music/exemplars/buy/namco_sega_fromsoft.json
{
"schema": "exemplar-purchase-routes/v1",
"cluster": "NAMCO / SEGA / FROMSOFT (Bandai Namco, FromSoftware+Sony, SEGA)",
"checked": "2026-08-05",
"researcher_note": "Ranked on ONE axis: does this route put an audio FILE on disk at D:/audio/exemplars/? Every route below is verified by actually fetching the store/API endpoint on 2026-08-05. Where a URL could not be fetched it is marked unverified and a search URL is given instead. No product URL in this file was constructed by guessing.",
"format_facts": {
"itunes_store": "iTunes Store album purchases download as 256 kbps AAC (.m4a), DRM-FREE since iTunes Plus (2009). A real file on disk, permanently. Lossy, but the rig's measurements (lane interlap, drop/raise event magnitudes, tempo-vs-time, complexity step maps, harmonic pairings) all live well below the AAC transparency ceiling, so this is a fully usable measurement substrate.",
"windows_purchase_path": "Josh is on Windows. Buy via the Apple Music app for Windows (Microsoft Store) -> its iTunes Store section, or legacy iTunes 12.x. Adding ?app=itunes to any music.apple.com album URL opens the buy page directly in the app. Purchased .m4a files land in the Apple Music/iTunes media folder; copy them to D:/audio/exemplars/.",
"bandcamp": "Bandcamp = the gold route where it exists: FLAC / WAV / 24-bit-96kHz / MP3, DRM-free, direct download, no app required.",
"apple_music_streaming_is_not_a_purchase": "A music.apple.com page that only offers streaming is NOT a route for us. Every Apple row below was confirmed purchasable via the iTunes Search/Lookup API returning a real collectionPrice (streaming-only albums return no price)."
},
"albums": [
{
"album": "ELDEN RING (Original Soundtrack)",
"publisher": "Bandai Namco Entertainment / FROMSOFTWARE SOUND TEAM",
"tracks_in_corpus": [
"EX_062",
"EX_063"
],
"route_class": "A",
"store": "iTunes Store (Apple)",
"url": "https://music.apple.com/us/album/elden-ring-original-soundtrack/1642388048",
"url_verified": true,
"url_verified_note": "true - page fetched 2026-08-05, renders 'Buy for $17.99'. iTunes Lookup API id=1642388048 returns collectionPrice 17.99, trackCount 67, artist FROMSOFTWARE SOUND TEAM, released 2022-09-09. Track scan of the same API confirms BOTH corpus tracks: 'Radagon of the Golden Order' = disc 2 track 27, 'Elden Beast' = disc 2 track 28.",
"format": "256 kbps AAC (.m4a), 67 tracks, 2 discs",
"drm_free": true,
"price_usd": 17.99,
"checked": "2026-08-05",
"notes": "FLAG - CHECK STEAM LIBRARY FIRST. Steam app 1896300 'ELDEN RING Digital Artbook & Original Soundtrack' returns success:false from the Steam appdetails API, i.e. it is NOT standalone-purchasable; it shipped only inside the Digital Deluxe / Collector's editions. Steam storesearch for 'elden ring' on 2026-08-05 lists only base game $59.99, NIGHTREIGN $39.99, Shadow of the Erdtree $39.99, SOTE Premium Bundle $49.99 - the 2022 Digital Deluxe SKU is gone. So: if Josh bought Digital Deluxe in 2022, app 1896300 is already in his library and its soundtrack menu exports all 67 tracks to disk for free. If not, the iTunes route above is the only current purchase. SEPARATE ALBUM WARNING: the SOTE Premium Bundle's artbook+OST is the Shadow of the Erdtree soundtrack, a different album that carries NEITHER corpus track. Bandai Namco's own eldenring.bn-ent.net/en/soundtrack/ page was fetched and is only a Collector's-Edition key-redemption portal, not a store. Qobuz was checked for a lossless route and does not carry it.",
"substitute_if_unobtainable": null
},
{
"album": "Dark Souls (Original Game Soundtrack)",
"publisher": "Bandai Namco Game Music / FromSoftware Sound Team",
"tracks_in_corpus": [
"EX_012"
],
"route_class": "A",
"store": "iTunes Store (Apple)",
"url": "https://music.apple.com/us/album/dark-souls-original-game-soundtrack/1777191189",
