You were.../BALLAD information thread [II]

[ayumisrael]

^Probably around 3 or 2 weeks before the actual release. T_T

[truehappiness]

I think most people join the fan club so that they can get tickets at a more reasonable price since a lot of the time, good seats are given to fan club members via lottery.

Last time, after "The covers aren't here but covers is in the thread title!!-gate" the covers showed up sometime around the fourth thread. But this time it might be the third. With the single coming out in mid-December, I wonder if the information release will be similar to Days/GREEN? Then again, before we even got an announcement of the single, we had thirty seconds of GREEN.

We got a peek at the Days/GREEN cover in the PCDL goods a week before the end of November, and we actually got the covers a few days after on November 26th.

[love in music]

Originally Posted by ストロボ・EdGE

Maybe by thread III we'll have covers! How long does it usually take for covers to surface? The only single I followed as announcements/discoveries were made and poster here was G/D and R/S.

i think.. usually about 3-4 weeks before the single is out?

[aura~]

Originally Posted by amorphose

If it's not because they would have too many extra people to cater to that they don't create an international fan club, it may be because there wouldn't be enough extra people to make it worthwhile. Or they are just lazy, or mean, or haven't thought of it yet. XDD

they are just too lazy to think about it... XDDD

no well... I wasn't talking about an international fan club, I'm saying that for Japan I think it isn't too much to give limited blankets because they get a lot of money every year...

for an internation fan club it's different of course... I think they would have to at least translate it into english and chinese, but english mainly... If it's only that it's not difficult to have 2 persons translating everything... the problem came with international shippings... XD I can't imagine them shipping blankets to Barcelona, London, PAris, NY, LA... it would be really expensive and awesome at the same time...

well... they would do that if international members would pay 80€ instead of 40€ maybe XDDD

[Lady_Eowyn]

Originally Posted by truehappiness

TeamAyu gets these extras because they pay extra to be in her fan club... In a way, they support her more than non-FC members since they're whipping out a minimum of 40-60 bucks a year to stay in the club.

I might look like a snob, but i don't think that's a lot of money i thought they were paying that amount every month!!!

I would totally join if there was an int version of TA

[love in music]

^ yeah same. i used to think it was like $100 a month.. but that amount for a year is really not that bad at all, especially since ayu updates practically every day

[Crystal_Ageha]

That's a great price, actually! I've heard of a lot of fanclubs that make you pay a decent amount every month, which is why I never bothered with them. But especially for somebody as well-known as Ayumi, that's pretty good.

[truehappiness]

Originally Posted by identity

^ yeah same. i used to think it was like $100 a month.. but that amount for a year is really not that bad at all, especially since ayu updates practically every day

The diary updates every day seem to be a recent thing, since before it seemed like she only updated every so often. I wonder why she started blogging so much? Maybe to get closer to fans or something.

[SunshineSlayer]

Originally Posted by Rody!

according to the Japanese wikipedia, That singer had his last #1-single in 1987. After that he had many more singles, but none reached #1.. So.. I think Ayu is safe

Even if in the 90s his singles didn't reach number 1, at that time to have any single in the top 10 meant that it sold very, very well. (unlike today) But I agree, it's doubtful he will be a threat at this point.

[Crystal_Ageha]

Yeah, reaching the top ten, or even number one, on the ORICON charts these days really means nothing. :\ It's so easy to get around not reaching the top ten these days.

[mecury2511]

I hope the cover will be like this .... <3 <3

[RadnasticReggie]

Just so you know, they're definitely giving posters for first pressing at YA, and they're 3 shipment units, don't know if that helps?

[njanjayrp]

Originally Posted by Lady_Eowyn

I might look like a snob, but i don't think that's a lot of money i thought they were paying that amount every month!!!

I would totally join if there was an int version of TA

Yeah it doesn't seem to be expensive at all, considering all the bonuses they get and all and I would so totally join as well. I am still not sure why aren't they making an English version of TA and letting us join >.<

[PinkShinigami]

Can somebody tell me what exactly a "jacket card" is? And if there is posters as first press at YA, will there only be one, or different ones? (Sorry, I haven't followed this thread)

[Maemi]

I want an international TA

EDIT: I hope the new covers will look like No way to say, or similar I also hoped for new fairyland covers, and we got nothing like that

[Mai82Go]

Even if they didn't translate the TA stuff, I would join. Isn't TA just restricted to people with a japanese address? I think that's the unfairness here. It should be open to everyone around the globe. You cannot except them to translate it to english or whatever language but to make the membership open to international fans is, imho, not that hard.

