music/exemplars/buy/nintendo.json
{
"schema": "exemplar-purchase-routes/v1",
"cluster": "NINTENDO (Nintendo-published / Nintendo-owned titles, incl. Pokemon all generations)",
"checked": "2026-08-05",
"consumer": "docs/proposals/music/MASTERPIECE_PROGRAM.md rung 1 — the measurement rig reads audio FILES from D:/audio/exemplars/",
"operative_axis": "DOES THIS YIELD AN AUDIO FILE ON DISK. Streaming is near-worthless to the rig; a rippable CD or a DRM-free download is the goal.",
"route_classes": {
"A": "DRM-free digital purchase yielding FLAC/WAV/MP3/M4A — the gold",
"B": "Physical CD or vinyl (incl. Japanese import) — yields files after ripping",
"C": "Streaming only — named plainly as such, NOT a purchase",
"D": "Not legitimately obtainable — substitute proposed"
},
"cluster_verdict": "THIS IS THE HARD CLUSTER AND THE VERDICT IS MIXED-BUT-WORKABLE. Nintendo sells almost nothing digitally in the West: there is no Nintendo Bandcamp, no Steam OST DLC, no iTunes Nintendo store. The three real unlocks are (1) POKEMON, which is the exception — Game Freak put the Super Music Collection albums on US iTunes as buyable DRM-free AAC at $9.99 per generation, so Gens 4/5/6 are solved outright; (2) two IN-STOCK Japanese CDs at CDJapan that carry a lot of the corpus — the Zelda 30th Anniversary Music Collection (JPY 3,000) and the Super Mario RPG Original Sound Box (JPY 7,500, and it contains the 1996 SNES originals, not just the remake); (3) the 1990s Pony Canyon / Scitron OST CDs, which are all out of print but circulate legitimately used on eBay, Discogs, Suruga-ya and Yahoo Auctions — buying used is a lawful acquisition and it rips to FLAC. Nintendo Music (the Switch Online app) covers a great many of these games but it is STREAMING-ONLY with in-app encrypted downloads and no export, so it is Class C and it does not feed the rig. Three albums are genuinely unpurchasable and are called out as such.",
"standing_cautions": [
"REMAKE-VS-ORIGINAL TRAP: several in-print CDs are the modern remake's re-recorded arrangements, not the original audio the corpus rows actually name. Super Mario RPG's 2-disc SQEX-11150 is REMAKE-ONLY; only the 4-disc Sound Box (SQEX-11154) contains the 1996 SNES originals. Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver is a DS re-orchestration of Gold/Silver, not the GBC chiptune.",
"FAN-ARRANGEMENT TRAP: Black Screen Records' Nintendo shelf is mostly licensed FAN work — 'Donkey Kong Country 1,2 & 3 OST Recreated', 'Super Metroid (Original Soundtrack Recreated)', 'From the Depths of Zebes: Super Metroid Resynthesized', 'All-Range Mode (Star Fox 64 Remixed)', 'Power Star - Mario 64 Demastered', 'Timeline Divergence (Ocarina Of Time Demastered)', the Video Game LoFi series. These are re-performances and remixes. They are USELESS as measurement exemplars of the original grammar and must not be bought in place of the real thing.",
"VINYL IS A WEAK FILE ROUTE: a 2LP yields files only via turntable + ADC capture, with surface noise and no exact timing reference. Prefer CD wherever both exist.",
"Nintendo Music requires an active Nintendo Switch Online membership (USD 19.99/yr individual, 34.99/yr family). It is listed here only to record where a cue can be HEARD, never as an acquisition route."
],
"albums": [
{
"album": "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time",
"publisher": "Nintendo",
"tracks_in_corpus": [
"EX_023 Gerudo Valley",
"EX_024 Kokiri Forest",
"EX_041 Kakariko Village",
"EX_133 Hyrule Field Main Theme",
"EX_158 Ganondorf Battle",
"EX_182 Great Fairy's Fountain Theme"
],
"route_class": "B",
"store": "CDJapan (best in-print partial) + used market for the full 1998 OST",
"url": "https://www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/COCX-39704",
"url_verified": "true — fetched 2026-08-05. Page renders as 'The Legend of Zelda 30th Anniversary Music Collection', JPY 3,000 (JPY 3,300 w/ JP tax) / US$19.03, 2-disc CD album, release 2016-09-28, availability string 'In Stock at Supplier: Usually ships in 2-4 days'.",
"format": "CD, 2 discs, 93 tracks — ORIGINAL game recordings (not orchestral re-performance), Nippon Columbia",
"drm_free": true,
"price_usd": 19.03,
"checked": "2026-08-05",
"notes": "PARTIAL COVERAGE, VERIFIED BY TRACKLIST. The 30th Anniversary collection's OoT block is 15 tracks and CONTAINS Gerudo Valley (EX_023), Ganondorf's Theme (EX_158) and Great Fairy Theme (EX_182). It DOES NOT contain Kokiri Forest, Hyrule Field, or the OoT Kakariko Village — the 'Kakariko Village' on disc 2 is the A Link Between Worlds version, a different cue. For those three, the source is the out-of-print 'The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Original Sound Track' (Pony Canyon, 1998-12-18), used-market only. Buy the 30th collection first: it is one cheap in-stock disc that lands half this album plus rows from four other Zelda albums below.",
"substitute_if_unobtainable": "For the three uncovered cues, used 1998 Pony Canyon OST via eBay/Discogs/Suruga-ya (typical USD 25-60 depending on condition; beware the many unofficial bootleg pressings catalogued on Discogs — verify the Pony Canyon catalog number). Audible-only fallback: Nintendo Music app, which carries both the N64 and 3DS OoT soundtracks."