"url_verified": true,
"url_verified_note": "true - iTunes Lookup API id=1777191189 returns collectionPrice 12.99, trackCount 31, released 2024-11-07, artist credited as the FromSoftware sound team. Full tracklist pulled; 'Gwyn, Lord of Cinder' confirmed as track 22.",
"format": "256 kbps AAC (.m4a), 31 tracks",
"drm_free": true,
"price_usd": 12.99,
"checked": "2026-08-05",
"notes": "This is the 2024 official Bandai Namco Game Music digital reissue - the first time DS1's score was cleanly purchasable outside the Japanese CD. Includes the Artorias of the Abyss cues (Sanctuary Guardian, Knight Artorias, Manus, Kalameet) at no extra cost, which is useful spare BOSS-class grammar beyond EX_012.",
"substitute_if_unobtainable": null
},
{
"album": "Dark Souls 3 (Original Game Soundtrack)",
"publisher": "Bandai Namco Game Music / FromSoftware Sound Team",
"tracks_in_corpus": [
"EX_066"
],
"route_class": "A",
"store": "iTunes Store (Apple)",
"url": "https://music.apple.com/us/album/dark-souls-3-original-game-soundtrack/1777194407",
"url_verified": true,
"url_verified_note": "true - iTunes Lookup API id=1777194407 returns collectionPrice 12.99, trackCount 32, released 2024-11-07. Full tracklist pulled; 'Soul of Cinder' confirmed as track 22.",
"format": "256 kbps AAC (.m4a), 32 tracks",
"drm_free": true,
"price_usd": 12.99,
"checked": "2026-08-05",
"notes": "Steam is NOT a route here despite the name: Steam storesearch on 2026-08-05 shows 'DARK SOULS III Deluxe Edition' as sub 94174 at $84.98, which bundles the base game plus the Season Pass only - there is no artbook/soundtrack DLC app under DS3. Do not buy the Deluxe expecting files. Album also carries Nameless King, Abyss Watchers, Slave Knight Gael - strong spare BOSS grammar.",
"substitute_if_unobtainable": null
},
{
"album": "Bloodborne (Original Soundtrack)",
"publisher": "Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (FromSoftware / SIE Sound Team)",
"tracks_in_corpus": [
"EX_065"
],
"route_class": "A",
"store": "iTunes Store (Apple)",
"url": "https://music.apple.com/us/album/bloodborne-original-soundtrack/983475731",
"url_verified": true,
"url_verified_note": "true - page fetched 2026-08-05, shows 'Also available in the iTunes Store', copyright line 'P 2015 Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.'. iTunes Lookup API id=983475731 returns collectionPrice 17.25, trackCount 25, released 2015-04-22. Full tracklist pulled; 'The First Hunter' confirmed as track 23.",
"format": "256 kbps AAC (.m4a), 25 tracks",
"drm_free": true,
"price_usd": 17.25,
"checked": "2026-08-05",
"notes": "CORRECTS A COMMON BELIEF: Bloodborne's score is widely described as a Japan-only collector CD, but the 2015 digital album is live and purchasable on the US iTunes storefront - no import, no JP account. Note the corpus splits across TWO Bloodborne albums: 'The First Hunter' (EX_065) is here on the base OST; 'Ludwig, the Holy Blade' (EX_064) is NOT - it is on the Old Hunters EP, the next row. Qobuz was checked for a lossless route and carries only fan arrangements.",
"substitute_if_unobtainable": null
},
{
"album": "Bloodborne The Old Hunters (Original Soundtrack) - EP",
"publisher": "Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE Sound Team; Nobuyoshi Suzuki, Tsukasa Saitoh, Yuka Kitamura)",
"tracks_in_corpus": [
"EX_064"
],
"route_class": "A",
"store": "iTunes Store (Apple)",
"url": "https://music.apple.com/us/album/bloodborne-the-old-hunters-original-soundtrack-ep/1087350318",
"url_verified": true,
"url_verified_note": "true - iTunes Lookup API id=1087350318 returns collectionPrice 3.45, trackCount 5, released 2016-02-26. Full tracklist pulled: Ludwig, The Holy Blade / Laurence, The First Vicar / Living Failures / Lady Maria of the Astral Clocktower / Orphan of Kos. 'Ludwig, The Holy Blade' confirmed as track 1, trackPrice $0.69.",
