Talk:Obi (publishing)

Function of obi
I registrated that Obis usually (always?) feature a price.

That made me guess, that CD-prices could be fixed in Japan like i.e. book prices in Germany. In this case the Obis could be used as a cheap tool to enforce that fixed price. In the case of a change of that price only the Obis and not the entire CDs would have to be reprinted.

Can anyone comment on this?

More generally, I would be more interested in the function Obis fulfill in Japan, Taiwan and probably other countries than in the perception of Obis by western record nerds.

I would also be interested in the origin of the word.
 * An Obi 帯 is the belt around kimono though I didn't know yet those were called Obi (in Japan too). The use of the obi is to avoid printing the ugly barcode on the cover itself (indeed it provides additional space for promo). → Tristan ♡ 14:46, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

--

I've found this info in a ebay CD auction (user eil_esprit)

"No-one packages a CD album quite like the Japanese. Known as a culture for elaborate and excessive packaging, their approach to the CD album is no exception. From the visual delights of the artwork and packaging, to the content itself, you will without doubt get your moneys worth here. The inclusion of the famous obi-strip not only adds a uniquely intriguing aspect, but is also a great marketing tool for the Japanese labels. The term obi-strip is derived from the name of the piece of wide fabric - the obi - that a geisha woman wears around her waist over the traditional Kimono dress. An amazing amount of information is packed onto this little wraparound piece of paper, often noting special tracks, concert dates, discography information and release anniversaries. And, as this information is intended to be read in the home market, it’s all printed in Japanese kanji and ~kana script! Whilst they are safely sealed on new release CD’s they are often discarded once opened, so they should be considered a real bonus when intact on out-of-print CD’s.

In recent years we have seen the obi-strip occasionally replaced with a sleeve sticker, no less attractive and equally unique to the Japanese pressing. Japanese CD albums often benefit from extra music and new video-style content, to further entice the Japanese public to buy their native release and not an import. Non-album tracks and exclusive mixes often feature and there are a huge amount of Japan-Only releases that do not have an equivalent release elsewhere in the world. Japanese pressings will nearly always include a lyric booklet or fold-out lyric sheet. These are dual-language, printed in both the ~kana script and in English, the latter often having some wonderful mis-translations!"

Thanks
Thanks to all of you for the article! It seems to be pretty clear to me. When I lived in Hawaii, I would see these things on albums and never knew what they were. - Thanks, Hoshie 00:57, 7 September 2007 (UTC)

Value of obi vs. other features
The article seems to suggest that the extra value of a Japanese edition to collectors lies primarily in the obi strip. However, this is only one of several features that make the Japanese edition of recordings preferable. As compared with western releases, they often contain additional bonus tracks, are usually accompanied by a complete lyric sheet in English with a Japanese translation, and are reputed by hifi connoisseurs to offer better sound quality. The obi is only part of the entire value package. Rodparkes 05:26, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

The last paragraph
The last paragraph seems a bit out of place here, especially the last few sentences. "'Recently, Taiwanese perpetrators have been imitating the Japanese tradition by using paper title strips on their releases CDs of western artist's CDs, which are actually EU or US imports (since no CDs are pressed in Taiwan) that are repackaged in Taiwan with their printed in Taiwanese (all kanji with no katakana or hiragana) title strips. Let's not forget this fact. An obi is a term that is unique to Japan only. Much like the term Bourbon Whiskey (It must be made in the USA) The obi like strips on Taiwan or Korean cds cannot be called obi's. They are title strips or whatever they are called in their native language.'"

For starters, a simple Google search shows as the very first hit for '"obi strip" Taiwan' that Taiwanese releases of CDs have been using these strips since at least the early 90s, which I wouldn't call particularly 'recently'. And is there any evidence that these strips are a uniquely Japanese thing, as is stated here? And if so, is anyone able to add the names of these strips in their respective countries in exchange for that blasé or whatever they are called in their native language? That whole paragraph is bothering me really, it just seems a bit xenophobic, but I'm not sure if any of it is indeed fact or how to really phrase it in a better manner.Popsmin (talk) 03:38, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

The Japanese record industry and music consumers of foreign recording artists have a history of almost a century which I think is much longer than the recent 1990's~ trend of the Taiwanese to copy the Japanese style of the obi. Actually Taiwan was once occupied by the Japanese Imperial Army. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 210.79.170.66 (talk) 20:23, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Spine card redirect
I've added a redirect to this article from Spine card It is a common alternative, non-japanese term used largely outside of Japan by importers of music and video games. It has significant G-Hits associated with the name as well. AtaruMoroboshi (talk) 01:18, 6 July 2008 (UTC)

