
Ayumi Hamasaki
bootleg products are always for sale on e-bay, or somewhere else. These are
illegal unlicenced CDs and DVDs and there are three types of them:
| 1. "Self-made" stuff. These can be made by anyone with a CD/DVD-burner. Could be a Video CD, audio CD, DVD or unformatted computer files... This kind of bootlegs is quite easy to spot (very cheap, no covers, etc.). For people not having access to broadband this may be the only way to get the videos of live performances, particularly those not issued as official products. This is likely to be illegal as well but, from my point of view, it is the least offensive of the three (in some cases the price of a disc with 'historical' live videos just covers the price of a blank one and the postage). |
| 2. Compilations of audio files usually presented as "Asia editions". Very easy to spot for anyone with the some background knowledge. These ones would have a cover picture taken from a commercial poster, strange (and sometimes quite silly) song list, and could contain three or even four CDs in the pack. The price for these items is usually less than for the original CDs. |
| 3. The same as above, only hiding behind a copy of the legitimate product. For example, a single suddenly becomes a full album, an album you thought you know becomes a double CD, and so on. These bootlegs are hard to spot if you do not know exactly what the original product looks like (if needed please consult the complete discography here). |
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An important note
on mp3 files:
Downloading mp3 files and keeping them is not much different from actually stealing a CD from the store. Sure, there is only a slight chance that you will get caught with mp3 files but think about this: 1. Will you actually go and tell your friends and relatives: "It was a good day yesterday, I've managed to get out of the [insert your store name] with two CDs under my shirt." Imagine what a low life you will be in the eyes of everybody. 2. Now, how is downloading mp3 files and burning CDs different...? So, do delete them after listening. It is unnecessary to mention, I think, that you will not find files of this kind (audio and/or video) on this site, ever. Also, for those who do not know, the quality of a CD that is burned from downloaded mp3 files is incomparably worse in comparison with an official product. You will probably not detect this if you are listening to the music using earphones and some kind of portable player - but you will surely notice it on a home system. Bootleg items below is the worst kind of thievery - firstly stealing the stuff and then making copies for profit. |
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HERE (in the order of appearing)
A significant proportion of bootlegs are made by people with very limited knowledge of English. I call this
| Please note that this list should be considered together with the guide to buying legitimate products. | |||||
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Number
of illegal products identified so far:
444 (last
update 15-Jun-2008)
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| ALBUMS | |||||
| REMIX ALBUMS | |||||
| SINGLES | |||||
| OTHER | |||||
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| COPIES OF OFFICIAL PRODUCTS | |||||
| OTHER | |||||
| If you come across any of the above, please let me know - I will add them here (thanks to Fabrizio, Lucas, Johanna, Laura Carreras, Rody and Tyran the Dark who sent interesting info and to orange89, who sent a number of pictures and tips on buying legitimate products in China [now, as I've been in Beijing myself - additional details are available in the shopping guide]). There is, of course, a possibility that some products may actually be licensed - in this case I unreservedly apologise and will take these items out of the list below immediately, ...as soon as someone tells me. | |||||
| If you want to be
100% sure that the product you buy is a legitimate one, I'd suggest using
an online store that does not sell this kind of stuff. YesAsia.com
is the typical choice. The range of products is the biggest, prices are
comparatively low, and delivery is (in my experience) quick
and reliable. As I was reminded several times, it would be much more convenient to provide more information on the ORIGINAL products. After all, the intention is to discourage people to buy illegal stuff, and one of the best ways of doing it - is to encourage the same people to purchase the original items. Therefore, links to relevant YesAsia pages are now provided here and in other parts of eneabba.net. |
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