Why are anime Blu-rays in Japan so expensive?

[DonQuigleone]

Originally Posted by Lord of Fire

I agree that (anime) CD prices are quite steep. Most singles of western music CDs are around €11 and most albums cost between €15 and €25. That's roughly 17% cheaper than the majority of Japanese music CDs that I've bought (both anime and non-anime).

Of course, it may depend on what retailer you use to buy them at. For most of my music CDs from western bands, I have a relatively cheap retailer, so the results may not be 100% accurate.

To be honest, I'd put that price difference down to exchange rates. It could easily change if the exchange rate were to shift.

[relentlessflame]

Originally Posted by Xellos-_^

curious no company has taken a iTune hammer to the japanese business model

Originally Posted by ultimatemegax

Like Apple themselves?

Yup, I've actually gotten in the habit of buying certain songs/singles on iTunes now for those cases where I don't need to collect the actual discs. But it is interesting to note that whereas the average price for a song on iTunes in the U.S. is $1.29 (sometimes $0.99 or less), the usual single song price in Japan is 250 yen (which is just over $3). As with anime BDs/DVDs, music CD singles often now come in limited editions that include special packaging, bonus music video DVDs, etc. So I think they're moving towards discs being collectors items, and digital purchases being the lower-priced tier.