},
{
"album": "The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask",
"publisher": "Nintendo",
"tracks_in_corpus": [
"EX_090 Song of Healing",
"EX_138 Clock Town, Day 1",
"EX_173 Final Hours",
"EX_174 Stone Tower Temple"
],
"route_class": "B",
"store": "CDJapan for the one covered cue; used market (eBay / Discogs / Suruga-ya / Yahoo Auctions) for the rest",
"url": "https://www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/COCX-39704",
"url_verified": "true — same verified CDJapan listing as above, JPY 3,000, 'In Stock at Supplier'.",
"format": "CD (30th collection); the full album is the out-of-print 'Majora's Mask Original Soundtrack', Pony Canyon, 2000",
"drm_free": true,
"price_usd": 19.03,
"checked": "2026-08-05",
"notes": "WORST-SERVED ZELDA ALBUM. Majora's Mask is NOT on Nintendo Music (verified against the app's title list), so there is not even a streaming fallback. The 30th Anniversary collection's MM block is only 4 tracks — Majora's Theme, Stone Tower Temple, Staff Roll, Staff Roll 2 — so it lands EX_174 Stone Tower Temple and nothing else. Song of Healing, Clock Town Day 1 and Final Hours need the 2000 Pony Canyon OST, out of print for 26 years, or the Club-Nintendo-Japan 'Majora's Mask 3D Original Soundtrack' (2015), which was a members-only premium and never sold at retail. Both are used-market only and the 3D one is collector-priced.",
"substitute_if_unobtainable": "Used 2000 Pony Canyon 'Majora's Mask Original Soundtrack' is the correct buy and does appear regularly on eBay and Yahoo Auctions (via a proxy such as Buyee/ZenMarket). If it cannot be sourced, the closest purchasable carriers of the same grammar are: for Final Hours' accelerating dread-ostinato, EX_173's role is partly covered by the corpus's own Silent Hill and Elden Ring rows; for Song of Healing's music-box lament, the Zelda 30th Anniversary Concert CD (Nippon Columbia, ~EUR 24) contains an orchestral Majora suite — but flag it in the formula card as ARRANGEMENT-TIER, not original-timbre."
},
{
"album": "The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past",
"publisher": "Nintendo",
"tracks_in_corpus": [
"EX_127 Dark World",
"EX_160 Princess Zelda's Rescue (Zelda's Lullaby)"
],
"route_class": "B",
"store": "Used market (eBay / Discogs / Suruga-ya); CDJapan 30th collection covers ALttP but not these two cues",
"url": "https://www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/COCX-39704",
"url_verified": "true — CDJapan listing verified in stock 2026-08-05; tracklist verified separately via the RPGFan review of COCX-39704~5.",
"format": "CD; source album is 'Zelda no Densetsu Sound & Drama' (Sony Records, 1994) or the 30th collection",
"drm_free": true,
"price_usd": 19.03,
"checked": "2026-08-05",
"notes": "The 30th collection's ALttP block is Title / Opening Demo / Overworld / Hyrule Castle / Boss — it does NOT include Dark World or Princess Zelda's Rescue. So the cheap in-stock disc misses both corpus rows. The historical album is the 1994 'Sound & Drama' 2-disc set, long out of print and part radio-drama. ALttP IS on Nintendo Music (streaming, Class C) if you only need to hear it.",
"substitute_if_unobtainable": "Used 'Zelda no Densetsu Sound & Drama' (Sony Records 1994) via Yahoo Auctions/Suruga-ya with a proxy buyer, typically JPY 3,000-8,000. Dark World's minor-key march grammar is otherwise well covered in-corpus by EX_101 Bowser's Road and EX_119 Simon Belmont."
},
{
"album": "The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker",
"publisher": "Nintendo",
"tracks_in_corpus": [
"EX_139 The Great Sea",
"EX_167 Farewell Hyrule King"
],
"route_class": "B",
"store": "CDJapan",
"url": "https://www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/COCX-39704",
"url_verified": "true — CDJapan listing verified in stock 2026-08-05 at JPY 3,000 / US$19.03.",
"format": "CD, 2 discs — original game recordings",
"drm_free": true,
"price_usd": 19.03,
"checked": "2026-08-05",
"notes": "GOOD NEWS FOR THE CORPUS'S ONE MEASURABLE THEME PAIR. The 30th collection's Wind Waker block is 10 tracks and explicitly includes 'Great Sea' (EX_139). It also includes 'Epilogue', which is the ending cue the corpus names as Farewell Hyrule King (EX_167) — confirm the title mapping on arrival before carding the DELTA between the pair, since the compilation uses Nintendo's own English track titles which differ from the community names in CORPUS.json. If the mapping fails, the full 2003 Pony Canyon 'The Wind Waker Original Sound Tracks' is the fallback (out of print, used).",
"substitute_if_unobtainable": "Used 2003 Pony Canyon 'The Wind Waker Original Sound Tracks' (2 discs). Wind Waker is also on Nintendo Music for audition (Class C)."
},
{
"album": "The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess",
"publisher": "Nintendo",
"tracks_in_corpus": [
"EX_079 Midna's Lament"
],
"route_class": "D",
"store": "None — no retail release has ever existed for this soundtrack",
"url": "https://www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/COCX-39704",
"url_verified": "true — the CDJapan listing is real and in stock, but its Twilight Princess block is only 4 tracks (Title, Teaser Music #1, Hyrule Plains, Face to Face on the Bridge) and does NOT contain Midna's Lament. Verified against the COCX-39704~5 tracklist.",
"format": "n/a",
"drm_free": null,
"price_usd": null,
"checked": "2026-08-05",
"notes": "GENUINELY UNPURCHASABLE — SAYING IT PLAINLY. The Twilight Princess soundtrack was a Club Nintendo members-only premium (2007), never sold at retail in any territory. The 2016 Twilight Princess HD 'Sound Selection' CD was a first-print pre-order bonus, also never sold. Twilight Princess is ALSO absent from Nintendo Music, so there is not even a legitimate streaming route to the cue. Midna's Lament is the single least-obtainable row in this entire cluster. Used copies of the Club Nintendo disc exist on Yahoo Auctions at collector prices and that is the only lawful path to the original file.",
"substitute_if_unobtainable": "Two options, in order. (1) BEST: 'The Legend of Zelda 30th Anniversary Concert' CD, Nippon Columbia — in stock at Black Screen Records (EUR 24) and at CDJapan — which contains a Twilight Princess orchestral suite; card it as ARRANGEMENT-TIER since the timbre is a live orchestra, not the game's synth-and-solo-voice sound. (2) GRAMMAR SUBSTITUTE: Midna's Lament is a solo-instrument lament over sparse harmony with a rubato melody — the corpus already carries that exact grammar in EX_090 (Song of Healing), EX_003 (Aerith's Theme), EX_164 (Wind's Nocturne) and EX_166 (You Were There). The formula card for the lament archetype will not be materially weakened by this one absence. RECOMMENDATION: do not chase the collector disc; buy the 30th Anniversary Concert CD and mark EX_079 as ABSENT-BY-DECLARATION in the rig."
