<< tips about CDs pressed/released in Japan >>
If you are collecting, or willing to collect Japanese CDs,
you'd better know some things about
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.
*-* confirming labels "WARNER group" *-*
Knowing some Japanese CD (RECORDS) labels' history will help you check more details about your CDs. It can be a kind of signs of "released/re-released/re-pressed" years.
On this entry, we are going to explain about a short brief about WARNER history (after 80's, since general CDs appeared in the markets).
You may have, or may be going to get CDs with catalog numbers starting from
35XD, 32XD, WPCP, WPCR, AMCY, WMC5 etc.
All of the above catalog numbers are CDs released from WARNER GROUP in Japan (except for WMC5 released after 1991).
Some may think as if a Japanese catalog number can specify which version the CD is, but that's misunderstanding.
For example,
MR. BIG "LEAN INTO IT" album which was released in Japan in 1991 (catalog number : AMCY-236).
We can confirm that this is 1st (the earliest) pressing version by only checking it's OBI-STRIP.
Usually AMCY-236 is introduced as "THE ORIGINAL VERSION" because this title was re-released with a different catalog number later, but most persons don't know that there are some different versions of AMCY-236.
This photo's version is the earliest one, we know.
The label's name on the OBI-STRIP is
"MMG.inc (alphabets)" and WARNER-PIONEER (front:Japanese/rear:alphabets).
There are at least 4 different versions available :
AMCY-236 (MMG/WARNER-PIONEER : 1991)
AMCY-236 (MMG/WARNER MUSIC JAPAN : late 1991 ~ 1992)
AMCY-236 (east west/WARNER MUSIC JAPAN, without IFPI number : 1993)
AMCY-236 (east west/WARNER MUSIC JAPAN, with IFPI number : 1993~2005)
** we'll write about IFPI number on later entry.
This strange phenomenon caused by complicated history of so-called WARNER GROUP in Japan.
Here we write an easy history of WARNER JAPAN.
The earliest name of this company is WARNER BROTHERS PIONEER, started in 1970.
For CD collectors, they were
WARNER-PIONEER
from the first. As the name shows, the investors of the label was WARNER BROTHERS (US) and PIONEER (Japan). WARNER-PIONEER existed until 1989, when PIONEER had withdrawn to start their own label (and to improve their Laser Disc business).
WARNER-PIONEER kept playing the role of distributing until 1991 before WARNER-PIONEER label had changed their name to WARNER MUSIC JAPAN, therefore "WARNER-PIONEER" indication ended in 1991.
** MMG were 3 separated labels until 1990, and was established in 1990 under the banner of WARNER BROTHERS.
will continue to next, or in the near future update.
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*/ introducing our BLOGS and information of something about Japanese goods.
*/ introducing links to our ebay STORE
(there you can choose ebay COM, CA, DE, IT, FR and/or more and more ebay)
*/ introducing our BLOGS and information of something about Japanese goods.
Hello, I would like to ask you some questions:
ReplyDelete- What is the " L " letter inside a circle?
- There is a different date printed on the albums. This date is always 2 years minus 1 day from release date. Before this date, there is a Japanese character inside a circle. What is this?
If you don't know what I mean, I can send you some pictures.
Thanks!
Hi, thank you very much for visiting our blog!
Delete"L" inside a circle is against "Y" inside a circle.
L & Y shows where the original sounds on the CD is from,
L : CD's sound-source is what a Japanese label hold.
Y : CD's sound-source is brought from foreign country's label/copyright-holder.
This is not about the artists' origin. Just about the "sound-source" holder.
For example, a CD's sound (sound-source for the specified CD) is what WARNER JAPAN holds, the CD shows "L".
And, if a WARNER JAPAN CD contains "2004 UK REMASTER VERSION" sounds, the CD shows "Y".
Regarding "2 years minus 1 day",
we think those CDs that you mean are 2000 or older releases, aren't they?
It is the end-date of "the prohibition of discount".
In Japan, CD (and book etc.) were prohibited to be discounted (by shop owners' decision) in order to save publishers' benefit.
The prohibition-term was shortened, from 2 years to 1 year in 2001, and eventually the system ended around 2006 therefore 2006 or later CDs' indications don't contain those dates).
We're sorry if our English is wrong, or inconvenience.
> there is a Japanese character inside a circle
ReplyDeleteThe Japanese character pronounces "SAI". The prohibition-of-discounts system is called "SAI-HAN SEI-DO" in Japanese, and the first character "SAI" is printed.
Dear Sanremo Team,
ReplyDeleteMany thanks for your answer, all the information makes sense!
Yes you are correct, I am talking about some KING RECORD albums from 1991-1996 :) that's why they have 2 years prohibition of discount.
So, about the X inside a circle, it means cannot use for rental. If you cannot see the X, does it mean automatically that you can use for rental? Or do you need to have a different icon?
Hi, we're happy that our comments seemed to be useful!
