Anime soundtracks are big business in Japan, and are often times met with similar demand as chart topping pop albums. It is for this reason that anime music is often composed and performed by A list musicians, stars, and composers. Anime series with opening credits use the opening theme song as a quick introduction to the show. The most frequent use of music in Anime is background music or BGM. BGM is used to set the tone of a given scene, for example Neon Genesis Evangelion's Decisive Battle is played when the characters are making battle preparations and it features heavy drum beats and a militaristic style which highlights the tension of the scene and hints at the action to follow.

The theme song, also referred to as the Opening song or abbreviated as OP, usually matches the overall tone of the show, and serves to get the viewer excited about the upcoming program. Insert songs and ending songs, abbreviated ED, often make commentary about the plot or the program as a whole, and are often times used to highlight a particularly important scene. Opening and ending themes, as well as insert songs, are frequently performed by popular musicians or Japanese idols, so in this way, songs become a very important component of an anime program. In addition to the themes, the seiyu, Japanese term for voice actors, for a specific anime also frequently releases CD for their character, called Image Albums. Despite the word image in the CD's name, it only contains music and/or voice messages where the seiyu talks with the audience or about herself, making the listener think that the character him/herself is singing. Another type of Anime CD release are Drama CDs, featuring songs and tracks which makes use of the seiyu to tell a story, often not included in the main anime.

Mostly, these days, the works are distributed as recordings, which allow the production to be enjoyed at a time and place of the listeners choosing. The Internet is creating new channels of distribution, and there is also a resurgence of broadcast audio theatre. Starting on the telephone and the wax cylinder, but achieving its biggest audience over radio broadcast, anime music returns to popularity on its original media: recordings, and telephone wires. Having come full circle, anime music is here to stay.