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Even I thought NEXT LEVEL would sell better than GUILTY just based on how much better of an album it was. It wasn't depressing and dark (japanese don't seem to like that) and sounded a lot more modern, plus there was a lot of experimentation with her sound. This is exactly what she needed to do to surge her sales again, but it didn't work. Why? Who knows. Could have been promotion, could have been declining sales, and could have been the fact that the wider japanese public don't really react to a new ayumi release. I just don't feel those reasons are going to change with this album. Existing ayu fans will lap it up but it won't convert new fans to get buying.
Then again, I'm talking without even hearing a single song off the album. So a lot of this is really premature. I really want her to sell well again. But signs right now point to a repeat of last year. A couple of extra TV lives won't make much of a difference. Magazine spreads, might work. I think she has to rely on some good circulation of her new PVs on music TV shows. They sound amazing, and might make all the difference.
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