[CHARTS + SALES] GUILTY -- ORICON STYLE

[Raleigh]

Originally Posted by Kashoku

Kuu right now, will get high sales no matter what. I thought Black Cherry was a DISASTER and it still sold over 1 mil, and I'm not really looking forward to Kingdom except for Amai Wana. That biatch hasn't produced anything of good quality since Secret. But Japan is all about the stupid Koi no Tsubomi crap she puts out. I miss SHAKE IT and HOT STUFF and all her sexy songs. UGgh.

Pretty much. Kumi just gets high sales because avex markets her in a way that pleases the crowd. Her albums are always loaded with "extra stuff".

Most of her post-Secret stuff was a hit and miss case. Sometimes the stuff was excellent, others it was mediocre at best. I don't know but lately it seems as the most important thing is to release as many songs as possible in a short timespan and please the crowd. It's a bit sad for me because we all know that Kumi can release so much better.

[Luv ~Venus~]

Originally Posted by ayu_fan929

Her "biggest" competitor would be CHEMISTRY.

That's it....CHEMISTRY.... Oh, yea! Kumiko will get #1 for sure. Four weeks @ #1 is impossible for her again but she'll get the #1 spot.

I have to agree that AVEX really knows how to market her. It was a great idea to have PVs for every song and then a concert DVD that's been her fans have been waiting for.....but after this album, I'm not expecting too much of her afterwards. I'm just saying!

Anyway......

After this album, I have a feeling that Ayumi will release a full-length album at the end of the year. I mean, it's another repeated pattern that AVEX is doing for her....again. We'll prlly have a new single coming this March or something.

[cttncandy]

Originally Posted by Demure_Dusk

Pretty much. Kumi just gets high sales because avex markets her in a way that pleases the crowd. Her albums are always loaded with "extra stuff".

Most of her post-Secret stuff was a hit and miss case. Sometimes the stuff was excellent, others it was mediocre at best. I don't know but lately it seems as the most important thing is to release as many songs as possible in a short timespan and please the crowd. It's a bit sad for me because we all know that Kumi can release so much better.

I've been wanting to tell you for a while but I always forget! Your set is soooo beautiful, Ayu looks so adorable

[bluegie]

Originally Posted by Peger

I kinda hope she winds up at #2, people put way to much emphasis on her sales/streaks/records and not enough on her actual music.

I dun think getting no. 2 this year is a good sign at all. At this moment she can be considered as one of those legend (B'z, Mr. Children, KinKi Kids, etc). Once her streak is broken, her statue in Japan will be damaged as well.

[norain]

She'll become BoA with 193k sales! !!! T_T

[v3lun420]

OH... NOOOO
Ayumi please be number 1

[naxxo.licious™]

"Kochurubusco" is driving me really mad!!! Well, as long as i really want ayu to have the first place, maybe if she gets the second that will make poeple realize she's a human, not a singing machine (my comment is very "alterna-ish" lolz)

[rainday]

as much as i want to say that at this point in Ayu's career sales don't really matter and she has nothing to prove... her streak of #1s has been impressive and i REALLY hope that she can hold on to that streak.

[Jwiz]

Originally Posted by Luv ~Venus~

That's it....CHEMISTRY.... Oh, yea! Kumiko will get #1 for sure. Four weeks @ #1 is impossible for her again but she'll get the #1 spot.

I have to agree that AVEX really knows how to market her. It was a great idea to have PVs for every song and then a concert DVD that's been her fans have been waiting for.....but after this album, I'm not expecting too much of her afterwards. I'm just saying!

Anyway......

After this album, I have a feeling that Ayumi will release a full-length album at the end of the year. I mean, it's another repeated pattern that AVEX is doing for her....again. We'll prlly have a new single coming this March or something.

cool, looking forward to new singles and album

[catur]

yeah, ayu is a human, not the machine. n i love her however

[Ayumiko]

Originally Posted by bluegie

I dun think getting no. 2 this year is a good sign at all. At this moment she can be considered as one of those legend (B'z, Mr. Children, KinKi Kids, etc). Once her streak is broken, her statue in Japan will be damaged as well.

just wondering...all those considered as legends, are all their studio albums #1s?

[Yukitora]

That's so untrue. Max once said that after a few more albums, ayu could be considered the a new Yumming... She's still releasing music these days not even breaking the top 15 and everyone has heaps of respect for her. You can't really compare "legendary" bands and groups to soloists...

