Which music tracks in the game are diegetic, which ones are not?

[NumberOneSpinelApologist]

When we, the players, are listening to the in game radio, like in crystal, or are playing the pokeflute etc the answer is obvious. But what about other tracks?

Like. For example. The pokemon center theme music. Is it just the soundtrack we are hearing, or is it something that actually plays in world while the characters are waiting for their pokemon to be healed?

What are your takes?

 

[silurica]

Team Star music likely can be heard in-universe too. Cassiopeia said that Giacomo "produced that wild soundtrack of theirs himself".

 

[NumberOneSpinelApologist]

Ah true. I remembered he was a producer, did not remember that remark. That is cool, more respect to Giacomo, I happen to quite like the team star theme haha

Team Star music likely can be heard in-universe too. Cassiopeia said that Giacomo "produced that wild soundtrack of theirs himself".

 

[CrinkTheBunny]

i think probably in shops it's playing in-universe, maybe during gym battles too? but not really when you're just. walking through an empty field.

 

[MeanQueen16]

I happen to quite like the team star theme haha

Same, it's all so good.

Aside from that, I also like the idea of it being in shops and battling venues, and maybe cities? I could totally see the Levincia loudspeakers actually playing that music.
Although, it'd be funny if Trainers had their Rotom Phones play battle music every time the fight a wild Pokémon, which I suppose they could. It'd be like playing music from your phone while working out.

 

[terashards]

hard to talk about diagetic music in pokemon games without mentioning the tracks in gen 5 that you can layer NPC instrument playing/vocals into by talking to them on the overworld! Village Bridge particularly stands out to me.
from bulbapedia:

Grass flute, second acoustic guitar, beatboxing, and enka vocal parts can be added to the background track by speaking to NPCs Derleth (Japanese: タンボ Tambo), Aickman (Japanese: ソン Son), Russo (Japanese: ガッチー Gatchī), and Koontz (Japanese: れいぞう Reizō), respectively. The initial kana of these NPCs' Japanese names make up the sound of the word "たそがれ" tasogare (meaning dusk), which is one of the more clearly heard words in the song. Similarly, the initial letters of these NPCs' English names spell out the word "dark", fitting their title as the Dark musicians of Village Bridge.

though in this case it's questionable whether the whole song is diagetic or if only the layered-in parts are diagetic. these NPCs also stand pretty far away from each other. puts into question what the people around are actually hearing...

 

[silurica]

I just remembered another example: Virbank City Gym!

Unova in general has a few of these where the music changes with player interaction, listed here.

Edit: Ah, ninja'd

 

[terashards]

Edit: Ah, ninja'd

LOL i didn't even notice, i thought you were just adding onto my point! funny timing
i actually learned some new things from the link you posted, like i never even noticed that certain caves will have their music slow/get lower as you descend. imagining this as diegetic is amusing because it would imply that someone has some music very loud on speaker at the start of the cave and it's echoing all the way down to the lower floors of course i do not think that is actually happening but it would be funny if it was