Low A BALLADS sales -- Why?
 

I'm sure this has been asked, discussed, and/or even explained before, but I missed it. :P

Why was A BALLADS such a drag in sales?

The songs did not offer anything incredibly new, though some were redone, and the addition of RAINBOW helped a bit. That's my guess.

Other than the pretty covers and Rainbow, it wasn't anything great :shrug I think it was more of a "collector's item"

it's the best selling remix-album EVER! :P it's a remix-album... although it's titled a best-album, it is not.. besides; it's certified a million-seller. what's bad about that? :p

I liked it better than A BEST! Cuz you could hear diferent instrumentation, and she sang again A song for xx - she has better voice there :D

These are my points :)

1) There were only 2 years from the last best album
2) Mostly of the songs were taken from RAINBOW
3) Ayumi used to release remix albums at that time

IMO, it really should have gotten a million..

If only more people purchased it in its second week.
Probably because most consumers were sort of "eeh" at purchasing something like that [with two "girls" being touchy..] at the time..

It had 570k+ first week sales, so I place the blame on funky buying habits..

Probably because there wasn't that much new material in the album, and also the songs were remixes.

I bought it only because I love RAINBOW

Seems like it's because it was just a remix album as mentioned. Plus, only one new songs, RAINBOW, it's pretty much a RAINBOW+ album. Sorta like the 2nd disc to LovEppears. Except an album.

Every album except Secret has been certified as a million by RIAA.

^ (miss)understood didn't reach 1 million :S it solds about 850,000

I doubt the covers had anything to do with it :\

I mostly have to coexist with people's comments of A BALLADS cover in my room. If people don't say that Ayu is disgustin for being lesbian, they says that she is hot. :thud

It was so over lookable.

Well, there had to have been some interest for it to have sold 570k first week.. :|

norain said that it was certified 1 million (meaning that it doesn't necessarily have to sell 1 million)

^ I don't understand :( do you mean copies in stores?

I think A BALLADS sales were great considering:

- it was supposed to be a single with RAINBOW and probably some remixes.

- Considering how much her remix albums sold at the time

- Contained UNedited tracks from her most recent albums O.o

A BALLADS is basically a single release at an increased price = more profit.

Yes, Oricon may not consider the album a million seller, but there were 1 million (miss)understood albums shipped. Compared to Secret which didn't. While Secret may eventually become a RIAJ (I mean RIAJ not RIAA) million seller, right now it doesn't seem likely.

Secret is Ayumi's first album to not be a million anything.

Wow, I didn't expect so many replies! Thanks everyone!!

:laugh Sorry, that just made me laugh.

H-okay. This is what I found on Endlessoul's thread:

So even though sales didn't techinally reach one million, it still counted?

:confused