That's a very good redirect. The "spine card" is a good term for the obi's that come with cds because the obi on cds covers the letters of the under tray card which when folded is visible on the spine. However spine card is hardly a useful term for the obi's on 12" records in which the obi is wraped around the sleeve's face. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 210.79.170.66 (talk) 20:48, 6 July 2008 (UTC)

A note from the minilps.net webmaster about citations
I have done informal but fairly extensive research on Japanese obis by asking contributors, collectors and sellers about the purpose of Japanese Obi Strips. I cite my references on the minilps.net page (see the external links). There has also been some discussion in the forum of the site. I do not claim that the research is of academic strength but it's the best I've been able to do remotely (via computer from Australia).

I can cite these sources if requested - they are all Japanese based English speakers.

Comment on Spine card redirect
I disagree with the "Spine Card" redirect. I argue that an obi is a type of "spine card" not an alternative name. That said, I take the point that "obi" is a Western term adopted by the Japanese (but none of those I asked told me this - but I do not dispute this). I have always considered "Obis" to be a Japanese spine card (ie. just one type of spine card). There are plenty of non-Japanese CDs with spine cards, especially "mini LPs" including US and EU releases (see http://www.minilps.net/other-mini-lp/official-release.html for examples). Personally I would not call these obis. I would also not call Korean or Taiwanese strips "obis" as this is a Japanese word.

You are correct about the term "obi" now being the term all Japanese use for "tasuki". Even the Japanese record companies and consumers call them obi. Some purists or people not up to date with the term obi still call them tasuki. The stiffer paper spine card on the mini lp cds and even cds are also called obi's in Japan as well. Yes, obi is a Japanese term for the title strip and should only be applied when referring to Japanese products. The Korean or Taiwanese title strips should be called whatever or however they are pronounced in their language. The Kanji Character for OBI is the same as in Chinese however it's not pronounced obi. I believe it is said or pronounced as DAI, rhymes with die. In Korean, I have no idea. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 210.79.174.227 (talk) 18:36, 20 June 2009 (UTC)

This is not appropriate
Although Taiwanese speaks Chinese and uses Kanji, we have another name for this "obis" thing and it's called "側標" (ce　biao). We don't call it DAI. I think the explanation about Taiwan imitating Japan is too weak. Being occupied by Japan or Japanese has a long history in music industry is not proper evidence. This is wikipedia, not a forum for someone's theories. Besides, " (since no CDs are officially made for Taiwan market)" is only half true. Taiwan, like Japan, often release local limited edition of Western's popular artists because of major labels having branch companies here, and of course Taiwan gets many CDs of Western's (or Japan's) artists OFFICIALLY made in Taiwan with obis. And the tone of the writing is not neutral at all. So I'll delete that paragraph. Raura (talk) 10:22, 5 December 2009 (UTC)

Cleanup (April 2010)
This article has been slightly cleaned up due to a large number of unnecessary and "unencyclopedic" information. Please discuss if you have any problems or suggestions with the edit. Thank you. 24.98.201.105 (talk) 16:05, 5 April 2010 (UTC)

Are obis included with Japanese originals?
It's not clear from the article whether obis are included solely with Japanese releases of non-Japanese music - as a means of translating the packaging - or whether they are included with all music sold in Japan. I assume the Western collector market is only really interested in Japanese releases of Western music, which might explain why this isn't made more clear in the article; which is it? -Ashley Pomeroy (talk) 15:13, 24 October 2010 (UTC)

Non-Japanese ??
This is what the disambiguation page states: Obi (publishing), an informational piece of paper or cardboard folded around or over a book or non-Japanese LP record, music CD, video game, or magazine. So obis are not likely to be found on Japanese LP records at all? Well, I'm having my doubts...-andy 77.190.27.216 (talk) 14:22, 20 January 2011 (UTC)

Yes, obis are on all media regardless of the nationality of the artist. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 61.23.216.6 (talk) 14:18, 30 March 2011 (UTC)

Imported media with obi and inserted added for Japanese market
There are many CDs made in Korea that Japanese labels repack with new obi and insert and sell them at double price. Dixdre (talk) 14:50, 2 June 2011 (UTC)

Actually there are imported cds and other media that are repackaged for distribution in Japan with an obi and sometimes a Japanese insert sheet for sale in Japanese domestic market

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