"format": "256 kbps AAC (.m4a), 5 tracks",
"drm_free": true,
"price_usd": 3.45,
"checked": "2026-08-05",
"notes": "Cheapest row in the whole cluster. If Josh only wants EX_064 the single track is $0.69, but the full EP at $3.45 also lands Lady Maria and Orphan of Kos - two of the most-cited BOSS-class exemplars in the medium - for less than four dollars. Recommend buying the EP, not the track. IMPORTANT DISAMBIGUATION the corpus should absorb: 'The First Hunter' (EX_065) is NOT on this EP despite both cues sharing the Old Hunters association - it is on the 2015 base OST.",
"substitute_if_unobtainable": null
},
{
"album": "Tekken 2 (Original Soundtrack)",
"publisher": "Bandai Namco Game Music / TEKKEN Project",
"tracks_in_corpus": [
"EX_014"
],
"route_class": "A",
"store": "iTunes Store (Apple)",
"url": "https://music.apple.com/us/album/tekken-2-original-soundtrack/1724285091",
"url_verified": true,
"url_verified_note": "true - iTunes Lookup API id=1724285091 returns collectionPrice 8.99, trackCount 32, released 2024-01-26, artist 'TEKKEN Project & Bandai Namco Game Music'. Full tracklist pulled.",
"format": "256 kbps AAC (.m4a), 32 tracks",
"drm_free": true,
"price_usd": 8.99,
"checked": "2026-08-05",
"notes": "TITLE-MAPPING FLAG, verify by ear on arrival: this release contains NO track literally titled 'Opening Theme' (the corpus name for EX_014). The opening cue is track 1, 'Tekken 2 Attract Movie: Sound Track'; the PS1-side opening announcement candidate is track 18, 'Are You Ready?'. This is the only official digital Tekken 2 album on the storefront (search returned no competing official release), so it is the right album regardless - only the row's title string needs reconciling. Recommend the rig record the resolved title back into CORPUS.json once the file is on disk.",
"substitute_if_unobtainable": null
},
{
"album": "R4 -Ridge Racer Type4- (Original Soundtrack)",
"publisher": "Bandai Namco Game Music / RIDGE RACER Series",
"tracks_in_corpus": [
"EX_104"
],
"route_class": "A",
"store": "iTunes Store (Apple)",
"url": "https://music.apple.com/us/album/r4-ridge-racer-type4-original-soundtrack/1877597062",
"url_verified": true,
"url_verified_note": "true - iTunes Lookup API id=1877597062 returns collectionPrice 12.99, trackCount 25, released 2026-02-22. Full tracklist pulled; 'Motor Species' confirmed as track 15.",
"format": "256 kbps AAC (.m4a), 25 tracks",
"drm_free": true,
"price_usd": 12.99,
"checked": "2026-08-05",
"notes": "Released only five months ago (2026-02-22) as part of Bandai Namco Game Music's ongoing catalogue reissue - before this, R4 was an out-of-print 1999 Japanese 'Direct Audio' CD. This is a lucky window. Carries the whole drum-and-bass/acid-jazz R4 set (Urban Fragments, Pearl Blue Soul, Naked Glow, Quiet Curves), which is exactly the small-ensemble groove grammar the corpus's note_on_the_additions says the base list under-weighted.",
"substitute_if_unobtainable": null
},
{
"album": "Katamari Damacy (Original Soundtrack -Katamari Fortissimo Damacy)",
"publisher": "Bandai Namco Game Music / Katamari Damacy Series SOUND TEAM",
"tracks_in_corpus": [
"EX_183"
],
"route_class": "A",
"store": "iTunes Store (Apple)",
"url": "https://music.apple.com/us/album/katamari-damacy-original-soundtrack-katamari-fortissimo/1734345872",
"url_verified": true,
"url_verified_note": "true - iTunes Lookup API id=1734345872 returns collectionPrice 13.99, trackCount 21, released 2024-03-15. Full tracklist pulled; 'Katamari on the Rocks' confirmed as track 2.",
"format": "256 kbps AAC (.m4a), 21 tracks",
"drm_free": true,
"price_usd": 13.99,
"checked": "2026-08-05",
"notes": "Steam has Katamari music DLC (app 2261972 'We Love Katamari REROLL+ Royal Reverie - Katamari Damacy Series Music Bundle', $19.99; plus four Once Upon A KATAMARI song packs) - these are IN-GAME music unlocks, and I could not verify that any of them export audio files to disk, so do not route through Steam for this. Also note the DLC packs are We Love Katamari / Once Upon A KATAMARI material, not the 2004 Fortissimo Damacy album that carries EX_183.",
