Originally Posted by maikaru
Well, in this times, I think the current selling rate is standard for very popular artist at this time.
Namie's 60's, 70s, 80s, only sold 114,000 in the first week this year.
Utada's Heart Station did not sell all that well... I cannot remember the figure, but I remember she did not get number 1. I mean the single, not album, and Prisoner of Love only sold 81,000 physical copies, but is one of the most downloaded songs.
Even KAT-TUN could only sell 250,000 physical copies of white xmas, maybe 100,000 less than usually.
Kobukuro Toki no ashiato only sold 214,000, only 20,000 more than Mirrorcle World, and they are much more popular than Ayumi Hamasaki.
It's the different world that we are living in right now.. people cannot afford those expensive singles one after another I think.. so they can only choose one person's single.
So it's really error to compare popularity with sales, because if you look at these sales and standing, she is still VERY popular. Mirrorcle World is number 33, after all the Mr. Children, EXILE, GReeeeN, Aoyama Thelma, and Johnny's groups, and she is third best selling female artist in singles & album this year~ if you think about it, she sold around 1,300,000 albums this year, if you combine GUILTY and A Complete, so I dont think you have to worry. She is not number one, but she is still one of the best.
And about the pop thing.. I believe Utada is much more pop and r&b, which is much more popular than pop & rock. Utada was based upon r&b sounds before, and still now, and that's what makes her more access to others. But yeah, I would say, it is much much more pop than Hamasaki. A lot of people say they dont like Mirrorcle World or Talkin' 2 Myself because it is rock, and harsh~ so.. yeah, I think for sure utada is more pop and mainstream with her r&b root.
Utada doesnt go in shows often, she doesnt have fanclub, and she releases albums sometimes 2 years in a time, and goes without releasing single for 1 year but she can still sell more than Hamasaki, because of her personality, and her music.
I think maybe if GREEN wasnt in this release, but another kind of ballad, that was more relatable, then it would sell much more. Even we like GREEN, it is not a popular type of song right now.
In these years, even after divorce, Utada still has her "sorrow." Like, she always seems sad. I think it is a bit attractive to Japanese~ While, Hamasaki has become an entirely new person from who she was before...
But if you noticed, the male performers in japan have much easier time.. people could forgive a lot of things from the males that they cannot forgive in the females. ahaha.
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