Why do you think Guilty only got only number 2 on Oricon?
 

I don't think there is any thread like that, I have nothing found by search.
But if there are some dicussions about it, excuse me^^

So I was just thaught of something and then I remembered, that Ayu's latest album Guilty only got the position 2 at Oricon. So
Why do you think Guilty didn't sell very well and why did Guilty not peak at number 1?

I think it was a bad time to release it when EXILE released something ago and maybe there were too many singles released from this album?
What do you think?

EDIT: I have seen that I made a mistake in the thread's title xD But I don't know how to edit it^^

If I remember rightly, it did enter it's first week at #1.

And too many singles?
There were only two. =S

^ Well GUILTY's release date (that or the fact that it was purchasable before 01.01.08, can't remember) made its charting on Oricon consist of 2 combined weeks, due to Christmas/New Year.

Technically, in these 2 weeks, GUILTY got #1 in the first one, and dropped in the second week as it lost to Korukuriboh or however you spell their name. Thus, the combined sales, landed GUILTY on #2.

However, that doesn't really matter actually. GUILTY is still an awesome album! Song quality > sales/chart positions, IMO.

Maybe because it was bloody awful

you have one of the two answers you are looking for in your own question :|

It's not that it didn't sell very well per se, it's that it didn't sell well enough in it's second week to get #1 >.>

Lol very easy. Because of a certain pop/folk duo known as "Kobukuro". If I remember correctly their album "5296" was released two weeks before (Dec 19?) but managed to outsell GUILTY by 20K something copies. These guys have recently gotten very crazy sales and their releases have some good runs on the charts, especially album. I can only imagine how much their next album will net...no doubt another #1. I think #2 is still pretty good for Ayu considering the competition she's against. It's pretty obvious she's no longer at her peak, but that doesn't mean it's the beginning of the end for her. In the end I think can only think of a few artists/groups that can put her out of #1. Kobukuro would probably be one in this day and age.

it's Kobukuro , Jun Xiang :P

Kobukuro in recent times has become very strong sellers . Their popularity shoot to the roof after the release of their breakthough single Koko ni Shika Sakanai Hana & also the beautiful Sakura and not to mention their 1st best compliation album ALL SINGLES BEST

Things just went though the roof after they put out the amazing Tsubomi which won the Grand Prix 2 years ago & it helps that Tsubomi was made available in the 5296 album which helped sales of the album to attain million status in due time .

having said that it's unfortunate that GUILTY was pitted against 5296 in that particular week as I guess nobody , not even avex expected the dymanic folk rock duo to have done something unattainable like this

^ Okay Kobukuro. Lol hard name to remember!

In any case, if ever again, that an Ayu release is on the same week/fighting against a boy band... I would never expect a #1 or anything. Boy bands literally RULE the J-Pop charts.

Kuriboh? ...that's a YuGiOh! card LOL.

Right on KarenPang! I actually listen to them. They are so awesome ^^. But yeah very well said. 5296 moved a monstrous amount of copies; apparently so much that, despite the fact that it was released a couple weeks before, was still able to outsell something which just debuted. Would avex really push the date of an album back just so it doesn't get knocked out of #1? A pretty petty reason...I don't think even Ayu would go that far just to get her #1's. Or is it more from a profit standpoint? Also, were there any new releases along with Ayu's GUILTY on New Year's Day or that week? Is it uncommon for artists to release on the first week of the year? I don't know much about these things. I guess if there were, we can look at it another way: Ayu held her own against any other new albums but just didn't get quite enough sales to outsell Kobukuro.

Also, I don't think it could have been foreseen at all considering the circumstances. Kobukuro only started seeing a lot of spotlight around 2005 with that breakthrough single you mentioned. The one before had very good success too in terms of the sales I think; nothing compared to Tsubomi though =). In other words, at that time they were seen as "big" but not as "established big" like B'z or Mr.Children (two other groups I can think of with the selling power and reputation to topple Ayu). It is only now I think they can fully be considered as "established big". There was already a two week gap between the two releases...three weeks was probably unthinkable to them; that they'd need that much of a gap. I don't even know if three weeks would have given her enough leeway for the #1 as I didn't follow the sales of these two closely at the time.