},
{
"album": "Super Mario 64",
"publisher": "Nintendo",
"tracks_in_corpus": [
"EX_029 Dire, Dire Docks",
"EX_040 File Select Theme",
"EX_101 Bowser's Road"
],
"route_class": "B",
"store": "Used market — eBay / Discogs / Suruga-ya / Yahoo Auctions",
"url": "https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=super+mario+64+original+soundtrack+pony+canyon",
"url_verified": "false — search URL given deliberately rather than a fabricated product link. eBay listing inventory for a used out-of-print CD turns over constantly, so any deep link would rot. The album's existence is documented: 'Super Mario 64 Original Soundtrack', Pony Canyon, 1996.",
"format": "CD, 2 discs (out of print since the 1990s)",
"drm_free": true,
"price_usd": null,
"checked": "2026-08-05",
"notes": "All three corpus rows sit on one out-of-print 1996 Pony Canyon disc. Typical used price runs roughly USD 30-70 depending on condition and obi presence. Super Mario 64 IS on Nintendo Music (Class C) so every cue can be auditioned for free while you hunt the disc — useful for confirming you are buying the right pressing. Do NOT substitute 'Power Star - Mario 64 Demastered' or 'Video Game LoFi: Super Mario 64' from Black Screen Records; both are fan re-performances and carry none of the original's measurable grammar.",
"substitute_if_unobtainable": "No adequate official substitute exists for the original timbres. If the disc cannot be sourced, declare the three rows ABSENT rather than carding a re-performance."
},
{
"album": "Mario Kart 64",
"publisher": "Nintendo",
"tracks_in_corpus": [
"EX_103 Rainbow Road"
],
"route_class": "B",
"store": "Used market — eBay / Discogs / Suruga-ya / Yahoo Auctions",
"url": "https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=mario+kart+64+original+soundtrack+cd",
"url_verified": "false — search URL by design; no stable retail listing exists for an out-of-print 1997 Japanese CD. Album existence documented: 'Mario Kart 64 Original Soundtrack', Pony Canyon, 1997.",
"format": "CD (out of print)",
"drm_free": true,
"price_usd": null,
"checked": "2026-08-05",
"notes": "Single corpus row. Mario Kart 64 IS on Nintendo Music (Class C). Given one track is at stake and the disc is scarce, this is a low-priority buy — but note the Nintendo Music catalogue has been actively adding Mario Kart material through 2026 (free-roam tracks from Mario Kart World arrived 2026-07 and 2026-08), so audition access is solid.",
"substitute_if_unobtainable": "Nintendo Music for audition only. The corpus's racing/velocity grammar is otherwise carried by EX_061 Big Blue, EX_144 Mute City and EX_104 Motor Species, so a miss here is not structural."
},
{
"album": "Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars",
"publisher": "Nintendo / Square Enix",
"tracks_in_corpus": [
"EX_131 Beware the Forest's Mushrooms",
"EX_155 Fight Against an Armed Boss"
],
"route_class": "B",
"store": "CDJapan",
"url": "https://www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/SQEX-11154",
"url_verified": "true — fetched 2026-08-05. Renders as 'Super Mario RPG Original Sound Box', JPY 7,500 (JPY 8,250 w/ JP tax) / US$47.58, CD album 4 discs, release 2025-04-09, availability 'In Stock: Usually ships in 1-2 days', stock warning 'only 2 remaining'.",
"format": "CD, 4 discs — 2 discs of the 1996 Super Famicom version (remastered from SUPER MARIO RPG ORIGINAL SOUND VERSION, PSCN-5047-8) + 2 discs of the 2023 Switch version, with a Yoko Shimomura commentary booklet",
"drm_free": true,
"price_usd": 47.58,
"checked": "2026-08-05",
"notes": "THE BEST BUY IN THIS ENTIRE CLUSTER — BUY IT FIRST AND BUY IT NOW. It is the only in-print, in-stock, officially-sold CD that delivers original 1990s Nintendo-platform audio for corpus rows, and CDJapan showed only 2 copies remaining on 2026-08-05. CRITICAL VERSION WARNING: the cheaper 2-disc 'Super Mario RPG Original Soundtrack' (CDJapan SQEX-11150, and the EUR 29 Black Screen Records CD) is the 2023 REMAKE ARRANGEMENTS ONLY and does NOT contain the 1996 SNES recordings the corpus rows name. Only SQEX-11154, the 4-disc Sound Box, has both. Black Screen Records lists the Sound Box at EUR 59 but its product page read 'Sold Out' on 2026-08-05, so CDJapan is the live route. Bonus: owning both versions of the same 61 cues is a free, high-value A/B for the rig — identical compositions, 27 years apart, SNES synth vs modern live-ish arrangement. That is a measurable ARRANGEMENT DELTA nothing else in the corpus offers.",
"substitute_if_unobtainable": "If the last CDJapan copies go, check Play-Asia, amiami, and Amazon.co.jp for SQEX-11154, then Black Screen Records' restock notification. Super Mario RPG is NOT on Nintendo Music, so there is no streaming fallback."