"substitute_if_unobtainable": null
},
{
"album": "Sonic The Hedgehog 1&2 Soundtrack",
"publisher": "SEGA / Masato Nakamura (DCT records, Universal Music Japan)",
"tracks_in_corpus": [
"EX_128"
],
"route_class": "A",
"store": "iTunes Store (Apple) - US storefront",
"url": "https://music.apple.com/us/album/sonic-the-hedgehog-1-2-soundtrack/1571062431",
"url_verified": true,
"url_verified_note": "true - iTunes Search API with country=US and attribute=albumTerm returns this album at collectionPrice 29.99, trackCount 80, artist Masato Nakamura, id 1571062431. Track scan confirms 'Sth2 Chemical Plant Zone (Mega Drive Version)' at disc 1 track 19 (plus 'Sth2 Chemical Plant Zone (Masa's Demo version)' at disc 2 track 17).",
"format": "256 kbps AAC (.m4a), 80 tracks across 3 discs",
"drm_free": true,
"price_usd": 29.99,
"checked": "2026-08-05",
"notes": "REGION CORRECTION - this one is widely mis-reported. The 2011 20th-anniversary release was a JAPAN-ONLY physical 3CD (cat. POCS-21032, now out of print; CDJapan's listing is dead) and secondary sources still say 'Japan only'. The DIGITAL album is live on the US storefront and needs no JP account or import. The JP storefront also carries it at JPY 2343 (id 1571062431, same album) if a JP account ever becomes convenient - that is roughly half the US price, and is the only reason to consider the JP route. Priciest row in the cluster at $29.99 for one corpus track, but it is the only official source of the Mega Drive Chemical Plant Zone master, and disc 2's Nakamura demo takes are a genuine bonus: the same cue in two states, which is exactly the DELTA measurement the corpus's note_on_the_expansion asks rung 2 to card. Amazon also lists a digital version (dp/B09726942J) but that page returned HTTP 500 on fetch - UNVERIFIED, use the Amazon search page https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Sonic+The+Hedgehog+1%262+Soundtrack&i=digital-music if the Apple route ever fails.",
"substitute_if_unobtainable": null
},
{
"album": "Jet Set Radio (SEGA Original Tracks)",
"publisher": "SEGA",
"tracks_in_corpus": [
"EX_136"
],
"route_class": "A",
"store": "iTunes Store (Apple)",
"url": "https://music.apple.com/us/album/jet-set-radio-sega-original-tracks/563463323",
"url_verified": true,
"url_verified_note": "true - page fetched 2026-08-05, shows 'Also available in the iTunes Store'. iTunes Lookup API id=563463323 returns collectionPrice 9.99, trackCount 15, released 2012-10-03, artist SEGA. Full tracklist pulled; 'Humming the Bassline' confirmed as track 2.",
"format": "256 kbps AAC (.m4a), 15 tracks",
"drm_free": true,
"price_usd": 9.99,
"checked": "2026-08-05",
"notes": "This is the SEGA-original-tracks album (Naganuma / Nagata / Fujioka cues only) - it deliberately excludes the licensed third-party JSR tracks, which is fine and in fact cleaner for us. NO STEAM ROUTE: Steam storesearch for 'jet set radio' on 2026-08-05 returns total 0 - the 2012 PC release is delisted. Companion album 'Jet Set Radio Future SEGA Original Tracks' (id 563465618, $11.99, 20 tracks) is verified purchasable if the corpus ever expands into JSRF.",
"substitute_if_unobtainable": null
},
{
"album": "Streets of Rage 2 (Remastered) / Streets of Rage 2 (Official Video Game Soundtrack)",
"publisher": "Data Discs (licensed from SEGA) - Yuzo Koshiro & Motohiro Kawashima",
"tracks_in_corpus": [
"EX_145"
],
"route_class": "A",
"store": "Bandcamp (Data Discs) - THE BEST ROUTE IN THIS CLUSTER",
"url": "https://datadiscs.bandcamp.com/album/streets-of-rage-2-remastered",
"url_verified": true,