In the end, I think the ranking of an single/album does not reflect how good it is. We should not worry too much about Ayu not getting her #1's. I'm sure sometime in the very near future, it'll happen at least once or twice or even more. Many groups are slowly starting to catch up to her I think, whether it is due to her diminished selling power (I think it's safe to say she definitely is not selling like she used to and it's only natural) or other factors like another group's fame. It's only a matter of what day the releases fall on. If it falls on the same day/week as Misuchiru or B'z or a Johnny's group or a brand new act that saw overnight stardom and is all the rave, then it's quite possible it will fail to take the top spot. With the former, this is what makes the industry so unpredictable. Some things are easier to predict than others given the circumstances.

T_T , it's not difficult to remember how to spell Kobukuro . I guess it's only if you don't listen to their music

:roflmao

@ jimex289 - Kobukuro debuted/formed way back in '98 , they didn't start to see mainstream success until they put out Koko ni Shika Sakanai Hana . Things just hit though the roof after ALL SINGLES BEST + Tsubomi came into the pic , their popularity just exploded big time & their 2 time duet with label mate ayaka on the fantastic WINDING ROAD & most recently Anata to have helped each artiste's popularity too .

I guess it's because of the type of music & lyrical contents of their stuff which were really well received by the Japanese audience especially since nowadays the JPop market's quite saturated with JE boybands & what not's & for Kobukuro's case , their brand of folk rock music is kinda like a breath of fresh air .

*nods* like what you said before , it's not the end of the world if Ayumi's 'invisible' / non-visible #1 streak been broken , be it albums or singles wise .

I support many other Jpop artistes & not all of them are as lucky as her , some of them are very under-rated & didn't even lodge a single #1 in their discography , be it singles/albums/dvds which's sad .

For ayumi to be able to still standing strong after 11 years , it's commendable . Not everyone is able to do that & enjoy the longevity power that she has

Oh before I forget , I should add that when GUILTY was released last year , everyone should be glad that she wasn't up against a JE band at all as your fate's pretty much known when that happens , be it on the singles/albums/dvd charts .

I know cos I support JE bands so yup & for Kobukuro to be able to kick her butt , it's like woah

"Your fate is pretty much known." LOLOL.

:rofl it's true although there're some exceptions like V6 and Tackey & Tsubasa .

Even though both bands are under Johnny & Associates , their music works are produced by avex trax so they're not that 'dangerous' .

Others are pretty much so , I mean I have seen GReeeeN going up against 2 Johnny's bands NEWS & KAT-TUN last year & they're going up against the mother of all KinKi Kids on 28th as both bands will be releasing Ayumi & Yakusoku respectively although it will be interesting to see whether can GReeeeN be able to break KK's 27 #1 consecutive hits since their debut single Glass no Shounen

GReeeN's record label Universal's daring man :laugh

LOL I was about to mention Kinki Kids. You are right in saying they are the "mother of all" ROFL. I'm going to say...hands down Kinki Kids ^^. Would you like to wager a bet with me KarenPang? Hahahaha. The thing is, if it comes down to it, I'd be totally fine with Ayu going up against Arashi or KAT-TUN, but Kinki Kids...forget about it LOL. It'd be all over for her =(!

:roflmao

sorry but if ayumi were to go up against ARASHI or KAT-TUN , she will lose out big time .

Like recently for KAT-TUN's upcoming new single ONE DROP , both the 1st press CD only & CD + DVD are totally outta print on CDJapan :thud .

That's nothing as compared to ARASHI . When the preorder email links for One Love were sent out about 1 1/2 mths prior to the actual release date , the CD + DVD was sold out within a mere 2 hours on CDJapan so I don't think avex will be that stupid for her to go up against both these 2 giant bands & their seniors too

Haha I'd think Kinki Kids is bigger than both KAT-TUN and ARASHI no? That way at least she'd have a chance with the latter two...I don't think there'd be a chance if she went up against Kinki to tell you the truth. Simply because they are the "mother of all" as you nicely phrased it lmao. I guess it very much sucks for a label to have to work around releases from these and other groups just so sales don't get stunted big time. I wonder if chart position is even a big worry for the label. I think that'd be more for the artist and the "prestige" you can say that comes with it. All the label cares about to me apparently is the sales, because an album could still be #2 and have good sales. All depends on the chart topper I guess.

well KK has been around since '97 & they're still going on strong . Practically all of their singles & albums all debuted at the top .