},
{
"album": "Super Mario Galaxy",
"publisher": "Nintendo",
"tracks_in_corpus": [
"EX_143 Gusty Garden Galaxy"
],
"route_class": "B",
"store": "Used market — eBay / Discogs / Yahoo Auctions",
"url": "https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=super+mario+galaxy+original+soundtrack+platinum+version",
"url_verified": "false — search URL by design. The album is the 'Super Mario Galaxy Original Soundtrack Platinum Version' (2008), a Club Nintendo members-only premium, never sold at retail; no stable retail listing can exist.",
"format": "CD, 2 discs (Club Nintendo premium, out of print)",
"drm_free": true,
"price_usd": null,
"checked": "2026-08-05",
"notes": "Gusty Garden Galaxy is the corpus's only full live-orchestra Nintendo row, so it matters more than its single-track count suggests. The Platinum Version was Club-Nintendo-only; used copies are common enough on eBay and Yahoo Auctions at moderate collector prices. Galaxy IS on Nintendo Music (Class C, with extra tracks added in Sept 2025), and it was also briefly reissued to Spotify in April 2026 — both streaming, neither yields files.",
"substitute_if_unobtainable": "Used Platinum Version disc is the only original-audio route. Do not substitute the 2026 Super Mario Galaxy Movie soundtrack (in stock at Black Screen Records, CD EUR 22) — that is a film score, different music."
},
{
"album": "Super Metroid",
"publisher": "Nintendo",
"tracks_in_corpus": [
"EX_129 Brinstar - Overgrown with Vegetation",
"EX_170 Lower Norfair (Ridley's Hideout)",
"EX_178 Theme of Samus Aran, Space Warrior (Ending)"
],
"route_class": "B",
"store": "Used market — eBay / Discogs / Suruga-ya",
"url": "https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=super+metroid+sound+in+action+cd",
"url_verified": "false — search URL by design; the album is 'Super Metroid: Sound in Action' (Japan-only, released 1994-06-22) and has been out of print for three decades.",
"format": "CD (out of print)",
"drm_free": true,
"price_usd": null,
"checked": "2026-08-05",
"notes": "IMPORTANT DEFECT IN THE OBVIOUS BUY. 'Sound in Action' is NOT a clean original-audio source: its first several tracks are ARRANGED versions of Super Metroid themes re-recorded by Yoshiyuki Ito and Masumi Ito on better-than-SNES instruments, followed by an arranged Metroid ending, with only a partial selection of straight game audio. Verify the specific track states before trusting any of the three rows to it. Super Metroid IS on Nintendo Music (Class C) which is the reliable way to hear the true game mixes. AVOID both Black Screen Records Super Metroid products — 'Original Soundtrack Recreated' (EUR 34) and 'From the Depths of Zebes: Resynthesized' — they are fan re-performances.",
"substitute_if_unobtainable": "No official clean-original release exists. If the arranged-track problem disqualifies Sound in Action for a given row, declare that row ABSENT rather than measuring an arrangement as if it were the original — the Brinstar cue's whole point is its SNES timbre and it does not survive re-instrumentation."
},
{
"album": "Metroid Prime",
"publisher": "Nintendo",
"tracks_in_corpus": [
"EX_140 Phendrana Drifts"
],
"route_class": "B",
"store": "Used market — eBay / Discogs / Suruga-ya",
"url": "https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=metroid+prime+fusion+original+soundtracks+scitron",
"url_verified": "false — search URL by design. Album: 'Metroid Prime & Fusion Original Soundtracks', 2-CD, Scitron, Japan-only, released 2003-06-18; out of print.",
"format": "CD, 2 discs (out of print)",
"drm_free": true,
"price_usd": null,
"checked": "2026-08-05",
"notes": "Straightforward: one Japan-only 2003 Scitron 2-CD set carries the cue, out of print but not especially rare, and it is genuine game audio rather than arrangements. Metroid Prime IS on Nintendo Music (Class C) for audition. Phendrana Drifts is the corpus's cleanest example of cold-ambient pad writing with a sparse melodic figure, so it is worth the modest hunt.",
"substitute_if_unobtainable": "Nintendo Music for audition. Grammar-wise the nearest purchasable relatives already in the corpus are EX_034 City Ruins and EX_025 Greenpath."
},
{
"album": "Kirby Super Star",
"publisher": "Nintendo / HAL Laboratory",
"tracks_in_corpus": [
"EX_118 Gourmet Race"
],
"route_class": "B",
"store": "CDJapan (search) — compilation route",
"url": "https://www.cdjapan.co.jp/searchuni?q=kirby",
"url_verified": "false — UNVERIFIED. CDJapan's search endpoint returns a JavaScript shell to fetchers, so I could not read live listings or prices; I am giving the store search URL rather than inventing a product link. What IS established: the original Kirby Super Star version of Gourmet Race appears on the compilation 'The Very Best of Kirby: 52 Hit Tracks', and on the Kirby's Dream Collection Special Edition bundled soundtrack CD.",
"format": "CD (compilation)",
"drm_free": true,
"price_usd": null,
"checked": "2026-08-05",
"notes": "Kirby Super Star has no standalone Western OST release and Kirby Super Star is NOT on Nintendo Music (the app's Kirby coverage is modern-era: Kirby Air Riders, Forgotten Land, and similar). The realistic route is a Japanese Kirby compilation CD — Kirby is one of the better-served Nintendo franchises for Japanese CD releases, with several anniversary and arrangement albums in print, so search CDJapan for 'Kirby' and buy whichever in-print compilation lists the original Kirby Super Star Gourmet Race rather than an arrangement. CAUTION: Gourmet Race is one of the most-arranged tunes in games; most Kirby albums carry an orchestral or medley version. Read the tracklist for the ORIGINAL SNES version specifically.",
"substitute_if_unobtainable": "Used 'The Very Best of Kirby: 52 Hit Tracks' via eBay/Yahoo Auctions. Avoid Black Screen Records' 'Video Game LoFi: Kirby' — a lo-fi remix album, not the source."
