[Charts & Rankings] Days/GREEN ORICON SALES THREAD

[jimex289]

^ exactly. Not everyone follows her as closely, unless you happen to be a loyal and devoted fan of hers...like us. Taking into account that she released something for the year, you can always count on her to appear on the big end-of-the-year music shows to ring in the New Year. She did make occasional TV appearances after the release of MW and there were a string of TV appearances (and still counting) before and after Days.

Compared with the earlier years of her career, she definitely has slowed down a little I think. She was in and out of the country quite a lot this year too so I think it's to be expected.

[roanmy]

120000 is still a very good first week sales number... And who knows,maybe this one will have a longer staying power. Even if it doesn't, it is still good.

[PEARL]

Oh well..
120k is still good i guess..
i was hoping for 150k or at least a 130k.

Christmas/new year is coming and i guess everyones on a tight budget?

[jbrat2219]

My friend in Japan tells me things are relatively cheap now... I believe it, since the dollar is down to 90 yen... and it was lower than that not too long ago...

[SunshineSlayer]

Originally Posted by jbrat2219

My friend in Japan tells me things are relatively cheap now... I believe it, since the dollar is down to 90 yen... and it was lower than that not too long ago...

Yeah, I mean this single really had everything setting it up to sell extremely well, so it's very disappointing that it didn't. 100k+ is an achievement for many artists, but for Ayu who is supposed to be the top tier female artist of Japan, it's very low imo and it definitely deserved to sell more.

I may be jumping the gun here, but this may well be the last year that we see Ayu in the closing position of some of these end of the year shows unless things turn around.(And honestly speaking, this year the closing spots should have probably gone to Arashi.)

[Tony G]

Originally Posted by SunshineSlayer

Yeah, I mean this single really had everything setting it up to sell extremely well, so it's very disappointing that it didn't. 100k+ is an achievement for many artists, but for Ayu who is supposed to be the top tier female artist of Japan, it's very low imo and it definitely deserved to sell more.

I may be jumping the gun here, but this may well be the last year that we see Ayu in the closing position of some of these end of the year shows unless things turn around.(And honestly speaking, this year the closing spots should have probably gone to Arashi.)

I think you are jumping the gun.

Sales = Popularity?

I think that link is not as strong as you think.

And what about her sales outside of Japan, which everyone seems to sweep under the rug?

Digital sales?

I think Ayu is going to be prominent in those TV shows right until when she deicdes to call it quits. She's still huge around the world, and that has a lot of pull.

And the quality of her releases has not gone down, in fact, this year's 3 songs make up one of her best years in terms of song quality. What exactly can she do? Really the only thing that she can do is totally change her sound, but she's pretty much covered all areas of pop.

[SunshineSlayer]

Originally Posted by Tony G

I think you are jumping the gun.

Sales = Popularity?

I think that link is not as strong as you think.

And what about her sales outside of Japan, which everyone seems to sweep under the rug?

Digital sales?

I think Ayu is going to be prominent in those TV shows right until when she deicdes to call it quits. She's still huge around the world, and that has a lot of pull.

And the quality of her releases has not gone down, in fact, this year's 3 songs make up one of her best years in terms of song quality. What exactly can she do? Really the only thing that she can do is totally change her sound, but she's pretty much covered all areas of pop.

Sales are an indicator of popularity, but not the only thing of course. The fact is though, with the general public, she is not all that popular anymore - so she is starting to lose on both accounts. (the reasons for this has been discussed at length here and in other threads so I'm not going to go through it again)

And no, she is not a huge digital seller. And I'm also not sure where you are getting the information that she is "huge around the world." Well known in a few asian countries, but certainly not the world - neither of which has anything to do with her status inside of Japan anyways...

And of course she can still take part in the end of year shows until she becomes completely obsolete, but what is at issue here is the closing spot and whether or not she should continue to get it or whether she should have even been getting it this year.

Originally Posted by Megshere

I know this is just as offtopic and not really important, but I just want to point out that Koichi from KK didn't know what PASMO was on his own either. An earlier guest on the show answered PASMO to one of the questions and then Koichi was like "What's a PASMO?" The guest told him all about it then. I don't remember what episode this was exactly, but I do remember it because it was cute/funny. That's why he was so into talking about it. He had just recently learned all about it and could look smart.

Really, thats interesting. I wonder if that is from around the time that they originally came out with them then?

[bernardation]

time to re-invent yourself, ayu

[jasjasss]

maybe its a sign that people doesnt like her dancers in the music video !!! eg, SHuya
she should go back to white ppl again

ayu n shuya reminds me of britney n kevin
n look wat happened ! HAHA

[SunshineSlayer]

Originally Posted by jasjasss

maybe its a sign that people doesnt like her dancers in the music video !!! eg, SHuya
she should go back to white ppl again

ayu n shuya reminds me of britney n kevin
n look wat happened ! HAHA

I think that is possibly part of it, before her career was much more focused just on her and her lyrics and the music. She had the band with enrique and Yoshio but maybe now everything is just a bit "much." You know? I also think that with each year she has been kind of distancing herself from the general public and taking on a more divaish kind of persona and that just doesn't really fly in Japan like it does here - humility is much more prized. I just watched her Domoto Kyoudai from last year (Together When) when she said that a) she didn't know what Passmo was and B) that the entire floor of her apartment is covered in a pillow type material (meaning you sink down when you walk on it, like a cushion). Now, I'm sure many people here don't know what Passmo is either, but in Tokyo it's an absolutely basic life essential as you need it to use the subway, buses, and other forms of public transportation - the fact that she didn't even know what it was, I'm sure makes her seem so "far away" so to speak. It's just some little things like that that I think exemplify maybe what part of the problem is regarding this steadily progressing popularity slump.

