What's the deal with OSTs bein sold separately now?
Not only do most games lack any kind of extra content, not even manuals in some cases, but now OSTs are some sort of DLC... ...anyone else bothered by this?

No, I fine with it. I've mostly stopped listening to music, too much time needed to savor it. Besides, I like it better in context within a movie or game, never seems to work as well for me outside of it.

im bothered as well i mean there are DLC as well but why put the soundtrack for sale its just music from the game i would want it free just in case i dont want the music to download i dont have to do it

It was good while it lasted. But then, 2013 came around and GOG started selling digital extras for their newer releases.

Its not new, been like that for a while. Not just soundtracks either, there was at least one case of the manual being sold as dlc. This is the new model, either(/and) break up the product into small bits and sell separately, or force online only (obviously with promises or demo to get round drm free) so you have a captive market and plenty of user details to sell on for advertising. This is Improved!

Probably the only thing I find weird about the DLC is when it's free but not added to the game. Sometimes something will get added to a game, and other times it won't be added even though the addition is free.

But if they want to charge something for something extra, then fine, keep the extra separate. Less for me to backup, and I likely didn't miss it beforehand anyway.

Or the Wasteland Avellone Novel, which is still not available.
GOG sure has changed in the last few years...

If the developer/publisher is selling it this way, what would you have gog do?
Only sell the combined item at a higher price?

I find this a bad practice. It was justified when you got an additional CD with the soundtrack, but it doesn't make sense if all you're getting are digital files that are with the rest of the game files anyway. The exception would be if the soundtrack adds some value (for example, if it is an orchestral arrangement or a live concert). This is an important point that seems to be easily forgotten. GOG is often blamed for the developers' decisions, but the alternative would probably be not having the game at the store.

Like babark said, it's up to the dev or publisher and the kind of legal agreement said dev or pub has with the composer of the music - GOG has little control over that.

But the point is, most games on GOG included the OST until 2013 or so. Now, you have to buy it separately for no reason than to milk the cow some more. That's what's bothering me and some other people as well apparently.

In the old days (take it how you will), when someone made a game, they bought the rights to the soundtrack as well. So all the assets of the game belonged to the publisher, and they could sell it however they liked. Once people started being able to sell music through the internet, some music composers made deals that allowed the publisher to pay less for the game music, but the composer retained the rights to said music and could sell the music themselves. So while the publisher could use the music for the game, they couldn't sell the soundtrack themselves.
For the publishers, this means the lower the cost of their games (and by not lowering the game's price, increase their profits as well). For the composers, that means that they (may) get more income, since they can sell their music twice (and repeatedly). For the OST lovers, it also means that they can get the music without buying the game.
The downside is for the collectors who want to buy everything in one package.

Except on GOG, where it's marked as DLC and thus can't be registered to an account that doesn't already have, or simultaneously get, the game.

:-P

As for me, I'm stuck in the good ol' days and enjoy the nice feeling of getting some goodies in the same package as the main attraction, even if it's a digital package.

Limitation of the store, not the concept. And the composer can sell the music on other stores that do not care about games, like bandcamp.
Unless the composer isn't selling their music elsewhere, in which case it is a facepalm worthy thing.

I know, I know. A goofy tongue-out smiley was added later.