},
{
"album": "Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards",
"publisher": "Nintendo / HAL Laboratory",
"tracks_in_corpus": [
"EX_042 Pop Star"
],
"route_class": "D",
"store": "None — no standalone soundtrack was ever released",
"url": "https://www.cdjapan.co.jp/searchuni?q=kirby",
"url_verified": "false — store search URL only; no product exists to verify. Kirby 64 has no standalone OST release in any territory, and Kirby 64 is absent from Nintendo Music.",
"format": "n/a",
"drm_free": null,
"price_usd": null,
"checked": "2026-08-05",
"notes": "UNPURCHASABLE AS ITS OWN ALBUM — SAYING IT PLAINLY. Kirby 64's music never got a dedicated commercial soundtrack. The only official physical carrier of Kirby 64 tracks is the 'Kirby's Dream Collection Special Edition' bundled soundtrack CD (Wii, 2012), which shipped inside the game box and is a compilation across the series; whether its selection includes Pop Star must be checked against the disc's tracklist before buying. There is no streaming fallback either — Kirby 64 is not on Nintendo Music.",
"substitute_if_unobtainable": "Buy a used 'Kirby's Dream Collection Special Edition' (game + CD) only if its tracklist confirms Pop Star; otherwise declare EX_042 ABSENT. The bright-major, high-melody, tight-loop grammar Josh flagged as this row's contribution is already carried by EX_036 Spiral Mountain, EX_038 Artisans Home and EX_044 Goddess Pond, so the archetype survives the loss — but note the corpus rationale explicitly wanted this cluster tested, so record the absence rather than silently dropping it."
},
{
"album": "Star Fox 64",
"publisher": "Nintendo",
"tracks_in_corpus": [
"EX_148 Star Wolf Theme"
],
"route_class": "B",
"store": "Used market — eBay / Discogs / Suruga-ya",
"url": "https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=star+fox+64+original+soundtrack+pony+canyon",
"url_verified": "false — search URL by design. Album: 'Star Fox 64 Original Soundtrack', Pony Canyon, 1997; out of print.",
"format": "CD (out of print)",
"drm_free": true,
"price_usd": null,
"checked": "2026-08-05",
"notes": "Star Fox 64 IS on Nintendo Music (Class C) for audition. The 1997 Pony Canyon disc is the only original-audio purchase and turns up used at moderate prices. AVOID Black Screen Records' 'All-Range Mode (Star Fox 64 Remixed)' (CD, EUR 22, in stock) — it is a remix album and will not measure the original's grammar.",
"substitute_if_unobtainable": "Nintendo Music for audition only; declare ABSENT if the disc cannot be sourced."
},
{
"album": "F-Zero (SNES)",
"publisher": "Nintendo",
"tracks_in_corpus": [
"EX_144 Mute City"
],
"route_class": "C",
"store": "Nintendo Music (Nintendo Switch Online) — STREAMING ONLY, this is not a purchase",
"url": "https://www.nintendo.com/us/whatsnew/nintendo-and-laced-records-announce-the-legend-of-zelda-breath-of-the-wild-vinyl-soundtrack-collection/",
"url_verified": "true — fetched 2026-08-05; official Nintendo news page, confirms Nintendo Music is a Switch-Online-members smart-device app spanning the original Legend of Zelda through Super Mario Galaxy and Kirby. F-Zero (SNES) presence confirmed separately against the app's published title list.",
"format": "streaming, in-app encrypted downloads, no export",
"drm_free": false,
"price_usd": 19.99,
"checked": "2026-08-05",
"notes": "CALLING THIS WHAT IT IS: there is no purchase route to Mute City's original audio that I could establish. I found no evidence that a standalone F-Zero (1990) soundtrack CD was ever commercially released — the SNES-era F-Zero music surfaced mainly on magazine discs and later arrangement albums (the F-Zero guitar-arrange records are re-performances, not originals). The USD 19.99 figure is the annual Nintendo Switch Online individual membership, i.e. the cost of ACCESS TO HEAR IT, not the cost of a file. The rig gets nothing from this.",
"substitute_if_unobtainable": "Grammar substitute inside the cluster: EX_061 Big Blue (F-Zero X) carries the same high-BPM driving-rock racing grammar and has a real, if out-of-print, CD — buy that one and let it stand for the F-Zero archetype. Card EX_144 as ABSENT."
},
{
"album": "F-Zero X",
"publisher": "Nintendo",
"tracks_in_corpus": [
"EX_061 Big Blue"
],
"route_class": "B",
"store": "Used market — eBay / Discogs / Suruga-ya / Yahoo Auctions",
"url": "https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=f-zero+x+original+soundtrack+cd",
"url_verified": "false — search URL by design. The F-Zero X soundtrack was released on CD in Japan in 1998; out of print.",
"format": "CD (out of print)",
"drm_free": true,
"price_usd": null,
"checked": "2026-08-05",
"notes": "F-Zero X IS on Nintendo Music (Class C) for audition. This is the racing-grammar row worth actually buying, since the SNES F-Zero has no purchase route at all — make Big Blue carry the archetype. Note there is also an 'F-Zero X Guitar Arrange Edition' (1999): that is a re-performance and is NOT what you want.",
"substitute_if_unobtainable": "Nintendo Music for audition. In-corpus grammar relatives: EX_104 Motor Species, EX_103 Rainbow Road, EX_151 Escape from the City."
},
{
"album": "Wave Race 64",
"publisher": "Nintendo",
"tracks_in_corpus": [
"EX_037 Dolphin Park"
],
"route_class": "C",
"store": "Nintendo Music (Nintendo Switch Online) — STREAMING ONLY, this is not a purchase",
"url": "https://www.nintendolife.com/guides/nintendo-music-app-every-game-soundtrack-included-how-to-download-all-systems",
"url_verified": "true — fetched 2026-08-05; the Nintendo Life catalogue guide confirms Wave Race 64 is in the app, confirms Switch Online membership is required, confirms downloads stay inside the app with no export path.",
"format": "streaming, in-app encrypted downloads, no export",
"drm_free": false,
"price_usd": 19.99,
"checked": "2026-08-05",
"notes": "I could not establish that any commercial Wave Race 64 soundtrack CD was ever released, so unlike the other N64 rows there is not even a used-market target to hunt. Nintendo Music carries it, which means it can be auditioned but never landed on disk. The USD 19.99 is the NSO annual membership, not a file purchase.",
"substitute_if_unobtainable": "Kazumi Totaka's writing is represented purchasably elsewhere in the cluster via EX_141 (Animal Crossing, also Totaka) — though that too is streaming-first, see its row. Realistically: card EX_037 ABSENT and lean on EX_038 Artisans Home and EX_039 N. Sanity Beach for the same bright-resort exploration grammar; both are PS1 titles handled by the Sony cluster and are far more obtainable."