[kournikova]

wew....... completely live up my expectation... kobukuro and exile are much much much better album...... >.< and please, leave those prelude or interlude... >.< in anyway I am happy that this is an album, but getting 4 interlude is not a good idea...

[Bad Wolf]

More like 3, but who's counting?

[Luv ~Venus~]

She has that much interludes and preludes? If so, she should have given us more full length tracks. So in other words, we have like 6 new tracks then??? Ayumi!

[kournikova]

I am counting mirror as an interlude, >.< its really a short song for me, and I think it would be nicer if a full song is made for mirror

[kournikova]

Originally Posted by Luv ~Venus~

She has that much interludes and preludes? If so, she should have given us more full length tracks. So in other words, we have like 6 new tracks then??? Ayumi!

basically.... out of 14 songs we already have 5 songs (from the singles)
then, 3 interludes
1 mini song

it should be 5 new full tracks.....

where as, compared to some other artists, lets say angela aki

14 songs

4 songs from singles
no interlude
no mini song

10 new full tracks....

combined with the economic status of people, if you count the economy, people would rather spend on the money for better profit (getting 10 songs) than 5 songs... Im not bullying ayu, I DO LOVE her, I DO LOVE guilty... but I think she needs other idea to compensate this... her full length album is getting more and more interlude... I mean, when you buy a new album, with lots of hope and you hear it its like "OH GEEZ, I bought an album with lots of interlude... what a waste" Thats how I think.. so not overdramatic about her sales... public serves as a judges, and as stated before from ayu in 1LOVE, she does not really care anymore about people saying....

as a proud of fans, you all should stop overdramatic, because ayu, in fact, does not care about the records, no.1, what she thinks is that espressing herself and to the public...

from me, myself, I am happy about this album but I am trying to hypothetic why her sales dropped

[ayu_fan929]

Originally Posted by Ayumiko

just wondering...all those considered as legends, are all their studio albums #1s?

B'z - 16 full studio albums, 3 haven't reached #1. Their last non-#1 was in 1990.
Mr. Children - 12 full studio albums, 3 haven't reached #1. Their last non-#1 was in 2000.

Originally Posted by Yukitora

That's so untrue. Max once said that after a few more albums, ayu could be considered the a new Yumming... She's still releasing music these days not even breaking the top 15 and everyone has heaps of respect for her. You can't really compare "legendary" bands and groups to soloists...

I'm pretty sure her recent albums have at least been top 10.

[bluegie]

B'z and Mr. Children did have a fading era (around 1999 - 2002, when ayu and hikki pretty dominated the chart). Their sales were like 600K - 1.3 million per album and probly 400 - 700K per single (compared to hikki or ayu like around 2 - 4 million per album and 800K - 1.3 million per single). But you see no one would compete against them when they released singles (esp. B'z). I'm sure if Hikki or ayu threw out a single and against B'z for once during those few years, we would not see the no. 1 streaks that B'z has today (like... 33+ no. 1 singles continuously).

I'm not saying ayu's truly a legend at this moment, but the Japan industry is treating her like that. You see no big competitions existed whenever ayu released a new single (well probly except HEAVEN but who would figure out kanji 8 and Gorie would have beaten ayu for in the beginning?). If, let's say, Johnny decided to get kanji against ayu again, I'm pretty sure her next single will not get no. 1. But why aren't they? Cuz ayu haven't broken her no. 1 streak yet. As long as this streak exists, ayu can get an easy week everytime. That means, unless there's a new artists beating ayu all of the sudden, she is safe.

Now let's face the current problem. It's not kuroburo or EXILE against ayu, but ayu against her low sales. If she survives this time, we will see avex trying to place her next album release on a extremely safe week (wth no major acts releasing albums at least 2 weeks prior her release).

You can look at hikki as an example. No big acts would release single against her until the bomb sales of Be My Last. After Passion getting no. 4, she was never placed in a safe week again for her singles. (Keep Tryin' against Hyde; Flavor Of Life vs. winding road from kuroburo + ayaka; Beautiful World vs. EXILE vs. L'arc en Ciel).

[Raleigh]

Originally Posted by cttncandy

I've been wanting to tell you for a while but I always forget! Your set is soooo beautiful, Ayu looks so adorable

Haha thanks for the compliment

Interesting points over there bluegie. I think it does make a lot of sense, especially the streak reputation.