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Originally Posted by mrnutz
So I guess doujin releases are fan-created-and-published releases? Until I found this site, I didn't know this was such a large aspect of the vgm community. It seems like many of the regulars here are fans.
The impression I get is that there are more doujin releases than official releases these days. I personally haven't heard any of it. Are they essentially just game music remixes? Or are there original works as well?
I guess I'm trying to understand the appeal. Is it just that good music is good music? Or is there another aspect to it? Thanks.
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Even just viewing statistics, there are, by far, more official soundtrack releases than doujin.
Doujin is essentially an adjective meaning fan-made, so "doujin" in the context of VGMdb means fan-made (and in the major majority of cases, self-published, unofficial and unlicensed) arrangements of game music, as well as soundtracks of fan-made games. The appeal of doujin music on most levels is hearing more takes on popular VGM themes, as official works aren't the only creative renditions of VGM the world has to offer.
Offhand, it seems as if Touhou arrangements are responsible for an explosion of releases from the Japanese doujin scene, especially when looking at the convention releases in recent years. Obviously other games get attention as well.
I'd like to know what the perceived proportions are between free and commercial doujin VGM in Japan. It seems North American and European doujin communities have a higher proportion of free releases, thought the advent of PayPal and other payment services have made it easier for Western doujins to release stuff for profit. For whatever reason, free releases are perceived by some in VGM fan circles as less legitimate than stuff people charge for. As someone involved heavily in the free scene, I can't stress enough that that shouldn't be the case.