},
{
"album": "Animal Crossing (GameCube)",
"publisher": "Nintendo",
"tracks_in_corpus": [
"EX_141 2 AM"
],
"route_class": "B",
"store": "Used market — eBay / Yahoo Auctions / Suruga-ya (Japanese 'Doubutsu no Mori' CDs)",
"url": "https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=animal+crossing+doubutsu+no+mori+original+soundtrack+cd",
"url_verified": "false — search URL by design; the GameCube-era Animal Crossing music CDs are Japanese releases long out of print, with no stable retail listing.",
"format": "CD (out of print)",
"drm_free": true,
"price_usd": null,
"checked": "2026-08-05",
"notes": "Animal Crossing (GameCube) IS on Nintendo Music alongside New Horizons (Class C). The modern 'Animal Crossing: New Horizons' soundtrack DID get a proper Japanese CD release and is findable in print — but it is the 2020 game's music, NOT the GameCube hourly themes, and '2 AM' as the corpus names it is the GameCube cue. Do not let a New Horizons disc stand in for it without checking the hourly-theme tracklist. This is a single low-stakes row; do not overspend chasing it.",
"substitute_if_unobtainable": "Nintendo Music for audition. If a Japanese Doubutsu no Mori disc cannot be sourced cheaply, card EX_141 ABSENT — its ambient-jazz-loop grammar overlaps heavily with EX_017/EX_018 (Minecraft, C418) which are trivially purchasable DRM-free on Bandcamp in the indie cluster."
},
{
"album": "Donkey Kong Country",
"publisher": "Nintendo (Rare, composer David Wise)",
"tracks_in_corpus": [
"EX_028 Aquatic Ambiance",
"EX_153 Gang-Plank Galleon"
],
"route_class": "B",
"store": "Used market — eBay / Discogs",
"url": "https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=DK+Jamz+donkey+kong+country+soundtrack+cd",
"url_verified": "false — search URL by design. The album is real and well documented: 'DK Jamz: The Original Donkey Kong Country Soundtrack', released by Nintendo in Germany 1994, US 1995-03-01, France 1995-08-24, containing all of DKC's songs. Individual eBay and Discogs listings for a 30-year-old CD rotate too fast to deep-link honestly.",
"format": "CD (out of print, but a Western release so copies are relatively plentiful)",
"drm_free": true,
"price_usd": null,
"checked": "2026-08-05",
"notes": "BETTER THAN IT LOOKS. Unlike the Japan-only N64 discs, DK Jamz was a mass-market NA/EU release, so used copies are comparatively common and cheap — this is one of the easier original-audio buys in the cluster and it lands both corpus rows at once. Watch for the two distinct pressings catalogued on Discogs (card sleeve and standard). DKC is also on Nintendo Music (all three SNES titles) for audition. HARD AVOID: Black Screen Records' 'Donkey Kong Country 1, 2 & 3 OST Recreated' (vinyl, EUR 139) — that is a re-performance, and at EUR 139 it is an expensive way to measure the wrong thing.",
"substitute_if_unobtainable": "None needed — DK Jamz is obtainable. If a specific listing falls through, Discogs' marketplace for the DK Jamz master release is the fallback (unverified by fetch; Discogs returns HTTP 403 to automated requests, so browse it in a normal browser)."
},
{
"album": "Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest",
"publisher": "Nintendo (Rare, composer David Wise)",
"tracks_in_corpus": [
"EX_027 Stickerbush Symphony"
],
"route_class": "B",
"store": "Used market — eBay / Discogs / Suruga-ya",
"url": "https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=donkey+kong+country+2+original+soundtrack+cd",
"url_verified": "false — search URL by design; the DKC2 soundtrack CD is a 1990s release, out of print, with no stable retail listing.",
"format": "CD (out of print)",
"drm_free": true,
"price_usd": null,
"checked": "2026-08-05",
"notes": "DKC2 did not get the same wide Western push DK Jamz did, so this one is scarcer than its predecessor. DKC2 IS on Nintendo Music (Class C) for audition. Stickerbush Symphony is arguably the single most-cited cue in the whole 90s-nostalgia argument, so it is worth real effort. Same hard avoid as above on the EUR 139 'Recreated' vinyl.",
"substitute_if_unobtainable": "David Wise's own Bandcamp and later works are purchasable DRM-free but do NOT contain the Nintendo-owned DKC recordings, so they are not a substitute for this cue. If the disc cannot be sourced, card EX_027 ABSENT rather than measuring a cover."