"url_verified_note": "true - page fetched 2026-08-05: 'Streets of Rage 2 (Remastered)' by Yuzo Koshiro, digital download GBP 6 or more, formats MP3 / FLAC / 24-bit 96kHz. Tracklist shows 'Go Straight' as track 3 (4:28).",
"format": "FLAC and 24-bit/96kHz WAV available (plus MP3) - LOSSLESS, the only lossless route in the cluster",
"drm_free": true,
"price_usd": 7.6,
"checked": "2026-08-05",
"notes": "GBP 6.00 minimum (name-your-price above that); $7.60 USD is the 2026-08-05 conversion at ~1.27, so budget $8. Take the 24-bit/96kHz download - it is the single highest-fidelity exemplar available anywhere in this cluster and makes a good control for testing how much the AAC rows cost us in measurement terms. ALTERNATE A ROUTE (verified): iTunes 'Streets of Rage 2 (Official Video Game Soundtrack)' id 1512610919, $8.99, 25 tracks, label line 'P 2020 Data Discs', 'Go Straight' at track 3 - same master, lossy, more expensive. Skip it. CLASS B (verified, NOT recommended): Data Discs 2xLP 180g at https://data-discs.com/products/streetsofrage2 - GBP 29.99, Frosted Clear in stock, Classic Black sold out; the page states explicitly that the vinyl does NOT include a download code, so it yields no file without a turntable rip. Buy the Bandcamp digital.",
"substitute_if_unobtainable": null
},
{
"album": "SONIC ADVENTURE 2 Original Soundtrack 20th Anniversary Edition",
"publisher": "SEGA",
"tracks_in_corpus": [
"EX_151"
],
"route_class": "A",
"store": "iTunes Store (Apple)",
"url": "https://music.apple.com/us/album/sonic-adventure-2-original-soundtrack-20th-anniversary/481136982",
"url_verified": true,
"url_verified_note": "true - iTunes Lookup API id=481136982 returns collectionPrice 12.99, trackCount 30, released 2011-06-22. Full tracklist pulled; 'Escape From The City ...For City Escape' (Ted Poley & Tony Harnell) confirmed as track 2.",
"format": "256 kbps AAC (.m4a), 30 tracks",
"drm_free": true,
"price_usd": 12.99,
"checked": "2026-08-05",
"notes": "Two competing official SA2 albums exist on the storefront and only this one was track-verified. The 2014 'Sonic Adventure 2 (Original Soundtrack), Vol. 1' (id 929920745, $9.99, 30 tracks) and 'Vol. 2' (id 929931423, $9.99, 32 tracks) are the fuller multi-volume set but I did NOT confirm which volume carries City Escape - buy the 20th Anniversary Edition, where it is confirmed as track 2. Note the corpus files EX_151 under BATTLE; the cue as released is a full vocal rock track with the '...For City Escape' instrumental context, so the rig should card the vocal-lead variant explicitly.",
"substitute_if_unobtainable": null
},
{
"album": "Panzer Dragoon Saga (Original Soundtrack)",
"publisher": "SEGA (Saori Kobayashi / Mariko Nanba)",
"tracks_in_corpus": [
"EX_157"
],
"route_class": "A",
"store": "iTunes Store (Apple)",
"url": "https://music.apple.com/us/album/panzer-dragoon-saga-original-soundtrack/1347028363",
"url_verified": true,
"url_verified_note": "true - iTunes Lookup API id=1347028363 returns collectionPrice 13.99, trackCount 58, released 2018-02-14, artist SEGA. Track scan confirms 'Sona Mi Areru Ec Sancitu' is present, AND a second '(2018 Re-Arranged)' version closes the album.",
"format": "256 kbps AAC (.m4a), 58 tracks",
"drm_free": true,
"price_usd": 13.99,
"checked": "2026-08-05",
"notes": "The single best save in this cluster. The 1998 Japanese CD is one of the most notoriously collector-priced game OSTs in existence (routinely three figures), and every casual source will tell you this score is unobtainable. SEGA's 2018 20th-anniversary digital reissue makes it a $13.99 click. BONUS FOR RUNG 2: buying this gets the original AND the 2018 re-arranged version of the exact corpus cue on the same album - a free second measurable THEME PAIR / DELTA case alongside the Great Sea / Farewell Hyrule King pair the corpus already names. Related verified rows if the corpus expands: Panzer Dragoon (id 1347024326, $9.99), Panzer Dragoon II Zwei (id 1347025156, $9.99), Panzer Dragoon Orta (id 1347025584, $9.99), and Saori Kobayashi's 'Resurrection' 20th-anniversary arrangement album (id 1345559046, $11.99).",
