The fact Koda Kumi released a best album at the same day didn't affect sales! I mean, Koda Kumi releasing an awaited album = more people going to CD stores = more people buying releases from other artists. It's not like most Japanese people have to chose between an album and a single...

Yes, I think you're right. I mean, her last album only sold more than 900k in the first week :rolleyes

Good for Ayu.. I like it when she sets records <3

Oh okay... :eyebrow

Whats do you all mean, lady flower? What are you talking about? O__o

i think you don't want to know. :laugh and more importantly, it has nothing to do with this thread really.

seriously though, wouldn't it be better for everyone to just focus on the positive instead of freaking out because they think the sales are too low?

I agree. The sales are actually pretty good considering singles don't really sell more than half a million at the most anymore.

And what does Koda Kumi have to do with it? This is a thread about Ayu's single's first week sales. Plus, that's an album and this is a single. I understand your point of view, but you do not have to put down other artists to prove a point.

I think those sales are pretty good. And it kept #1 for every single day since it's release so far. That's great.

(lemme guess) Why bringing kuu to this thread? 01. She's under avex (rhythmzone is under avex). 02. She's releasing a cd on the same week. 03. Everyone's attention on her album in Japan (the ones into music). Conclusion: ayu's not getting attention... HEY WHO CARES ABOUT THAT??? LET KUU FANS CELEBRATE AND AYU FANS CELEBRATE!!

back to the topic. I actually think her single sale is not that bad. Just look at previous weeks' sales of the singles debuted at No. 1:

2006 年 02 月 06 日 付 - B'z - 202096 copies
2006 年 02 月 13 日 付 - ＥＮＤＬＩＣＨＥＲＩ☆ＥＮＤＬＩＣＨＥＲＩ - 120136 copies
2006 年 02 月 20 日 付 - TOKIO - 79299 copies
2006 年 02 月 27 日 付 - Asian Kung-Fu Generation - 49558 copies
2006 年 03 月 06 日 付 - HYDE - 73669 copies
2006 年 03 月 13 日 付 - EXILE - 65845 copies

Only B'z survived to 200K. General sales are pretty low (even that KinKi Kid guy could not go over 150K, consider their singles sales are always high). EXILE's last single sold over 250K on the first week but their new one got lower than 70K. Every artist is suffering the low figures. I was expecting ayu to get around 100K and she did it with 16K extra. So dun feel the numbers are very low. You just can't compare Startin' to the old ones like TO BE (man, 100K was super low in 1999), forgiveness (130K was not a good number in 2003), etc.

Remember... only hardcore fans buy singles nowadays (that's why those young boy bands sell a lot ON SINGLES). Normal people buy mp3s only. You should look at iTunes chart:

Today's Top Songs - no. 3 - Startin'; no. 6 - Born To Be...
Today's Top Albums - no. 2 - Startin'/Born To Be...

she's still selling.. just some sales are contributed from iTunes (which are not counted in oricon).

:\

Remember people do not have infinite stashes of money and have to make decisions based on value and etc. :]

And most likely, a best album will be chosen over a single :[

More power to Ayu though for being such a strong seller over these 8 years~:]

Tis' true though. Not about boy bands. Only exclusive-y bands or those boy bands that span the ages! [B'z] You know. I'm like freakin' serious xD Old, young.. all sorts of people seem to love and buy B'z. xD The only one who seems to be in the same 'league' as them saleswise in the first weeks, is Ayu~

yes!!I knew she can make it!!!congratulations to ayu!!!

Kinki Kids dont really have that high sales. their singles/albums sell ~300k, so the solo single was pratically like half of the total kinki sales in the end. n i think the reason y EXILE did bad was cos their album is releasing at the end of this month.
dont get me wrong, im NOT trying to 'compare' sales with TO BE/Daybreak/forgiveness. im just trying to find out how the total single sales will turn out in the end (using similar debut numbers) sorry if i led u the wrong way...

this single must reach 300k! i thought daybreak sold 290k?

Not in Japan, really. Japanese people always buy TONS of CDs and DVDs once they are in a HMV or Tsutaya. Not everybody, of course, but that's the usual, I mean, they are compulsive shoppers after all.

wow, koda kumi is selling so good compared to ayu...

It was a good sales week for avex. I think ayu did very well considering the single is not that great.

lets hope that the next week's sales wouldnt be a big drop, although its very unlikely. ayu's releases doesnt really have much staying power. it just seems like the hardcore fans buy the first week, and the rest is the random ppl who thought the song is good or whatever. im not much surprised with koda kumi's success. the album is much anticipated, it seems like a deal for most ppl considering not all bought the singles and such. also, the marketing is great and stuff. people should stop the kumi bashing. its all cuz of jealousy that shes doing better than ayu at this moment. the bashing doesnt do much for ayu either cuz it makes the ayu fans look stupid and ignorant by calling kumi ****ty or what not. kumi is smart actually...she knows that her image sells...so why not milk it for all its worth? also, ayu needs a breakout song. the songs she has been releasing has been mediocre. and her pv's....man wtf is she thinking. dont get me wrong...im still an ayu fan and to be honest i've never even heard any of kumi's songs from her 12 single release...are they that good? all i know is that the covers looks so cool.

^ Koda Kumi's 12 singles were incredible. They were better than any other of her singles~

O_O so low sales O_O :thud
but never mind, she has just set a new record and is in the first position for being the female artist with the most #1 singles, #1 in the number of singles in top ten, and the most sales generated from singles :D
http://www.oricon.co.jp/news/ranking/15343/

Very cool,Yay on number 1.

anyone got (m)u 11th week sales?