},
{
"album": "EarthBound (Mother 2)",
"publisher": "Nintendo / originally issued by Sony Records (JP)",
"tracks_in_corpus": [
"EX_130 Onett",
"EX_154 Pokey Means Business!",
"EX_177 Smiles and Tears"
],
"route_class": "B",
"store": "Ship to Shore PhonoCo. (officially licensed repress) via Mondo / Turntable Lab / Video Games New York; or the used 1994 Sony CD",
"url": "https://mondoshop.com/products/mother-2-original-video-game-soundtrack-2xLP",
"url_verified": "false — UNVERIFIED product link, do not trust the exact path. What IS verified by search: Ship To Shore PhonoCo. repressed the Mother 2 / EarthBound soundtrack on 2xLP, officially licensed from Sony Music, gatefold with obi strip, priced around USD 40, stocked by Mondo, Turntable Lab and Video Games New York. Search 'Mother 2 Ship to Shore 2xLP' at any of those three rather than trusting this URL.",
"format": "Vinyl 2LP (officially licensed repress) — original was CD, Sony Records, 1994-11-02",
"drm_free": true,
"price_usd": 40.0,
"checked": "2026-08-05",
"notes": "TWO REAL CAVEATS, BOTH LOAD-BEARING. (1) FORMAT: the in-print route is VINYL, which is a poor file route — you would need a turntable and ADC capture, with surface noise polluting exactly the kind of spectral measurement the rig does. STRONGLY PREFER the used 1994 Sony Records CD, which rips clean. (2) CONTENT: the Mother 2 soundtrack album is notoriously NOT a straight game rip — it carries arranged and vocal versions alongside game audio. Verify per-track before trusting Onett, Pokey Means Business or Smiles and Tears to it; the arranged versions will measure completely differently from the SNES originals. EarthBound is NOT on Nintendo Music, so there is no clean streaming reference to check against either.",
"substitute_if_unobtainable": "Used 1994 Sony Records CD (Mother 2 Gyiyg Strikes Back Original Soundtrack) via Yahoo Auctions/Suruga-ya with a proxy buyer — this is the recommended buy over the vinyl for file quality. If only arranged versions can be obtained, card the affected rows as ARRANGEMENT-TIER and say so on the formula card."
},
{
"album": "Pokemon Red & Blue (Red & Green)",
"publisher": "The Pokemon Company / Game Freak",
"tracks_in_corpus": [
"EX_085 Lavender Town"
],
"route_class": "B",
"store": "Black Screen Records (Germany, ships internationally) — with CDJapan as the import fallback",
"url": "https://blackscreenrecords.com/products/pokmon-red-green-cd",
"url_verified": "true, WITH A CONFLICT I AM REPORTING RATHER THAN SMOOTHING OVER — fetched 2026-08-05. The product page renders as 'Pokémon Red & Green (Super Music Collection)', 4-disc CD, EUR 29,00, and showed 'Sold Out'. However the store's own Nintendo/Pokemon collection listing on the same day showed this title as 'From EUR 29,00' and IN STOCK, which implies a second variant or a restock not reflected on the product page. Check the live page before assuming either state. The CDJapan equivalent (OVCP-6, 'Pokemon Aka Midori Super Music Collection', JPY 2,500 / US$15.86, 4 discs) was verified 2026-08-05 as 'Sold Out'.",
"format": "CD, 4 discs — discs 1-2 are Pokemon Red & Green (45 BGM + bonus), discs 3-4 are FireRed & LeafGreen. Official licensed release, catalog OVCP-0006, Overlap, 2016",
"drm_free": true,
"price_usd": 34.0,
"checked": "2026-08-05",
"notes": "Lavender Town lives on discs 1-2 as the Game Boy original. MASTERING CAVEAT WORTH KNOWING BEFORE YOU MEASURE: this 2016 reissue adds significant reverb to every track and replaces the games' looping endings with fade-outs. For a rig that measures loop structure and event grammar, that is a real distortion — record it on the formula card. Black Screen Records is a legitimate licensed distributor ('All of our own releases and the releases of our distribution partners are all officially licensed') and is the most convenient Western seller of official Japanese Pokemon soundtrack CDs generally; the same shop stocks Sun & Moon, Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire, Sword & Shield, Legends Arceus and Scarlet & Violet, all EUR 29-45 in stock.",
"substitute_if_unobtainable": "CDJapan OVCP-6 when restocked, or Play-Asia / amiami / Amazon.co.jp for the same catalog number. Gen 1 has no digital purchase route — the Super Music Collection albums that reached US iTunes start at FireRed/LeafGreen, not Red/Green."
},
{
"album": "Pokemon Gold & Silver",
"publisher": "The Pokemon Company / Game Freak",
"tracks_in_corpus": [
"EX_031 National Park",
"EX_135 Ecruteak City",
"EX_150 Battle! Champion (Lance)"
],
"route_class": "D",
"store": "No route found to the original Game Boy Color audio",
"url": "https://music.apple.com/us/album/pok%C3%A9mon-heartgold-pok%C3%A9mon-soulsilver-super-music-collection/796790051",
"url_verified": "true for the SUBSTITUTE, not for the original — the linked Apple album is real ('Pokémon HeartGold & Pokémon SoulSilver: Super Music Collection', GAME FREAK, 2014, 270 songs, USD 9.99 / GBP 7.99). I searched Apple Music US specifically for a 'Pokémon Gold & Pokémon Silver: Super Music Collection' and it is NOT there; the Gold/Silver collection appears in music databases only as a 2012 digital release that did not reach the US storefront, and no in-print CD of the GBC originals surfaced.",
"format": "n/a for the originals; substitute is DRM-free 256kbps AAC (.m4a) via iTunes purchase",
"drm_free": null,
"price_usd": null,
"checked": "2026-08-05",
"notes": "THE ORIGINAL GBC AUDIO IS NOT PURCHASABLE — SAYING IT PLAINLY. Gold & Silver is also NOT among the Pokemon titles on Nintendo Music (the app's Pokemon coverage is Sword/Shield, Scarlet/Violet, FireRed/LeafGreen, Legends Arceus), so there is no legitimate streaming route to the GBC versions either. This is the biggest genuine hole in the Pokemon side of the corpus and it costs three rows.",
"substitute_if_unobtainable": "BUY THE HEARTGOLD/SOULSILVER SUPER MUSIC COLLECTION, USD 9.99 on US iTunes — 270 tracks, DRM-free AAC, instantly on disk. It contains all three cues (National Park, Ecruteak City, Champion Lance) as DS re-orchestrations of the same compositions. THIS IS A REAL SUBSTITUTE WITH A REAL CAVEAT: the melodies, harmony, form and event grammar are preserved and fully measurable; the TIMBRE and the chiptune-specific voice-limit behaviour are not. For harmonic/melodic/structural formula cards it is fully adequate. For any card keyed on instrumentation or 4-channel writing constraints, mark it ARRANGEMENT-TIER. Recommendation: buy it, card the three rows as SUBSTITUTED, and note the delta."
