General Info

Are music downloads at HearJapan legal?

All tracks provided by HearJapan have been licensed from their specific labels and artists. All copyright payments are paid through JASRAC (Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers And Publishers) and other appropriate organizations.

What is your privacy policy?

HearJapan will never share your email address, name, or age with a 3rd party. The only information we give out is to bands so they can make more informed decisions regarding where their fans are located for touring purposes. This information will only include your location, and does not include your name, address, or other personal information.

Do I need to install any software to use HearJapan?

No! All you need is an internet browser. Everything from listening to samples, to downloading is done through a browser like Firefox, internet explorer, etc.

Payment

How are songs priced?

Pricing is variable. HearJapan gives the label/artist the right to choose the price that they want to sell at. However we try to push the labels down to a price that is the lowest rate for our consumers. If all of the tracks in an album are purchased, you will receive a 5% discount on the purchase plus access to bonus features such as private assets.

How can I purchase?

Songs can be bought via credit card using Worldpay’s payment system. We accept visa, mastercard, and Visa Delta. Purchases can be paid in Yen, US Dollar, or the Euro. All purchases will be made into credits. Credits will expire after one year of non-usage. In some cases you will have to buy more credits than you need, you can add these extra credits to future purchases or buy a few extra tracks with the remaining credits. In the future HearJapan will have more payment options available. Please send us your feedback.

What is your refund policy?

Refunds shall be upon the sole discretion of HearJapan. Purchases involving Corrupt downloads, corrupt files, or failed downloads can be refunded once verified by our system. If you wish to have a refund, please email support@hearjapan.com and write a detailed report of your reason for a refund and we will look into it promptly.

Will you email me my purchases?

Sorry, but it is company policy not to email tracks so please do not ask us to. If you have an issue downloading music via the website, please let us know about it and we will work hard to solve it as quickly as possible.

MP3

What is the format of the downloaded files?

All tracks provided on this website are encoded into MP3 using the LAME encoder at -V1 --vbr-new (200...250 kbit/s). This is one of the best ways to encode mp3 files to preserve audio quality. All MP3 files on HearJapan do not have any form of copyprotection on the files and can be played using any device that supports mp3s, such as iPods, Zune, etc.

Why do the songs on the album page stop at 30 seconds?

The button next to every song is a 30 second sample of the song and will finish once the time has run out. This is so you can experience many different artists and find what you like before making a commitment.

Will the samples sound the same as the mp3 files?

The samples are a low quality (thus quick loading), therefore the actual mp3 will sound far superior to the sample file.

What happens if I download a corrupt or glitchy file?

Please notify us immediately. If there is any problem with a file, then we need to replace it as soon as possible. Problems can include skips, abrupt endings, and/or odd repetitions of the music. Please confirm that you have completed your download before contacting us. Once we are aware of the problem we will replace the mp3 and notify you as soon as possible. Contact us at support@hearjapan.com.

What happens if a download fails midway through?

If a download fails midway through you will have the option to download the track any number of times until the download has completed. If download speeds are a problem for you, please turn off any bandwidth using programs for the duration of your download.

How many times can I download music?

You can download music you have purchased up to three times. This number only includes complete downloads. In case of misplaced downloads, stolen/broken hard disk we provide you the option to redownload your purchases so that you will always have your music with you. Once you complete your download limit per song, you will not be able to download the song again. To find out how many times you have downloaded a file, go to the top menu; account>downloads. In the downloads section you can see all of your previous purchases and download music from here. Look at the bar for remaining downloads to see how many remaining downloads you have left.

HearJapan Special Features

What are Public and Private Assets?

Public Assets are pictures, lyrics, or any type of file that can be viewed by anyone for free. Private assets become available with the full purchase of an album for album assets. Private assets for artists or groups can be attained by purchasing one song of that artist or group. To view private assets, https://www.hearjapan.com/account/account_details and click on the name of the album and if private assets are available, there will be a box under public assets.

What’s the difference between artists and groups?

Groups are a band or an artist with more than one member. Artists can either be solo artists, or members of a group. Sometimes members of an artist also have solo careers or are in other bands. So if that is the case you can easily find out what they are doing.