[Charts & Rankings] 10th Album: NEXT LEVEL - ORICON STYLE

[tourniquet]

^
^
except for a few artists sales are generally low. I don't think you should measure everything by the 5 artists which still sell like hotcakes.

[SunshineSlayer]

Originally Posted by ayumisrael

Though ayu's last year's tour had 250,000 people which the numbers covers Team ayu's members numbers by almost x 3.5.
This tour has more venues (and not by 1 or 2) and it's her longest.
This time it might be around 350,000 or 400,000. I don't think that those are only fans, maybe half of it (if at all).

Japan must be hating ayu according to what you say then..

But you are not taking into account the fact that most Team Ayu members see the concerts multiple times. I've been to a few concerts where Ayu asked the audience if they saw the show the previous night or even nights that were a few weeks prior and at least half the audience would raise their hands it seemed like. And I didn't say everyone in Japan is hating her, but that the majority these days seem to be more or less indifferent. I mean 250,000 people in a concert tour is no where near majority in Japan...

[ayumisrael]

Originally Posted by SunshineSlayer

But you are not taking into account the fact that most Team Ayu members see the concerts multiple times. I've been to a few concerts where Ayu asked the audience if they saw the show the previous night or even nights that were a few weeks prior and at least half the audience would raise their hands it seemed like. And I didn't say everyone in Japan is hating her, but that the majority these days seem to be more or less indifferent.

We can't measure though how much times a person go to her tour and how many do that and if a lot still do that though, so I think that both things aren't too accurate.
I do think that if her number of tour dates grew and it's her longest, at least there was more demand than the usual, which is a good thing.
The number of venues couldn't grow so much just with the demand of the same audience, since you yourself said it, half of the audience raised their hands but not all of it and this is a good number of extra shows.

[Andrenekoi]

Originally Posted by SunshineSlayer

There are definitely exceptions to that. Southern All Stars, B'z, and Mr. Children are not like that at all really.

That's why they still sells million copies everytime, right?

B'z lastest album 2007 = 440.108 (best selling, 1998 = 5,135,922)
Mr. Children lastest album 2008 = 1,207,363 (best selling, 1994 = 3,429,650)
couldn't find SAS sales...

Well... now that I've seen that they are still selling the same (or more than before), I can agree with you =D








No mainstream pop act sells the same they sold at their peak in every album... and even the ones that still sells very good over years, have some flop albums (Mr. Children album of 1999 = 559,310 sales). Ayu's album is doing fine... when she starts to sell only to her hardcore fanbase and lose that sales too, then we have to worry...

[SunshineSlayer]

My main point though, is people shouldn't be so quick to just easily blame the economy when
A) Only a few key female artists are having lackluster sales. Everyone else by and large has sales that are either remaining fairly consistent or even rising. and
B) historically there is plenty of proof that recessions actually effect the entertainment industry less than other industries and in some cases even cause entertainment booms. The only difference now is that more people download stuff.

If say, Mr. Children's single comes out and only sells 50,000 copies or something, then I think its safe to say that the economy is having a super negative effect of Japan's music sales.

Originally Posted by Andrenekoi

That's why they still sells million copies everytime, right?

B'z lastest album 2007 = 440.108 (best selling, 1998 = 5,135,922)
Mr. Children lastest album 2008 = 1,207,363 (best selling, 1994 = 3,429,650)
couldn't find SAS sales...

Well... now that I've seen that they are still selling the same (or more than before), I can agree with you =D

That totally wasn't even my point. Everyone here knows that cd sales across the board are down because more people download these days. As I just mentioned sales in the mid 90s-late 90s (when both of those albums came out) were huge DESPITE a big recession at the time. But no artist these days, no matter how well liked in Japan they are, are going to come close to those sales again. Thats like comparing A BEST to Secret and then calling Secret a failure or something. My point was the general publics perception of those groups. Talk to just about any person in Japan and you will hear a good opinion about them - you certainly won't get an "ewww you like them?" from anyone unless its a person that just absolutely hates anything that is mainstream.

