It doesn't make sense, Oricon numbers are already low, another ranking would be lower... And there's nothing like that in any other country.

In regards to this Oricon chart issue, does anybody know how long this policy has been in act?
For all we know, they could've done this years ago and we didn't even realize it.
Man, this makes me sad to know that I can't really support Ayu, or any of my favorite j-pop artists anymore D:

so wait, i buy this woman's entire discography and i can't even support her sales in oricon?! WHAT? i'm so ANGRY

AHS kind of does their own sales tracking from the members (the "who bought product, version, how many, and from where" threads!). Granted it's no where near what Oricon does or as sophisticated. It is our own sales chart of sorts. Perhaps if time permitting, we can create our own tracking lists based on purchases and downloads for a certain time span. Kind of like a database. Oh well, it's just day dreaming here for me. Ayu is my number one regardless!

As soon as I find spare cash, I'm buying this album!

Come on avex, give me the covers already! :grumpy

It's just a little over 2 weeks for the release, I can't believe we still don't have the covers!

Here I was, thinking this album would have a better promotion, with the showcase and all, but considering their lack of enthusiasm with the album information I guess not...

It's not lack of enthusiasm, it's called building a hype...

But her promotion and marketing could be tones better still. I really wonder if it's because ayu doesn't want it or if it's her team.

^ I don't think it's building a hype anymore, it's taking so long that's almost making me loose the interest in the covers (I was much more hyped for them about 2 weeks ago then I am now, because now I know that soon the album will be out anyway) , they lost the good timing already. For me it feels like they're releasing everything so late that it feels they just remember on the last second that they still have to release the album information before the release date (like, there's the showcase and TA has the songs already, so they just forgot about the rest)... The feeling I get is that they just don't care, a good promotion would have started already, but they didn't even release the covers yet to start using them for the promotion.

The last few months. CDJapan only recently got word of it.

Also covers should probably be coming veeeerrry soon. I don't think they really have an agenda when it comes to their release but when they're ready, we'll get them.

I kinda agree with you. I'm already losing interest on these covers. And it's impossible that they're not done editing them yet. It might end up being some left over from those free CDs photoshoots anyway (which will let me angry in some type of way)..

I'm surprised people still take the Oricon charts seriously. They're a law on to themselves.

Yeah, I just heard about the Oricon numbers...the fact that Ayu has a higher percentage of foreign fans compared to Tomochin (Tomomi Itano, former AKB48) or even Kisumai (Kis-My-Ft2, Johnny's group; not to mention their high sales numbers)...this album isn't going to even take #2. In fact, this Oricon move has pretty much ruined Ayu's #1 chances in the future, because not the Oricon will consider Japan sales only and not including foreign fans...

But even then I don't care about the Oricon anymore. Again, too much domination by AKB48 and Johnny's groups, which doesn't have a high percentage of international fanbase compared to Ayu...oh well.

Mediatraffic could count those numbers so they wouldn't be left in a limbo state. But I doubt that they even have any contact with CDJapan, YesAsia, etc.

Yes, despite most of the new songs sounding pretty good, they've lost the momentum because the whole album has essentially leaked, and most people are interested in the music, with the covers and Pvs being secondary. So yes the interest will definitely wane.

Her marketing team seems to be made up of amateurs who know nothing about actual marketing.

Do you guys think it's possible for the album to get delayed? Doesn't the cover have to be ready a certain amount of time in advance to ship the copies out on time?

^
The covers are already done and the album may be in the packaging process. They're just didn't upload it online. It's been years since her covers are uploaded online on the very last second. Which has become a bad strategy in my opinion.

You guys I just realized we don't even have any magazine appearances...
This while album is going to be released without any form of real promotion lol.

She doesn't live in Japan anymore, the showcase had only a few dates, no magazine, no radio or TV appearances to promote this album. I really don't think we can expect much of this release. At least we had great songs.

It's just so strange.

You'd think that with any album full of "WORLD WIDE FAMOUS PRODUCERS WHO MADE SONGS FOR LADY GAGA AND BRITNEY SPEARS!!!1!!111!", which they've been relying on for any form of hype, would at least come with promotion.



(Granted, I haven't really been seeing promotion for Itano Tomomi's album either.)

I didn't know that. I figured she would ask her husband to move with her to Japan. Not trying to be nosy but any idea where she moved to in the states?