[Namie Amuro] The 96th Thread ♛ Queen's Farewell 〜Compilation, Tour & Retirement〜

[oaristos]

Originally Posted by melissalove

I’m sorry what?? Hero, mint and fighter did ok. How did people not buy her stuff, I don’t get it. I could get it if this were kumi or ayu but namie Nah.

Exactly, they did "ok" and that's all. I think what people here are trying to say is that there needs to be an extraordinary event for an album to sell 600,000+ in two days, which is true. Namie is a very popular artist and her compilation would have sold pretty well regardless (see Ballada, for example), but it wouldn't have sold that much if it wasn't for her retirement.

Please, don't understand that as a way of diminishing Namie's achievement. She deserves all the success and sales in the world, but what we're trying to say is that it's sad these extraordinary sales only happen under extraordinary circumstances. Namie deserves to sell one million copies always.

[Xianghua]

Originally Posted by snowo

oh I did some textless versions of the phone wallpapers! it was so easy that they were almost asking for it

Spoiler:

Thank you I wanted to do that as well but I was far too lazy, haha

[Not Fade Away]

I had to drag my ass up from the grave to post on here after 3 years.

Anyway I see both sides of this recent argument, but I also want to add - as a friendly reminder - that the current discussion is accounting for physical units only. Namie is still selling like crazy digitally so for all we know she’s shifted over 2 million in digital downloads by now. It’s just impossible to tell because Oricon/Japanese markets don’t really report on that.

I mean from what I remember (off the top of my head so I could be wrong) - didn’t Utada’s flavor of life single sell somewhat okay physically but it hit like 7.8 million in digital sales? It’s just that a lot of people don’t want to wait for a physical CD to ship. I am one of those people. I purchased Fantome from ITunes.

[Chibi-Chan]

Originally Posted by thinkingoutloud89

that joke is as old as the title...
It does not relate to the Finally lyrics...so no

If this one was old, I'm sorry, but why don't just ignore it? I don't think I have to go through an entire thread to search for a simple joke so that people won't have to see the same joke twice. I just downloaded the album, had to laugh because of the title like I had to since I first saw it and made an old joke in a forum I used to laugh by myself and I didn't knew was old in said forum.

[hud]

Originally Posted by Xianghua

Thank you I wanted to do that as well but I was far too lazy, haha

no problem!

[Cahz-]

Originally Posted by Not Fade Away

Namie is still selling like crazy digitally so for all we know she’s shifted over 2 million in digital downloads by now.

Are you refering to Finally? I thought it wasn't available on digital plataforms?

[Miduhyo]

I wonder what products what they use in her hair to make it look so good even though it's so freaking long. O.O I'd buy it. I'd buy all of it.

Btw - I love the picture for 2010 flashback for docomo. That was my favorite styling of hers.

[SunshineSlayer]

Originally Posted by ExodusUK

It's crazy how her sales took a -100k nosedive after Love Story. I think she did too much gay/drag queen music and it turned off the general public.

What? Her popularity never took a nosedive. Love Story also sold waaaaay more than 100k. It sold over a million digitally. Hero was also a huge, huge mainstream hit.

[ahtka-chan]

I still don't understand the argument. I don't know how it is sad that albums don't sell 1 million units anymore. It's just how it is.

In the past, there wasn't illegal downloading, streaming platforms, digital music... Maybe they don't sell 500k in physical CDs anymore, but I'm sure her music reach a lot more people now than ten years ago. It's not sad.

[KarenPang]

Originally Posted by Corvina

Yeah, SMAP is another example.
They also had to retire to achieve such numbers.
It's just so sad for the Japanese market.

Nope SMAP didn't retire , they disband . All 5 members are still active in the entertainment business , just that 3 of them left J&A after their contracts expired and form their own unit

[~kashifaita~]

Daaaang they did such an awesome job with those docomo promo pics! I seriously thought that 1st picture really was of Namie back in 1992. The makeup and style are so on point! They really take me back.

