Ask John: What Are Image Songs?

Question:
What is an image song? Many anime soundtrack CDs feature not only songs from the anime themselves but also various image songs. What are they, and why are they included in so many collections?

Answer:
Image songs are original vocal songs or pieces of instrumental background music inspired by an anime or manga or created for but never used in the anime. There’s a massive market for anime and video game soundtracks in Japan, as proven by the number of such CDs that exist. So image songs are simply a way for the anime and recording industry to capitalize on this market. Image songs are created essentially to sell CDs to fans that enjoyed the music in a particular film and want to hear more, or to fans of a manga that would like to hear a soundtrack for their favorite comic book. (Yes, printed manga get soundtracks in Japan too!)