Mora (music store)
Encyclopedia
is an online music and video store for the Japanese market. It is integrated into the Japanese version of Sony's SonicStage
software. Music is distributed primarily in Sony's ATRAC3 format with OpenMG
DRM, though some music is also now offered in Microsoft's Windows Media
format and videos are offered exclusively in WMV.
Mora is operated by Label Gate Co., Ltd., a joint venture of 17 Japanese record companies including Sony Music Entertainment Japan
, Avex Group, and Universal Music Japan.
Purchasing an entire album typically results in a lower cost per song. For example, Hikaru Utada's album ULTRA BLUE
is available for ￥2000. Purchasing the songs individually costs ￥2600.
DRM. Most songs can be burned to CD or transferred to a compatible portable device a set number of times, though many labels have recently begun to restrict the ability of users to burn popular tracks to disc. For example, the single A Perfect Sky
by Bonnie Pink
can be transferred to up to three portable devices and burned to CD up to ten times.
Prior to early 2006, Mora used only IP address
filtering to prohibit users not based in Japan from purchasing music through the site. This could be bypassed by using a proxy server
with an allowed IP.
Since early 2006, Mora has implemented an additional layer of filtering, which rejects credit card
s not issued by a Japanese bank regardless of the user's IP address. The IP filtering also remains in place. To date, no way has been found to purchase music from Mora using a credit card issued outside Japan.
Methods of purchasing music via Mora without a Japanese-issued credit card exist, but are far from ideal. These typically involve having someone in Japan purchase a prepaid WebMoney
or Mora music card and then using this card as payment in lieu of a credit card.
codec and Windows Media DRM
encryption, and integrated into the Japanese version of Microsoft's Windows Media Player
11 as "recommended store".
SonicStage
SonicStage is the name for Sony software that is used for managing portable devices when they are plugged into a computer running Microsoft Windows. It comprises a music player and library manager, similar to iTunes, Windows Media Player and RealPlayer. It is used to manage the library of ATRAC...
software. Music is distributed primarily in Sony's ATRAC3 format with OpenMG
OpenMG
OpenMG is a SDMI-compliant digital rights management system by Sony. It is designed for audio files in ATRAC3 format. The compliant software, eg. Sony SonicStage, is usually capable of transcoding MP3 and wav files to OpenMG/ATRAC3...
DRM, though some music is also now offered in Microsoft's Windows Media
Windows Media
Windows Media is a multimedia framework for media creation and distribution for Microsoft Windows. It consists of a software development kit with several application programming interfaces and a number of prebuilt technologies, and is the replacement of NetShow technologies.The Windows Media SDK...
format and videos are offered exclusively in WMV.
Mora is operated by Label Gate Co., Ltd., a joint venture of 17 Japanese record companies including Sony Music Entertainment Japan
Sony Music Entertainment Japan
is Sony's music arm in Japan. SMEJ is directly owned by Sony Corporation and independent from the United States-based Sony Music Entertainment due to its strength in the Japanese music industry....
, Avex Group, and Universal Music Japan.
Pricing
Pricing for individual songs sold on Mora ranges from between ￥150 and ￥210, depending on a variety of factors, including popularity of the track and its age. Most videos are priced around ￥400.Purchasing an entire album typically results in a lower cost per song. For example, Hikaru Utada's album ULTRA BLUE
Ultra Blue
Ultra Blue is the award-winning fourth Japanese studio album by Hikaru Utada, released in 2006. It debuted at #1 on the Oricon daily, weekly and monthly charts and sold 500,317 copies in its first six days of sales...
is available for ￥2000. Purchasing the songs individually costs ￥2600.
DRM
Music purchased from Mora and encoded in Sony's ATRAC3 format uses OpenMGOpenMG
OpenMG is a SDMI-compliant digital rights management system by Sony. It is designed for audio files in ATRAC3 format. The compliant software, eg. Sony SonicStage, is usually capable of transcoding MP3 and wav files to OpenMG/ATRAC3...
DRM. Most songs can be burned to CD or transferred to a compatible portable device a set number of times, though many labels have recently begun to restrict the ability of users to burn popular tracks to disc. For example, the single A Perfect Sky
A Perfect Sky
"A Perfect Sky" is Bonnie Pink's twenty-fifth single and first from the album Thinking Out Loud. The single was released under the Warner Music Japan label on June 28, 2006.-Oricon Sales Chart:...
by Bonnie Pink
Bonnie Pink
, known by her stage name , is a Japanese singer-songwriter and musician. She lived in New York during 1998 and speaks English . She writes and composes all her songs, and plays guitar and piano...
can be transferred to up to three portable devices and burned to CD up to ten times.
Availability Outside Japan
Users outside Japan can access the Mora website and software and listen to song previews, but are generally unable to purchase music.Prior to early 2006, Mora used only IP address
IP address
An Internet Protocol address is a numerical label assigned to each device participating in a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication. An IP address serves two principal functions: host or network interface identification and location addressing...
filtering to prohibit users not based in Japan from purchasing music through the site. This could be bypassed by using a proxy server
Proxy server
In computer networks, a proxy server is a server that acts as an intermediary for requests from clients seeking resources from other servers. A client connects to the proxy server, requesting some service, such as a file, connection, web page, or other resource available from a different server...
with an allowed IP.
Since early 2006, Mora has implemented an additional layer of filtering, which rejects credit card
Credit card
A credit card is a small plastic card issued to users as a system of payment. It allows its holder to buy goods and services based on the holder's promise to pay for these goods and services...
s not issued by a Japanese bank regardless of the user's IP address. The IP filtering also remains in place. To date, no way has been found to purchase music from Mora using a credit card issued outside Japan.
Methods of purchasing music via Mora without a Japanese-issued credit card exist, but are far from ideal. These typically involve having someone in Japan purchase a prepaid WebMoney
WebMoney
WebMoney is an electronic money and online payment system . WM Transfer Ltd, the owner and administrator of WebMoney Transfer Online Payment System, was founded in 1998 and is a legal corporate entity of Belize, Central America. Originally targeted mainly at Russian clients, it is now used worldwide...
or Mora music card and then using this card as payment in lieu of a credit card.
mora win
is another music store operated by same company. It is using Windows Media AudioWindows Media Audio
Windows Media Audio is an audio data compression technology developed by Microsoft. The name can be used to refer to its audio file format or its audio codecs. It is a proprietary technology that forms part of the Windows Media framework. WMA consists of four distinct codecs...
codec and Windows Media DRM
Windows Media DRM
Windows Media DRM is a Digital Rights Management service for the Windows Media platform. It is designed to provide delivery of audio and/or video content over an IP network to a PC or other playback device in such a way that the distributor can control how that content is used.WMDRM includes the...
encryption, and integrated into the Japanese version of Microsoft's Windows Media Player
Windows Media Player
Windows Media Player is a media player and media library application developed by Microsoft that is used for playing audio, video and viewing images on personal computers running the Microsoft Windows operating system, as well as on Pocket PC and Windows Mobile-based devices...
11 as "recommended store".