The Japanese iTunes music store is a veritable treasure trove of trance. Quake have their entire catalogue up on it, and Avex also have a few trance and eurobeat releases up. The only problem is that people outside of Japan normally can’t buy songs from iTunes Japan. That’s where iTunes gift cards come in. There are various places to purchase cards online, and you’re usually e-mailed the code and instructions on setting up your account pretty quickly. Here are just some of the sites where you can get a card:
Gateway to Japan
JBOX
JPopMp3s
The only one I’ve tried so far is Gateway to Japan because, quite frankly, they’ve got the cheapest prices. They’re also extremely fast. The last time I bought a card I got the code within 5 hours.
Now, the normal priced for single songs on iTunes Japan ranges from 150-200 yen, which is a bit steep compared to the US. However, you can buy entire Quake albums for 1200-1800 yen, which drastically lowers the per-song price. Most of Quake’s iTunes releases feature full-length tracks, so if you’re really interested in the nonstop mix then you’ll have to buy the CD. Same goes for Avex.
Keep in mind that Avex do not use iTunes Plus, which means you’ll get 128 kbps files that are copy protected. All of Quake’s albums, however, are free of DRM and are 256 kbps. Please don’t force Quake to start using DRM 😉
For those wondering, EMI Music Japan only have a limited presence on iTunes at the moment. The Misa albums and singles are up, as is the Wookie Wookie single, but there’s very little otherwise in the way of Dancemania or Trance Paradise. In fact, the only albums up right now are the two Anime Speeds, both of which are the nonstop mixes and not full versions >_<
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