"substitute_if_unobtainable": null
},
{
"album": "NiGHTS into dreams... Perfect Album, Vol. 1",
"publisher": "SEGA (Naofumi Hataya & Tomoko Sasaki)",
"tracks_in_corpus": [
"EX_180"
],
"route_class": "A",
"store": "iTunes Store (Apple)",
"url": "https://music.apple.com/us/album/nights-into-dreams-perfect-album-vol-1/573385917",
"url_verified": true,
"url_verified_note": "true - iTunes Lookup API id=573385917 returns collectionPrice 7.99, trackCount 22, released 2012-11-07, artist SEGA. Full tracklist pulled; 'Dreams Dreams' confirmed as track 1, and 'Dreams Dreams: In Silent Memory' as track 22.",
"format": "256 kbps AAC (.m4a), 22 tracks",
"drm_free": true,
"price_usd": 7.99,
"checked": "2026-08-05",
"notes": "Vol. 1 is the one that carries EX_180 - do not chase a Vol. 2 (a US-storefront album search for 'nights perfect album' returned no Vol. 2, so treat Vol. 1 as the complete route). It carries TWO states of the corpus cue: the children's-choir 'Dreams Dreams' opener and the 'In Silent Memory' closer, another free theme-pair delta for rung 2. Cheapest full album in the cluster.",
"substitute_if_unobtainable": null
},
{
"album": "Tales of Phantasia (Original Soundtrack) [SFC Version]",
"publisher": "Bandai Namco Game Music / Tales of Series SOUND TEAM (Motoi Sakuraba & Shinji Tamura)",
"tracks_in_corpus": [
"EX_147"
],
"route_class": "A",
"store": "iTunes Store (Apple)",
"url": "https://music.apple.com/us/album/tales-of-phantasia-original-soundtrack-sfc-version/1658244194",
"url_verified": true,
"url_verified_note": "true - iTunes Lookup API id=1658244194 returns collectionPrice 14.99, trackCount 77, released 2022-12-15, artist 'Tales of Series SOUND TEAM & Bandai Namco Game Music'. Track scan confirms 'Fighting of the Spirit (Sfc Version)' at disc 1 track 43.",
"format": "256 kbps AAC (.m4a), 77 tracks",
"drm_free": true,
"price_usd": 14.99,
"checked": "2026-08-05",
"notes": "GAP-HUNT ADDITION - this row was NOT in the cluster brief. Tales of Phantasia (1995) was published by NAMCO, so EX_147 belongs to this cluster by publisher even though the brief's franchise list omitted it; a corpus scan for Namco/SEGA/FromSoft titles outside my named set found this and only this. CROSS-CLUSTER OVERLAP WARNING: if an SNES/16-bit-era researcher was also assigned by console generation rather than publisher, EX_147 may be double-covered - de-duplicate before buying so Josh is not charged twice. VERSION CHOICE MATTERS HERE: three official versions exist at $14.99 each - SFC (id 1658244194, 77 tracks), PS (id 1658244713, 83 tracks), GBA (id 1658714376, 84 tracks). The corpus expansion wave is 1990-2008 SNES-era nostalgia and the row credits Motoi Sakuraba's original, so buy the SFC VERSION - its 'Fighting of the Spirit (Sfc Version)' is the Super Famicom sound-chip performance the corpus means. The PS and GBA versions are re-recordings with different timbre and would measure as a different instrumentation card.",
"substitute_if_unobtainable": null
}
],
"totals": {
"albums": 15,
"route_class_A": 15,
"route_class_B": 0,
"route_class_C": 0,
"route_class_D": 0,
"corpus_tracks_covered": 16,
"cost_if_every_album_bought_usd": 198.18,
"cost_note": "Sum of the 15 rows at 2026-08-05 prices (17.99 + 12.99 + 12.99 + 17.25 + 3.45 + 8.99 + 12.99 + 13.99 + 29.99 + 9.99 + 7.60 + 12.99 + 13.99 + 7.99 + 14.99). Drops to $180.19 if Josh already owns ELDEN RING Digital Deluxe on Steam (check app 1896300 in the library first), and to $165.20 if the Tales of Phantasia row turns out to be covered by another cluster. Every single corpus track in this cluster is legitimately purchasable as a downloadable file - nothing here is streaming-only and nothing is unobtainable."
