[Translation] [2013] ayu loses sales record to AKB48 (Article)

[Trinu]

I was mainly talking about Ayu's career one she got discovered by Matsuura.
If we go into individuals, I can also talk about how Akimoto Sayaka had to spend days without eating cause her father had no job.
I'm talking about their careers, and I think that from the moment A Sonf for XX was released, she's had it pretty easy (except for some bumps in the road, with her health and such).

Originally Posted by visionfactory

Ayu had everything handed over? Excuse me but do you know that AKB manager is millionaire even before producing that group? Do you know he produced another "48 group" back in the 80s? Do you know that AKB manager is the president of an arts university and he uses free manpower of its students to design the 48+ clothes AKB members wear for every single event/covers/PV/etc. ? Who is the lucky one?

I do know all of that, but I wouldn't call AkiP a millionaire. He had success with Onyanko Club, but he didn't with Checkicco (and another one which nobody remembers). And as much as he wanted AKB to work, it was on the verge of disbanding for years.
And sorry, but nobody is forcing anybody to sew AKB outfits, but I'm sure if you were given the chance to make a dress for Ayu, you'd go running to the store, wouldn't you?

Originally Posted by visionfactory

Lol, they are just a bunch of bikini girls making fake smiles in order to please old men to buy zillions copies of their CDs. Did you know they don't even have a word on producing their music? That means that every single lyric that you posted there doesn't portray the girls feelings because it was written by an old men, you're pitiful, seriously..

Some of the girls DO write their own lyrics. Have in mind AKB is supposed to be the stepping stone in their careers, so it's normal that they don't start ahead with that.
But AkiP (the producer and writer) knows these girls and writes what they can't.
There have been many times where a member's said how touchful the lyrics are to them. Acchan had Mikigata, who is about her relation with Takamina. Paruru had Eien Pressure, about her new burden to carry the AKB name... guy knows his ways.

And seriously? Pitiful? You know that the moment you insult a person, your arguments are automatically invalid? Grow up, please.

Originally Posted by visionfactory

Yes! The AKB system is so perfect that they already had their peak 2 years ago selling 8 million copies while Ayu had her peak in 2001 and sold 10 million copies for 2 years in a row!! talk about a perfect system, AKB sales has been going downhill since Acchan's graduation!!

Let me inform you about the current situation

AKB yearly sales
2010: 4,489,539 copies
2011: 7,960,753 copies
2012: 8,085,094 copies
2013: 6,972,118 copies <- NEW GENS ARE SO WELL RECEVIED!!!11
2014: 2,140,937 copies <- AKB WILL BE RELEVANT FOR YEARS11!11!

You don't need to inform me of anything. I know pretty well AKB's situation.

In 2013 they "only" sold 1,112,976 millions less.

Wanna know why?
In 2012 there were just two big concerts: three days Saitama Super Arena (Acchan's graduation announcement) and three days in Tokyo Dome (Acchan' graduation), apart from the usual Request Hour and Kouhaku.

Wanna know how many concerts they had in 2013?
- AKB Fair at Budokan, where every group had its own concert + the whole 48 groups = 6 concerts
- KKS concert at Budokan
- Dome Tour around Japan: 2 days in Hakata, 2 days in Osaka, 2 days in Nagoya, 1 day in Sapporo and 4 days in Tokyo
And the usual Request Hour + Kouhaku.

Even if they sold one million less, they did much more.

And in 2014? They've just released an album and a single.
Today, btw, a new singles goes on sale, and it should sell another million in its first day.

I'd like to quote here something their producer and Yuko said regarding their popularity:

Akimoto: For me, I think AKB48 has an existence like karaoke. In 1990, karaoke was becoming amazingly fashionable, but now it’s something you can go to like it’s normal. I think it’s important for things to become normal like that.

Oshima: It’s true, it’s amazing when something’s existence is imprinted onto peoples' daily lives.

(whole interview: http://www.akblogs.net/article_trans...interview-aera)

So yeah, like it or not. Expect AKB to be around for many years. :*