[rakeru]

i just looked at the tags. niiice! but being overdramatic about the sales is kind of fun, in a way. and although we, naturally, wish the sales were better, these are still better than almost any other single artist. Ayu's still the bomb, whether she's selling millions or not.

[Andrenekoi]

Originally Posted by SunshineSlayer

My main point though, is people shouldn't be so quick to just easily blame the economy when
A) Only a few key female artists are having lackluster sales. Everyone else by and large has sales that are either remaining fairly consistent or even rising. and
B) historically there is plenty of proof that recessions actually effect the entertainment industry less than other industries and in some cases even cause entertainment booms. The only difference now is that more people download stuff.



That totally wasn't even my point. Everyone here knows that cd sales across the board are down because more people download these days. As I just mentioned sales in the mid 90s-late 90s (when both of those albums came out) were huge DESPITE a big recession at the time. But no artists these days no matter how well liked in Japan are going to come close to those sales again. Thats like comparing A BEST to Secret and then calling Secret a failure or something. My point was the general publics perception of those groups. Talk to just about any person in Japan and you will hear a good opinion about them - you certainly won't get an "ewww you like them."

Good to know that at least three bands in the world can produce music that is liked by everyone! =D

Ayu is a female solo singer, what gives her some problems with major public, it's very hard to compare them to bands... people over there (and not only over there) like their female solo pop acts to be young and new... something really hard when you are a 30 years old singer with a ten (almost eleven) years carreer. I have read a lot of people saying that in japan is somewhat common to hear "eeew! she's a grandma" when you say you like ayu, and even so, she remains selling better than most artists...

It's a fact that her popularity is far from what it used to be, and it's a fact that it will not going to be what it used to anymore... her peak ceased... But it's a fact also that she stills sells very good, and that everyone sales droped because people are downloading music, or because people don't have money right now... And even so, she will sell more than 100k in the first week....

Ayu never had the best selling albums, or the best selling singles (only one of her singles topped the yearly single chart, and if A Best wasn't released at the same day that Distance was, maybe it would not sell that good), so, I don't understand why people expect her to have the best selling albums now... when her peak has ceased, when her is old to japanese standarts and when no one is selling that good... Even so, she is managing to sell almost as good as Koda, and her peak was only 2, 3 years ago... there are aways CMs with her newer songs... this year concert will be the one with the most dates

So... you can say I'm biased (I'm not saying you said that), but I still think that our grandman is doing very good^^

[Andrenekoi]

SunshineSlayer... when we will have a topic where we do not discuss anything on the oposite sides? xD

I know it may see like I don't like you or something, but I really like your points, I just don't agree with them... xD

[lfe.]

If anything, its the covers that don't really spell "I'm worth a purchase"

[SunshineSlayer]

Originally Posted by Andrenekoi

Good to know that at least three bands in the world can produce music that is liked by everyone! =D

Ayu is a female solo singer, what gives her some problems with major public, it's very hard to compare them to bands... people over there (and not only over there) like their female solo pop acts to be young and new... something really hard when you are a 30 years old singer with a ten (almost eleven) years carreer. I have read a lot of people saying that in japan is somewhat common to hear "eeew! she's a grandma" when you say you like ayu, and even so, she remains selling better than most artists...

Oh yeah, you are totally right about that. I'm not gonna argue there. I was actually on the train to A-Nation 07 and talking with some girls there who were obviously going to the same place. They asked who my favorite artist was at A-Nation and I said Ayumi. They replied basically with the equivlent of: "Really? Isn't she like almost 30 now or something?!" And I was just dumbfounded that even young Japanese girls care whether Ayu is 30 or not. I mean shouldn't they be caring about "girl power" and all that? Apparently not.

But yeah, really all I wanted to say was that if it is all totally economically based, we should see the male groups sales going down the tubes too and thats not really happening.

Another anomaly is Dreams Come True: Their sales for the album are super steady and in the long run will probably end up outselling Next Level. Though their main person is a female singer that is older than Ayu is and they have been in the business all the way since the late 80s if I remember right. I'm wondering it the lower female sales right now have more to do with people in Japan maybe not liking the style that these artists are taking and want more traditional sounds like Dreams Come True, Remioromen, Mr. Children etc etc.

