[Charts & Rankings] AKB48 surpass Ayu as best selling female Japanese artist

[voltron]

It's hard for me to give them too much credit because they just don't appeal to me. But that said, they have had some level of impact.

I think image-wise, they have deviated a bit from what was more typical in the past, like with MoMusu. Sub-groups and solo projects certainly existed and were a major component of MoMusu, but the regional aspect of AKB and its associated groups is something unique -- I think they've even had overseas units, right? Their huge number of girls is comical, but also changed things -- I remember when MoMusu having 13 girls at their peak was outrageous! I also think the idea of having daily theater performances (in addition to the other gimmick-y events like handshakes) has mad them accessible in a way that major stars were not in the past.

So, all that to say, I don't necessarily think their music will stand the test of time or be remembered, or specific members of the group even will be -- but they have had some kind of impact as a whole.

[Diego-kun]

Originally Posted by oaristos

I have to disagree, I don't think they've had any real impact in the Japanese music industry apart from their huge sales.

Originally Posted by voltron

It's hard for me to give them too much credit because they just don't appeal to me. But that said, they have had some level of impact.

Exactly, they are #18 in Recochoku's top selling artist which imo is a good indicator of general public's taste. They have ranked in annual karaoke top charts, being Heavy Rotation the #1 song in 2011. I have also seen plenty of references to them in dramas and anime in the past few years. It's true their relevance in the J-music industry is fading away really fast but during their peak (2011-2013) they definitely had real impact.