecting, or willing to collect Japanese CDs,

you'd better know some things about

CDs pressed/released in Japan

On this blog, there are some tips which may help you getting BETTER ones.

*-* CATALOG NUMBER *-*

There are some secrets at "CATALOG NUMBER" of Japan pressing CDs. This may be one of the most unique points of Japan Edition CDs.

Here, we talk about catalog numbers of Record Labels who are joining in
NIHON-RECORD KYOKAI
(Recording Industry Association of Japan / RIAJ).
Most of major labels are members of RIAJ, like

TOSHIBA EMI

SONY (CBS/EPIC and other SONY)

PONY CANYON

UNIVERSAL (POLYDOR)

VICTOR ENTERTAINMENT

WARNER

ALFA

AVEX

APOLLON/ROADRUNNER JAPAN

etc.

If you have any JAPAN-EDITION CD in your shelf, please check the catalog number.

If your CD is "released after 1992 version" the number may be like this,

? ? C ? - 1 2 3 4

for example,

if yours is from TOSHIBA EMI, the catalog number may start from

TOCP, TOCJ, TOCE etc.

if it was SONY, CBS/SONY or EPIC/SONY, it may be

SRCS, CSCS, ESCA, SICP etc.

Of course, other labels also have their own patterns of the catalog numbers, and now,

there is 1 thing we can find in those "4 letters".

The 3rd letter is always "C".

PCCY.POCP.WPCP.AMCY.RRCY.APCY.UICL.VICP.ALCB.AVCD..PHCR......

There are many well-known catalog numbers (former 4 letters), but there is "C" on the 3rd portion on all catalog numbers.

The reason is very easy. The "C" means "CD".

If you have DVD-AUDIO (from Japan), the 3rd letter is "A"m and if yours is BLU-RAY (from Japan), it should be "X". That is, it changes by the sort of the products.

Then, what is the 1st, 2nd and the 4th letters?

It's easy as the 3rd letter, too. If you'll learn this, you may remember many catalog numbers easily.

The 1st/2nd letters means the LABEL.
Here we list some major ones.

"SRCS" ... SONY RECORDS

"CSCS" ... CBS/SONY

"ESCA" ... EPIC/SONY

"SICP" ... SONY INTERNATIONAL

"AMCY" ... ATLANTIC/MMG (WARNER)
"WPCP" ... WARNER-PIONEER

"TOCP" ... TOSHIBA EMI
"VICP" ... VICTOR ENTERTAINMENT
"BVCP" ... BMG VICTOR
"MVCM" ... MCA VICTOR

"CRCL" ... NIPPON CROWN

"KICP" ... KING RECORDS
"VJCP" ... VIRGIN JAPAN
"UICL" ... UNIVERSAL INTERNATIONAL
"PHCR" ... NIPPON PHONOGRAM
"PCCY" ... PONY CANYON
"POCP" ... POLYDOR
"TECW" ... TEICHIKU
"TKCF" ... TOKUMA JAPAN
"APCY" ... APOLLON
"RRCY" ... ROADRUNNER JAPAN
"MICP" ... MARQUEE INCORPORATED
"TFCK" ... TOY'S FACTORY
"ALCB" ... ALFA
"AVCD" ... AVEX
"XRCN" ... ZERO (XERO) CORPORATION

... we might have forgotten some others, but this is what the 1st/2nd letters of the catalog number means.
Some labels in the above list had already disappeared because of mergers of companies etc.
CBS/SONY, EPIC/SONY are now a part of SONY INTERNATIONAL.
VIRGIN JAPAN became a inner section of TOSHIBA EMI.
APOLLON is now ROADRUNNER JAPAN.
NIPPON PHONOGRAM, POLYDOR are now in UNIVERSAL group.
Therefore, CDs will NOT be re-issued with the old catalog numbers if the original label disappears, and that is why there are many versions of the same title in Japan..

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SANREMO CO.,LTD.

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SANREMO at EBAY

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*/ introducing our BLOGS and information of something about Japanese goods.

<< tips about CDs pressed/released in Japan >>

If you are collecting, or willing to collect Japanese CDs,

you'd better know some things about

CDs pressed/released in Japan

On this blog, there are some tips which may help you getting BETTER ones.

*-* OBI STRIP part 2 "keeping the OBI safely" *-*

For collectors, "how to keep OBI safely" is very important.
OBI is attached outside the jewel case when it's selling as NEW/SEALED, and after 1992 or 1993, OBI-STRIPS of most of all titles are free from the jewel cases. So, it's needed to keep OBI somewhere to keep holding it as a collection.
Most popular place to put the OBI-STRIP may be at the front lid of the jewel case.

Putting OBI on the lid of the jewel case

it's important to put it
beneath the TAB of the jewel case

Putting OBI on the lid of the jewel case is easy, and it's safe if the OBI is put very carefully.
But, it often cause some problems and the problems cause flaws on OBI, like this.

This causes a TAB MARK when the lid is closed.

OBI, put over the right edge of the front-lid will...

be caught between the LID and the TRAY, and
one edge of the OBI-STRIP will be BENT or FOLDED.

Putting OBI under the tray of the jewel case
may be the safest method

although the OBI's design is hidden

There are some different types of OBI-STRIP.
Sometimes it changes by the releasing era, and sometimes the difference is because of LIMITED EDITION and/or SPECIAL SHAPE.
When the shape of OBI-STRIPS are different, the keeping method will also changes.

There are 3, typical "EARLY" types of OBI-STRIP.