Originally Posted by Andrenekoi

SunshineSlayer... when we will have a topic where we do not discuss anything on the oposite sides? xD

I know it may see like I don't like you or something, but I really like your points, I just don't agree with them... xD

lol. We will have to pop a bottle of champagne or something when we agree.

[Andrenekoi]

Originally Posted by SunshineSlayer

lol. We will have to pop a bottle of champagne or something when we agree.

Well... at least it's nice to have someone intelligent to desagree with xD

[My Rainbow]

the main reason is that japanese music taste is getting worse day by day

[SunshineSlayer]

Originally Posted by Andrenekoi

Well... at least it's nice to have someone intelligent to desagree with xD

ahh Thank you. Too kind.

Originally Posted by My Rainbow

the main reason is that japanese music taste is getting worse day by day

... I think that's true for the west too though.

[~Inori~]

^I agree. I'm a fan of Tohoshinki but The Secret Code is a hot mess.

[tourniquet]

Originally Posted by SunshineSlayer

Another anomaly is Dreams Come True: Their sales for the album are super steady and in the long run will probably end up outselling Next Level. Though their main person is a female singer that is older than Ayu is and they have been in the business all the way since the late 80s if I remember right. I'm wondering it the lower female sales right now have more to do with people in Japan maybe not liking the style that these artists are taking and want more traditional sounds like Dreams Come True, Remioromen, Mr. Children etc etc.

her album is aimed at a younger audience though we know that ayu's fans are spread through all age groups and she also has a lot of 40+ fans. they once showed a diagramm of how her fans are spread between generations on TV.

I just think she's going all the wrong way. she tries so hard to be cute and fluffy and young... and kinda makes it wrong.

[Andrenekoi]

Originally Posted by SunshineSlayer

Another anomaly is Dreams Come True: Their sales for the album are super steady and in the long run will probably end up outselling Next Level. Though their main person is a female singer that is older than Ayu is and they have been in the business all the way since the late 80s if I remember right. I'm wondering it the lower female sales right now have more to do with people in Japan maybe not liking the style that these artists are taking and want more traditional sounds like Dreams Come True, Remioromen, Mr. Children etc etc.

Or maybe they appeal to an older audience, that keeps suporting the same artists and doesn't go much with what's in and out...

Younger artists tend to have younger followers that will move on to other stuff when coming to a certain age...

[a_kingdom21]

every i'm chattin with japanese guys they used to answer..
''i wasnt into j-pop/jrock''
they prefer not to care bout it..
but they still know who is ayu..
tough they dunt care of her''..

ma teacher who comes from osaka..
said..
''owch..i ever saw her once..
n she's so pretty..
ma daughter is her fans''..LoL..

Bout people r overdramating or not..
it's realy their right..
we're different creature..
n havin different character n habit..
wheter they r ashamed or overdramatic or not,
it's really their own right..
cz we're different..
if we have d same character..
this thread gonna b dull..
it's their own expresion..
we're born incompletly..

[ayu_fan929]

Originally Posted by Andrenekoi

No mainstream pop act sells the same they sold at their peak in every album... and even the ones that still sells very good over years, have some flop albums (Mr. Children album of 1999 = 559,310 sales).

To be fair, 1/42 was a live limited edition album.

[Tony G]

RE the financial crisis - yes it's hard to tell how much it's affecting anybody's sales at the moment. I doubt it's going to affect fans going to buy their favourite artists' releases. But what it will affect are those people who maybe aren't fans and bought CDs when they had spare money or when they could afford it and maybe can't now. It's safe to say those people are affected and that is being reflected in everyone's sales. To say that artists like Arashi are selling so well and therefore the financial crisis is doing nothing is not accurate - they might just have more diehard fans who will buy their stuff in any economic situation. Or there could be other reasons, it's pretty much all speculation.

But then again, this is just one of the small factors affecting the way people are spending their money.

[Kaiouforever]

Why is everyone so obsessed with "blaming" something or finding a "reason" for these sales? Just enjoy the damn album, and be happy that Ayu is getting another number one lol.