DeleteFYI, regarding some of those marks, X, Y, L etc. are also written on another post of this blog,
http://sanremo-co.blogspot.jp/2012/05/bit-knowledge-about-japanese-cds-date.html
Please check this when you have time. There are some photos of those marks, too, on the blog.
Yes, X inside a circle means prohibition of rental-use, but sometimes it's written IN JAPANESE SENTENCE without any icons.
** (X is actually NOT "eks". It is a cross which means "not allowed")
Actually, most of ALL CDs are prohibited-to-use-for-rental for a certain period of time.
Usually, "L" CDs (domestic sound-sources) are not allowed for a rental after 3 weeks from its release, and "Y" CDs (foreign sound-sources) are allowed after 1 year from the release-date.
This "3 weeks (L)/1 year (Y) rule" was legislated in Japan in 1984 when everything was cassette-tape or vinyl.
Of course, tapes/vinyls released after 1984 also have comments or marks about prohibition-of-use for a rental.
Dear Team,
ReplyDeleteThanks again for the information. I did read the other post ^^ But the "L" was not explained, this is why I asked.
Do you have any example of the Japanese text about rental prohibition? This means even there is no "X", some albums mention that rental is not allowed, right? So we cannot rely 100% on the "X". This is difficult for me because I cannot read Japanese :0(
So:
"Y" CDs -> Can rent after 3 weeks
"L" CDs -> Can rent after 1 year
This rule from 1984 is still applied today (except the marks/comment you mention of course, which can change this general rule)?
Hi, we've uploaded one picture on this blog.
DeletePlease check above photo which shows "no X marks with Japanese sentence about banning the use-for-rental". FYI, it's 1992 CBS/SONY CD, and we think many CBS/SONY CDs don't have "X" and any other marks.
We're sorry that our comments is confusing...
the 1984 (or 1985?) rule is a LAW relating to the copyright, not about commercial-rental business.
The law says
* players have "the right of rental" for 1 year after a release.
* publishers have the same right as the players.
* both players/publishers get prices from rental-shops even after 1 year (the right's limit) have passed.
This means that
rental-shops can use any CDs for rent without a permission if a CD was released more than 1 year ago (by paying the price for use to the publishers/players).
... This is a story about the LAW.
And,
3-weeks/1-year rule is made by the union of labels, based on the above law.
It means that labels give permission for rental-use
to "Y" CDs after 3 weeks from their release-date, and
it also means that labels usually do NOT give permission to "L" CDs until their "rights of rental" would disappear.
The labels' rule was made to sell new CDs (if they would be at rental-shops soon after the release-dates, listeners may not buy CDs).
And, in Japan, foreign artists' CDs don't sell well after several weeks from their release-dates, so labels start to earn by permission for rental-use after 3 weeks.
"1-year rule" is a LAW and it's still applied.
"3-weeks/1-year rule" is not a law but the labels' own rule, so there may be exceptions when CDs wouldn't sell well.
Hello, Merry Christmas!
ReplyDeleteSorry I answer you so late, thank you very much for the information. I have more questions haha, because I check many Japanese albums and I find some interesting facts. I know some CD from 1988, but it has already the double price with/without tax, so I don't understand. It is from april 1988 (R-4-21). How can we explain this?? The same publisher has a CD from August (R-8-5), and this CD does not have tax price... It's very confusing!
Do you need the pictures?
Thank you ^^
Hi!
DeleteOh, please don't feel sorry about that! We're always here, and we never mind any comments' timings.
Your question is one of the most important things for Japan CD collectors, we think.
The consumer-tax started in Japan on April 1st 1989, therefore ALL CDs which have double-prices were pressed and marketed AFTER April 1st 1989.
If your CD shows "R-4-21" and if it has double-price, it means that your CD was
1/ originally released (re-issued) on April 21st 1988 (then, the taxed price was NOT indicated), and
2/ repressed with the SAME catalog number AFTER April 1st 1989 (with the double-price).
For collectors, we'd like to announce that they better NOT trust the "release-date indication".
Here we show one typical example about the "SAME catalog numbers".
THE BEATLES / PLEASE PLEASE ME
all versions have the same indications : (CP32-5321) X-88-2-26 O-2-27
1/ 1987~1988 pressing (NO tax, RED OBI-STRIP / 25th anniv.)
2/ 1989~1991 pressing (WITH tax, RED OBI-STRIP / 25th anniv.)
3/ 1992~1993 pressing (WITH tax, BLACK OBI-STRIP / 30th anniv.)
4/ 1994~1997 pressing (WITH tax, BLACK OBI-STRIP / 30th anniv., WITH IFPI number on the disc)
This album's catalog number changed in 1998, therefore this title had been pressing at least 4 different versions with the SAME catalog number in those 10 years.
We are announcing about this honestly at our ebay shop, but actually many sellers are appealing some "double-prices versions" as the 1st pressing even if they were the re-pressed versions.
It does mean NOTHING to usual listeners, but it's very important to know the difference for collectors, we think.