Pokemon may have gotten its start on the humble GameBoy, but its soundtracks have always been appreciated by fans. From the cheerful bicycle tune to excitement-fueling battle themes, multitudes of Pokemon games contain soundtracks that fans enjoy.
Listening to these tunes outside of the games themselves isn't always easy, depending upon the availability of official soundtrack releases on digital music platforms or physical media. However, at least one pair of beloved Pokemon games, Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, is getting a special free online soundtrack release.
Announced by the official Pokemon Twitter, the soundtrack for Pokemon Diamond and Pearl is now available for streaming and download on its official site, the Pokemon DP Sound Library. Players can enjoy the Pokemon music in a variety of ways, with the ability to assemble playlists or choose from existing ones for streaming purposes, or just choose tracks that they want to download. According to the site, personal usage of the music is allowed, but rules regarding how it can be used in shared projects like videos and audio are a bit more strict.
The arrival of this music has interesting timing. Nintendo recently turned heads for hitting a single channel with thousands of YouTube copyright strikes for uploading songs from Nintendo games' soundtracks. The channel is calling it quits, and the music that was struck down is no longer available through their page. While The Pokemon Company and Nintendo aren't one and the same, Nintendo likely has oversight and at least partial control over creations made under its umbrella being shared online.
With a custom website and carefully crafted rules, it's clear that the Pokemon Diamond and Pearl soundtrack site has been in the works for a while. It's possible that Nintendo may have been cracking down on music in part to help put focus on this site, rather than unofficial uploads on YouTube. Notably, the original soundtrack has also been uploaded to the official Pokemon YouTube channel, as well.
Fans seem to be quite excited about the shared music, as the site initially crashed following its announcement. Several have mentioned hoping that this same treatment will be given to other Pokemon games. Diamond and Pearl were likely chosen not only for their overall popularity, but because they were recently remade for the Nintendo Switch. It remains to be seen if other classics, or even new releases like Pokemon Legends Arceus see their soundtracks shared freely by The Pokemon Company in the future.
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are available on Nintendo Switch.