They are even in the Guinness Book Of Records too :O

The music industry's quite fake to a certain extent . Some labels probably only care about sales & don't place so much emphasis on the chart positions & vice versa .

I guess when GUILTY wasn't able to debut at #1 , people were lamenting that it's the end of the world that sorta thing which I frankly find it silly

They shouldn't see it in that manner , it's not like a gun is being pointed & the trigger is about to be pulled should GUILTY wasn't able to debut at #1

at the end of the day , I place a much bigger emphasis on the quality of the material a single/album has to offer , rather than the chart position . No point giving me something where it's top on the charts but it's not in my music books

^Very well said.

As other have said, Kobukuro was riding a wave of popularity. btw, they are not a "boy band" though.

I think what is most disappointing though about Guilty's sales was not that it lost to Kobukuro - but that it lost to Kobukuro's album when that album wasn't even in its first week of release.

Actually with Arashi's sales these days, it would be all over for both Ayu and Kinki.... Arashi is definitely the King of JE right now and deservedly so actually because usually Johnny's groups experience their biggest popularity in their first year or two of release but for Arashi it took 10 years to get to that point.

many reasons!

-bcose ayu aint as popular as bfore (secret didn't sell that much anyway too, lucky that it got 1st place)
-bcose the album didnt look that promising (the covers were boring for an album, just like any random fashion magazine)
-it didn't have enough songs I think
-maybe the name of the album scared people (who knows lol)
-other singers released in the same date
-the news of her hearing problems
-etc etc etc


but well, lets b positive! :D her next album must b better ^^

ARASHI's sales weren't so fantastic when they 1st debuted in '99 . It was only until last year that they really hit the big time as before Happiness , it was quite difficult for them to sell that well , let alone for singles .

& of course 2008 was such a great year for the guys , with all 4 singles crossing the 300K mark with ease in which truth / Kaze no Mukou e & One Love rounded up to be Japan's 1st & 2nd best selling single overall

Step and Go was the 1st single onwards to sell more than 300K onwards in the 1st week & this year will be their 10th anniversary :D

nah I don't think news of her hearing problems contribute to that , it doesn't make sense to me

The only things that affected the sales were that CD sales were already declining. The cover ain't gonna make someone not buy an album...if it does...then LOL at you.

Anyway, she decided to compete with other famous singers who have stronger sales, so basically Ayu's traditional New Years album ruined her album streak.

and that two week crap with Oricon and stuff

LOL yeah that doesn't make sense to me too . You look like HEAVEN , both covers are bah but yet it still was able to crossed 300K overall

yeah unfortunately that time when GUILTY was put out , it didn't worked in ayumi's favor unlike when I am ... & (m)u were released during the 2 week no show period

Right, that's pretty much exactly what I meant. :) Their debut was in 1999, yet they are much more popular now than they were then and that is rare for a Johnny's group.

I think the cover can make a difference. Fans are going to buy regardless of the cover, but casual fans can be swayed to buy with a good cover and turned off from buying with a bad one.

:yes

I think their luck changed after they made the switch from Pony Canon to JStorm in 2002 but even back then , they weren't so big til the members started to act in dramas/movies & hosting their own variety shows which slowly but surely built up their popularity .

They just hit the jackpot last year which's great

yeah it's a bit unfortunate in the way that casual fans think .

For me I always place emphasis on the music quality of the singles/albums/dvds , pics & etc are secondary but of course if they're great , it's a bonus

lol who knoes
japanese are very weird xDD but i think u r right anyway


why are u answering everyones comments? LOL xDD

The overall Asian sales were stellar though.

And its a kickass album, my first (along with m(U) )great mix of rock and strings.

Kinda like what KarenPang said, the hearing problems wouldn't make sales decline. It might have boosted her sales if anything. As unfortunate as they may be, these kind of incidents are actually big media exposure, which is why some artists have sold more albums post mortem. I can't remember but I think some people on this forum questioned if her hearing problem was real and if its just a big media stunt?

I can agree on the other reasons though. I was pretty unimpressed with the album covers, too many interludes, too many songs that were already singles, and her declining popularity.

