Nintendo has announced Pokémon DP Sound Library, a web-based service that allows users to listen to and download the music and sound effects of the original Pokémon Diamond and Pearl.
Listeners can play individual tracks as much as they want, including iconic songs like Champion Cynthia and the Lake theme. Users can also choose from a variety of developer-made playlists based on mood as well as musical collaborations, only one of which has been revealed so far.
Announcing the Pokémon DP Sound Library! 🎶
All the music you love from the original Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl games is now available to listen to AND download for use in personal video and music creation.
🎧 Tune in: https://t.co/jtypxqVG5o pic.twitter.com/5r3rTtmcjn
— Pokémon (@Pokemon) February 2, 2022
The site’s terms and conditions allow fans to use the music for non-commercial purposes, including personal events, musical performances, and background music in videos. The official guidelines appear to allow YouTube content creators to monetize videos that use the games’ audio, but the terminology is unclear.
The web client itself isn’t great: Though it allows users to make their own “Party track,” a mini playlist of up to six songs, there’s no way to repeat or loop songs without manually selecting them over and over. It’s a real issue considering that each of the music tracks only contains one full loop.
It might not be a coincidence that Nintendo revealed the sound library on the heels of the 1,300 copyright claims it sent to GilvaSunner, a YouTuber who posts Nintendo soundtracks. GilvaSunner says that the soundtracks are difficult to find anywhere else, making it impossible to enjoy many of them unless players actually play the games they’re from. Nintendo has historically held its IPs in an iron grip, issuing frequent takedown notices to creators who use Nintendo music in their videos or upload tracks as video playlists on YouTube or other video sites, but 1,300 claims at one time is a new low for the company.
