What Does Obi Stand For??

I know what it is but do the letters have some sort of meaning??

 

I think Obi is the Japanese word for sash


Murph

 

Yep, belt or sash.

 

But in the context of records, it means that paper band that wraps around a record sleeve, and has a lot of Japansese printing on it.

 

Obi.

Oh, come on. Someone else would have done it if I hadn't.

 

It is the ribbon that you use to tie together a kimono at the waist, or the strip on Japanese CD's or LP's.

 

Its also a three letter word that is WAY over-used in crossword puzzles !

 

Otherwise Bored Individual

 

I bought some back from Japan. They make great runners for a table or wall decorations. I also bought some of the strips on Japanese CD's or LP's

 

The question I've always pondered is, do Japanese buyers keep the OBIs and view them as premium items? We sure make a fuss of them here.

 

Obi strips also come on other Asian-issued CDs/LPs. I would think a collector will never discard anything away. Below is a scan of the slipcase for the Hong Kong Universal issued "Carpenters - Yesterday Once More" that also come with a obi strip

 

As someone who has been in Japan and shopped the used CD/LP shops, I can tell you that some keep them, some don't. About 30% of the used product still has the obi, on a good day. Since obis are on every CD I saw new, I doubt that they are considered rare to the Japanese. Anyone else? Rontoyko?

 

I always tossed the obis in the trash, along with the shrink wrap and any advertsing stickers (contains the hit single '---------')(2 records for the price of one!)(collectors' edition colored vinyl)(contains free poster) or CD longboxes. they're not actually part of the artwork, just something the record company adds as a promotional device.

can't help but wonder if, in the future, collectors will obsess over the sticky tab on the top of jewel boxes with the title on 'em. mayhap I should be saving those, too.