[KarenPang]

Yesterday's ZIP! TV footages on namie amuro × SHIBUYA109 × TOWER RECORDS POP UP STORE

https://twitter.com/clubamrer0738/st...94686675001344

[freedreamer]

Originally Posted by ~kashifaita~

Daaaang they did such an awesome job with those docomo promo pics! I seriously thought that 1st picture really was of Namie back in 1992. The makeup and style are so on point! They really take me back.

o gosh...i thought it was a series she did since then HHAHAH

[Corvina]

Originally Posted by KarenPang

Nope SMAP didn't retire , they disband . All 5 members are still active in the entertainment business , just that 3 of them left J&A after their contracts expired and form their own unit

Guess I should have used quotation marks.
SMAP "retired" as a boyband, they disbanded.

@Not Fade away
Utada's Flavour of Life sold much digitally - ten years ago
A song rarely goes million digitally nowadays and just a bunch double platinum.
And the highest album is around 150k digitally (Mr.Children's Best).
That's all the official info from WITHIN the Japanese market. Of course there is also sales overseas, that isn't counted. But I somehow think, if the numbers were that high overseas, the market surely would want to count them.

[Ayu_desu]

I have nothing but praise for her final album. I'm loving the first disc so much! I've tried to listen to her 90's in the past, but couldn't get into it because of her unstable and pitchy voice. Upon listening to her live renditions in the 2012 Dome Tour and Okinawa concert, I was thoroughly surprised at how good the songs were with her current voice: therefore, I am SO glad she resang her classics. The album didn't just give me 6 new songs, it gave me a whole disc of revamped classics to obsess about!

On another note, I got teary and sentimental when CYC started playing. Ballada's version was good, but I found Hakase's violin part too distracting. Finally's version is just, precious.

Ugh, Finally the song is just beautiful. I love listening to her soft, tender voice in the beginning transitioning to her usual strong vocals and then suitably ending "finally I can stop dreaming" in the same soft voice. It's just so genuine and rare from her. :'(

Lastly, I'm going to miss Namie's music and also her beauty. I admit that I'm drawn to her youthful photogenic face, good taste in fashion, and sexy dance moves. I know that some of you find her Finally PV is boring and lazy, but I think it's so beautifully minimalistic and I don't think I will ever get bored of admiring Namie's face (be it the dead look or not ).

[freedreamer]

When is she announcing her tour dates omg...COME ON NAMIE!!!

[!Lawi!]

Sorry if there's already been an announcement that I missed, but are we expecting another new album by the end of her career?

I'm not a hardcore fan but I overplayed P<F, FEEL and _genic, and I'd love a few new songs by her before it's over!

[KarenPang]

Finally

1st day sales - 459,094
2nd day sales - 222,295
3rd day sales - 126,753

Total 3 day sales - 808,142

http://tieba.baidu.com/p/5424661965?pn=9

[thinkingoutloud89]

^^we don't know...but we expect none
^great, i expected a bit less

Is someone good at making albums with a flow? i want all the singles/b-sides/new tracks since TSUKI in one album. i know its a hard take since there are 22 songs, but I came up with:

01. Showtime
02. MINT
03. Neonlight Lipstick
04. Ballerina
05. In two
06. Black make Up
07. Fighter
08. Hero
09. Just You and I
10. BRIGHTER DAY
11. Red Carpet
12. chit Chat
13. Strike a Pose
14. SWEET KISSES
15. Show me What you've got
16. Do it for Love
17. How do you feel now?
18. Dear diary
19. Still lovin you
20. Hope
21. TSUKI
22. Finally

Though I feel like Mint would be a better opener.

[JackieRos]

Namie most often did better in sales than any other artists even way before her retirement announcement. Are people really mad that she almost achieved 1 million sales in a few days? As fans I think we should be happy that she’s doing well.

People always like to diminish artists achievements, it’s always something with you people.