.. because glitter/fated and talkin' 2 myself was a FLOP

:rolleyes Watch the light and shadow documentary that shows clips from 2001 and then think its just a media stunt. It proves that the reason her voice has worsened is because its difficult for her to find her pitch, because she is singing A Song for XX (in 2001) during rehersal, and her ear is bothering her, making her go off pitch and her voice sounds EXACTLY like it does now.

Light & shadow documentary? I'm interested. Where can I find this?

EDIT: Nvm it's also known as the 2004 interview. Thanks anyway.

Did I ever say I was one of the ones that thought it was? Roll your eyes elsewhere

^Ahh someones mad haha kidding but honestly Sorry for the misunderstanding. haha It really wasn't directed towards you individuality though, but it just wasn't clear if you thought it was or not. Either way it still is something that deserves eye rolling whoever its coming from.

Yup, that's the one.

Ah i see. Sorry, it sounded like it was directed at me but I understand what you're trying to say. I won't kill you.... yet.... j/k :laugh

It's just an iffy topic I guess...sad really =(... Speaking in general and not directing this at anyone in specific, whoever says it is a media stunt and goes with w/e other people say without bothering to look into it are idiotic. It's a good thing fans like us know the real truth.

Right, but casual fans don't know that stuff. I heard comments from many Japanese friends and online that were questioning whether her hearing loss was real or not. Many said they thought it was just an excuse.

Haha I'll keep my eyes peeled. ;) :D
It truly is sad, i mean very sad. Quite a coincedance that earlier today someone bumped an old TA message she posted, around the last day of the japan leg of the Asia tour 2008 when she talks about CDL 07-08. Its a very touching lenghthy message about her good friend who passed, and how even though it troubles her greatly to sing with her ear problem she still goes on. that message and the 2001 footage not just prove this is no stunt, but shows just how much it troubles Ayu. it really makes me sad for her. I mean, yes her voice has changed over the years, but when people say her deafness is fake or doesn't effect her voice, its just heartbreaking.

:yes

even a normal person wouldn't lie about such a matter . I mean it's no joke losing your hearing at all . I know because I'm partially deaf (I take after my dad & his dad as his side of the family has a history of hearing problems :( ) & I can understand where ayumi's coming from .

& casual & anti fans of her to say that she lies , they just don't know the real facts/truth behind on what she said at all

Well.. I think GUILTY was a good album but the style seemed a bit too similar to MY STORY. It seemed mostly rock/ballads which only attracts a certain percentage of her fans. Casual fans wouldn't bother buying it.. especially since this album was quite dark compared to Secret or Rainbow. I still get a bit sad after listening to GUILTY because I remember her break up, her hearing loss and the death of her friend.

Also avex put her against some strong competition. Kobukuro are quite popular. But as SunshineSlayer, it was pretty disappointing that GUILTY didn't beat their album when it wasn't in the 1st week...

I think the album was just a turn off in total :S It turned me off for A LONG time lol and I still didnt buy the album ><! and I never will!

The singles on the album didn't do too well (especially T2M which was like one of her lowest chartings singles in awhile o_o!) and not to mention there weren't that many singles


And she compete with kubokuro!

oh well its ok tho I love her new single <3 ~! And I'm expecting her new album to be good :D ~! This whole horrible incident can be behind us now lol!

erm correction , that should be t2m getting the lowest 1st week sales of her career for a while , not lowest charting singles

if you say lowest charting singles , that means t2m didn't hit the #1 spot :dead2

I agree with some of you :yes
Kobukuro are pretty popular so their sales are strong, Ayu for gained #1 position should be has a wonderfulastic (wat) album.

But GUILTY is really awful, so.. it deserves the #2 position >_>

If GUILTY didn't deserve #1 so I can't find other albums that were released this year (by females) that did :P but that's my preference!

It didn't get #1 for the only reason that kobokuro's album's sales were still strong on their 3rd and 4th week, GUILTY's first week was strong and brought her #1 but since those 2 weeks were combined as an oricon yearly tradition kobukuro's album went up to sell better. That's why GUILTY got #2. It would get #1 if the 2 weeks weren't combined.
It's not like it didn't peak at #1 at all but officially as oricon do it for the 2 combined weeks it got #2.

^ yup techincally GUILTY did get #1 but due to Oricon , that took place otherwise

Whatever it is, GUILTY is one of my favorite albums from her... it's full of raw emotions! I don't care if its peak was #2 or #222...it's still Ayu and she's awesome!