[tokyoxjapanxfan]

Originally Posted by PinkShinigami

Can somebody tell me what exactly a "jacket card" is? And if there is posters as first press at YA, will there only be one, or different ones? (Sorry, I haven't followed this thread)

it's like a card stock type material with an alternate cover image that you can put above the original cover's picture, replacing the cover.

and i assume there's only one poster type

[PinkShinigami]

Originally Posted by tokyoxjapanxfan

it's like a card stock type material with an alternate cover image that you can put above the original cover's picture, replacing the cover.

and i assume there's only one poster type

Nice! Need to get all 3 versions now.. XD

[JackieRos]

Originally Posted by Maemi

I hope the new covers will look like No way to say

finally someone whos with me

i want it to be simple and wintery

[Bigtop]

I really have confidence that she could reach #1, and here's why:

Earlier, we have talked about concerns that Matchy will be releasing the single close to Ayu's release. Here are some quotes: (open spoiler for more)

Spoiler:

Originally Posted by Max_ZZZ

honestly isn't there some guy who is releasing three days early
like... this really old johny guy LOL

honestly if there was anyone i'd be worried about him

Originally Posted by Crystal_Ageha

I have no clue what you're talking about, but that definitely sounds threatening, lol. XD

Originally Posted by KarenPang

LOLLL

I have no idea on what Max_ZZZ's talking about too -_-'''

Originally Posted by SunshineSlayer

That person is right - Masahiko Kondo is releasing a single on 12/13 to commemorate his 30th anniversary. He is one of the most famous Johnny's ever in Japan. I'm not sure when the last time he released a single was though. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masahiko_Kondo

If he becomes a promotin' machine, it has the possibility to make things interesting maybe. Big maybe.

Originally Posted by KarenPang

WHAT she's up against Matchy ?!?! @_@ @_@ @_@

oh dear not good & yeah he's considered a legend in the Johnny's talent agency

sheesh T_T

But I might have the confidence because of their past performance, the fact that I think the past fans of Matchy are kind of quite old that they might just have to get busy with their lives, and maybe their off-date: (also open spoiler for more)

Spoiler:

Originally Posted by SunshineSlayer

^ I think it all depends on how much he actually promotes it. The last single I think I remember him releasing was sometime around 2005 - he did lots of tv promotion and I think it sold fairly well. But then I just read that last year he released a single that sold next to nothing though. However, that may have been some kind of special limited release or something because I don't remember hearing anything about it and I follow both Oricon and Johnny's.

Originally Posted by KarenPang

I know that he formed a temporary unit with Johnny Junior band QUESTION ? 4 years ago & they released a single for the NARUTO - Shippuden anime called Mezamero! Yasei & the band was called MATCHY with QUESTION ?

& that's true , it all depends on how much promo's being given to Matchy since man he's a legend in the talent agency so there

-MOTTO- will only be released in 1 edition while You were ... / BALLAD will get 3 editions

lol basically from this week all to the way to end of Nov , it's bad bad bad to release singles that's al I'm saying

Originally Posted by Max_ZZZ

LOL see I'm not crazy

ya my friend was telling me about him... but he said not to worry? his last single was in the early 2000's and didn't sell over 100K i think?

BUT HONESTLY
after Mirrorcle World i NEEEEVER believe the "no need to worry line"
i smell an oncoming battle LOL

Originally Posted by Rody!

according to the Japanese wikipedia, That singer had his last #1-single in 1987. After that he had many more singles, but none reached #1.. So.. I think Ayu is safe

Originally Posted by KarenPang

^ thanks for that

the only Johnny's bands that I don't listen to are mainly the seniors like SMAP , TOKIO & the occasional MATCHY

since from that piece of info that MATCHY with QUESTION ? doesn't seem to be a strong single seller , I can't imagine for his solo singles's sales & let alone chart positions o_O

What my analysis is that Ayu is releasing at a regular date on a Wednesday, while Matchy is off on a Sunday. But usually, when you take a look at Oricon sales charts, generally the week goes between Monday and Sunday, while the sales usually start out on the day prior to the actual "official" release date.

By my estimate, Matchy could be starting from the Saturday sales ranking, while Ayu's usually starting it sales ranking from Tuesday. And generally, the most number of sales for any specified single day is at the day before the "official" release date; I think that means that Matchy could be competing more on the previous week than Ayu's, while Ayu would be competing more on the week after the week Matchy is kind of competing.

And generally, after the first day, the day sales numbers usually decline, so I think that Ayu might get a shot at this. But no matter what, I think she's on the line. Anything could really happen, as many young people today usually focus on today's scene, such as Ayu, Ayaka, Arashi and other "young" Japanese pop artists. He's 45, and Ayu's 31 - his peak was sometime in the mid-to-late 1980s, and he's no longer at his peak - he was a race car driver! So we REALLY think that Ayu's ready for it...