},
{
"album": "Pokemon Diamond & Pearl",
"publisher": "The Pokemon Company / Game Freak",
"tracks_in_corpus": [
"EX_030 Route 209",
"EX_053 Cynthia Battle Theme"
],
"route_class": "A",
"store": "Apple iTunes Store (US)",
"url": "https://music.apple.com/us/album/pok%C3%A9mon-diamond-pok%C3%A9mon-pearl-super-music-collection/840159297",
"url_verified": "true — fetched 2026-08-05. Renders as 'Pokémon Diamond & Pokémon Pearl: Super Music Collection' by GAME FREAK, 149 songs, price shown as '$9.99'. The page does not expose the per-track list to fetchers, so confirm Route 209 and the Cynthia battle theme in the store client before purchase — but a 149-track complete-soundtrack collection for these games will carry both.",
"format": "Digital download, 256kbps AAC (.m4a) — iTunes Store purchases have been DRM-free since 2009",
"drm_free": true,
"price_usd": 9.99,
"checked": "2026-08-05",
"notes": "CLASS A, THE GOLD, AND IT IS CHEAP. This is the Pokemon exception that saves the cluster: Game Freak and The Pokemon Company put the Super Music Collection series on the US iTunes Store as buyable albums, not just Apple Music streaming. Buy the ALBUM (not an Apple Music subscription stream) and you get 149 DRM-free files straight to disk. Lossy AAC rather than FLAC, which is a real but minor limitation for the rig's measurements — spectral analysis above ~16kHz is compromised, everything else (tempo, event grammar, lane interlap, harmonic content) is unaffected. Region note: this is the US storefront and needs a US Apple account, which Josh has.",
"substitute_if_unobtainable": "n/a — obtainable. If a lossless master is ever needed, the Japanese CD editions of the Super Music Collection series exist and turn up at CDJapan and Black Screen Records."
},
{
"album": "Pokemon Black & White",
"publisher": "The Pokemon Company / Game Freak",
"tracks_in_corpus": [
"EX_054 Champion Iris Battle Theme"
],
"route_class": "A",
"store": "Apple iTunes Store (US)",
"url": "https://music.apple.com/us/album/pok%C3%A9mon-black-pok%C3%A9mon-white-super-music-collection/839750839",
"url_verified": "true — fetched 2026-08-05. Renders as 'Pokémon Black & Pokémon White: Super Music Collection' by GAME FREAK, 173 songs, price shown as '$9.99'.",
"format": "Digital download, 256kbps AAC (.m4a), DRM-free",
"drm_free": true,
"price_usd": 9.99,
"checked": "2026-08-05",
"notes": "Class A. 173 tracks for USD 9.99. NOTE ON THE CORPUS ROW: EX_054 is credited to 'Champion Iris' — in Black & White (Gen 5 first versions) the champion is Alder and Iris is champion in Black 2 & White 2, so verify which battle theme is actually wanted. If it is the Black 2/White 2 champion theme, the correct album is the separate 'Pokémon Black 2 & Pokémon White 2: Super Music Collection', also on US iTunes. This is a corpus-accuracy flag worth raising with Josh, not a purchasing problem — both albums are USD 9.99 and buying both costs less than one import CD.",
"substitute_if_unobtainable": "n/a — obtainable."
},
{
"album": "Pokemon X & Y",
"publisher": "The Pokemon Company / Game Freak",
"tracks_in_corpus": [
"EX_088 An Unwavering Heart"
],
"route_class": "A",
"store": "Apple iTunes Store (US)",
"url": "https://music.apple.com/us/album/pok%C3%A9mon-x-pok%C3%A9mon-y-super-music-collection/741190064",
"url_verified": "true — fetched 2026-08-05. Renders as 'Pokémon X & Pokémon Y: Super Music Collection' by GAME FREAK, released 2013-11-12, 212 songs, 3 hours 34 minutes, price shown as '$9.99', copyright 2013 The Pokemon Company.",
"format": "Digital download, 256kbps AAC (.m4a), DRM-free",
"drm_free": true,
"price_usd": 9.99,
"checked": "2026-08-05",
"notes": "Class A. 212 tracks for USD 9.99 — the best value-per-file in the entire cluster.",
"substitute_if_unobtainable": "n/a — obtainable."
}
],
"recommended_buy_order": [
"1. SUPER MARIO RPG ORIGINAL SOUND BOX — CDJapan SQEX-11154, US$47.58, ONLY 2 COPIES SHOWING ON 2026-08-05. Time-critical, and the only in-print CD in the cluster carrying original 1990s Nintendo-platform audio. Buy today.",
"2. THE THREE POKEMON iTUNES ALBUMS — US$29.97 total for Diamond/Pearl + Black/White + X/Y, ~534 DRM-free files on disk within minutes. Add HeartGold/SoulSilver (US$9.99) as the Gold/Silver substitute. US$39.96 all in.",
"3. ZELDA 30TH ANNIVERSARY MUSIC COLLECTION — CDJapan COCX-39704, US$19.03, in stock. Lands 5 corpus rows across four different Zelda albums (Gerudo Valley, Ganondorf, Great Fairy, Stone Tower Temple, The Great Sea) on one cheap disc.",
"4. POKEMON RED & GREEN 4CD — Black Screen Records EUR 29 (stock state conflicting, check live) or CDJapan OVCP-6 when restocked. Lands Lavender Town.",
"5. DK JAMZ — used, eBay/Discogs. A Western 1995 release so it is cheap and common; lands two DKC rows.",
"6. THE USED-IMPORT HUNT (lower priority, no rush) — Super Mario 64, Mario Kart 64, Star Fox 64, F-Zero X, Metroid Prime & Fusion, DKC2, Majora's Mask, Mother 2 CD, Super Mario Galaxy Platinum. Use a Yahoo Auctions proxy (Buyee/ZenMarket) for the Japan-only discs. None of these are time-critical and none will ever be reprinted, so buy on price rather than urgency."
],
"totals": {
"albums": 26,
"route_A": 3,
"route_B": 18,
"route_C": 2,
"route_D": 3,
"corpus_rows_covered": 47
}
}