},
"recommended_buy_order": [
"1. FREE FIRST: check the Steam library for app 1896300 (ELDEN RING Digital Artbook & Original Soundtrack). If present, export the 67 tracks and skip a $17.99 purchase.",
"2. Data Discs Bandcamp - Streets of Rage 2 (Remastered), 24-bit/96kHz FLAC, ~$8. Lossless, instant, no Apple account needed. Also the fidelity control for the rest of the cluster.",
"3. Bloodborne The Old Hunters EP, $3.45 - three canonical BOSS exemplars for the price of a coffee.",
"4. Everything else on iTunes in one sitting via the Apple Music app for Windows; they are all the same mechanic."
],
"cluster_gaps_josh_law_sweep": {
"statement": "The cluster brief named franchises the expanded corpus does not actually carry rows for. Naming them so nobody re-researches this later, and so a corpus expansion in this cluster can be costed instantly.",
"franchises_named_with_zero_corpus_rows": [
"Ace Combat",
"Klonoa",
"Dark Souls II",
"Sonic the Hedgehog 1",
"Sonic 3 & Knuckles",
"Sonic Adventure 1",
"Phantasy Star",
"Skies of Arcadia",
"Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree"
],
"acquisition_outlook_if_the_corpus_expands_here": "Cheap and easy for most of it. Bandai Namco Game Music (gamemusic.bn-ent.net) is actively reissuing the whole back catalogue to streaming AND download - their front page on 2026-08-05 showed ACE COMBAT 04: Shattered Sky Original Soundtrack released 2026-06-30, which means the Ace Combat line is now purchasable rather than an import hunt. Sonic 1 is already covered by the Sonic 1&2 album row above at no extra cost (disc 1 carries both games). Sonic Adventure 1 has verified Apple rows (Vol. 1 id 915243307 $9.99, Vol. 2 id 915244292 $9.99). Shadow of the Erdtree's OST is inside the Steam SOTE Premium Bundle ($49.99, app 2778590) and on Bandai Namco Game Music's streaming/download channels. Sonic 3 & Knuckles, Phantasy Star and Skies of Arcadia are the genuinely hard ones and were NOT researched here - if the corpus adds rows from them, they need their own pass.",
"corpus_edits_this_pass_earned": [
"EX_014 (Tekken 2 'Opening Theme'): no track of that name exists on the only official release; resolve to 'Tekken 2 Attract Movie: Sound Track' (or 'Are You Ready?') by ear once acquired.",
"EX_064 / EX_065: these two Bloodborne rows live on DIFFERENT albums (Old Hunters EP vs base OST). Worth an album field in the corpus so a future acquisition pass does not assume one purchase covers both.",
"Three free theme-pair deltas were found while buying: Panzer Dragoon Saga's original vs 2018 re-arranged 'Sona Mi Areru Ec Sancitu', NiGHTS' 'Dreams Dreams' vs 'In Silent Memory', and Sonic 2's Mega Drive 'Chemical Plant Zone' vs Nakamura's demo take. Rung 2 asked for measurable theme pairs; this cluster hands over three at no extra cost."
]
},
"verification_method": "Every price and tracklist claim above comes from a live fetch on 2026-08-05 of either (a) the iTunes Search/Lookup API (itunes.apple.com/search, itunes.apple.com/lookup) which returns collectionPrice only for genuinely purchasable albums, (b) the Steam appdetails / storesearch APIs, or (c) the store page itself. Two URLs failed verification and are marked as such in-row: the Amazon digital listing for Sonic 1&2 (HTTP 500) and the Elden Ring Fandom tracklist (HTTP 402) - neither is used as a purchase route. CDJapan's search page rendered without results and is not cited as a route. Qobuz was checked for lossless routes on Elden Ring and Bloodborne and carries neither."
}