[Uknow!]

Handshake tickets FOR THE WIN. And buying 1000 copies per fan jk.

If you see soundscan charts you will see that they don't sell a lot but the principal problem of japanese industry now is not AKB (who have her sales with "tricks" and big fanbase) it's that people have lost the interest in buying music. Idols can be the trend now but Japan need to take her industry in another direction to increase physical sales again.

Maybe when the trend change then the industry change will arrive. People need again the good J-pop, the music who was always creating good pieces and being original, innovating. They need a boom of new artists. New groups and soloist who can make good music and take risks.

Japan need to increase Music Shows too, at the same time they expose music with more originality and give opportunities to new artists.

Edit: For me digital sales are not the way because it is irrelevant. For example, Ayu took 2nd position with A BEST (and 3rd last year) but it didn't get certified. That's a proof of low sales in digital industry.