[tokyoxjapanxfan]

^ ew she said that about pasmo? i thought everyone in japan knew what that was...that or suica

but i completely agree with you. i've had so many people tell me (after i tell them that I like ayu) that she has a "bad personality" or "she's too full of herself"--the latter being in different words, but that's the general meaning.

she's definitely lost her grasp on the everyday people of japan, which is what she used to have going for her xD

HOWEVER, that being said, she is still one of the most respected female artists in japan, and that's definitely reflected in the japanese society.
----
oh and on a side note, i think ayu's musical style is something that is a bit old...she doesn't really evolve with the times lately.

danceable music and hip hop is really popular in japan right now (putting aside the always popular ballads). ayu does not do this type of music and thus there's a large portion of people she does not appeal to anymore, as opposed to when pop music in the 90's and early 2000's appealed to the mass majority (morning musume is a prime example...their fandom has practically kicked the bucket).

female "rock music" is also not really popular...and generally speaking, female artists arent very popular (sales wise).
yes, there are a lot of them, but when compared to the male artists (whether it's groups or solo acts they just don't generally compete well). Except for of course namie, hikki, ayu and kuu. or so i've observed.

even the packaging of ayu's cd's is kind of irrelevant. she still puts "original mix" after her track titles...not that this would affect her sales, it's just sort of strange how she continues to do it, haha.

but anyway...these are just general observations/opinions i've made since i've been in japan...agree or disagree with them haha

[SunshineSlayer]

Originally Posted by tokyoxjapanxfan

^ ew she said that about pasmo? i thought everyone in japan knew what that was...that or suica

but i completely agree with you. i've had so many people tell me (after i tell them that I like ayu) that she has a "bad personality" or "she's too full of herself"--the latter being in different words, but that's the general meaning.

she's definitely lost her grasp on the everyday people of japan, which is what she used to have going for her xD

HOWEVER, that being said, she is still one of the most respected female artists in japan, and that's definitely reflected in the japanese society.

Yep, I just watched the segment again now and am still kind of shocked that she didn't know what it was. She then said that she thinks she saw one in the hallway. To be funny, the hosts asked her to draw what she thinks Pasmo is and she draws like a little stuffed animal figurine. They then show her an actual Pasmo card and explain to her what it is used for. And this is all being done by the Kinki Kids - two guys that arguably have as much money and fame as Ayu, yet they knew what the card was and even had one with them.

[Megshere]

Originally Posted by SunshineSlayer

Yep, I just watched the segment again now and am still kind of shocked that she didn't know what it was. She then said that she thinks she saw one in the hallway. To be funny, the hosts asked her to draw what she thinks Pasmo is and she draws like a little stuffed animal figurine. They then show her an actual Pasmo card and explain to her what it is used for. And this is all being done by the Kinki Kids - two guys that arguably have as much money and fame as Ayu, yet they knew what the card was and even had one with them.

I know this is just as offtopic and not really important, but I just want to point out that Koichi from KK didn't know what PASMO was on his own either. An earlier guest on the show answered PASMO to one of the questions and then Koichi was like "What's a PASMO?" The guest told him all about it then. I don't remember what episode this was exactly, but I do remember it because it was cute/funny. That's why he was so into talking about it. He had just recently learned all about it and could look smart.

But, yeah, I'm not disagreeing about Diva Ayu distancing herself from the public. To me it seems she was pulling herself back a bit more around 2004 and definitely 2005. It's just really evident now. Either way, I still think her sales are quite good for a female artist that is now 30 years old and has been around for a decade. I don't really think it's something to get all worked up about. Every year, there are people saying things about Ayu's falling status and how she is gonna retire, but she is still here and still going. There's like 2 or 3 pages in this sales thread about the fall of Ayu and it kinda gets old... When Ayu is like struggling to hit 50,000, then I think it's time to get antsy, but over 100,000 is still quite good.

[SURREAL__RAINBOW]

people started the long comments already? lol

[jimex289]

Bah I know we're going off topic but I feel a need to comment on all this haha.

So PASMO is basically the equivalent of a metrocard here in New York if I'm to understand right...maybe she doesn't take mass transit much though. There could be a plethora of reasons as to why she doesn't know what it is. Was PASMO something that was introduced just recently? I mean a big star like her probably does not travel alone or without guides to protect her from crowds of people. She probably has a personal car or plane she uses to get around no? Also, she might know what it is...just not what it's called. Dunno...just trying to come up with some ideas.

Lol @ her whole floor being covered in a pillow-type material. I wonder how the hell she cleans it =0. And yesh, it is kind of depressing she's been distancing herself. I kind of feel the same way with her. 2008 was like...the year of diva Ayu or something. A lot of her pictures were shot all glamorous-like; could have been to coincide with her 10th anniversary but yes I agree, humility is prized.

[SunshineSlayer]

Originally Posted by jimex289

Bah I know we're going off topic but I feel a need to comment on all this haha.

So PASMO is basically the equivalent of a metrocard here in New York if I'm to understand right...maybe she doesn't take mass transit much though. There could be a plethora of reasons as to why she doesn't know what it is. Was PASMO something that was introduced just recently? I mean a big star like her probably does not travel alone or without guides to protect her from crowds of people. She probably has a personal car or plane she uses to get around no? Also, she might know what it is...just not what it's called. Dunno...just trying to come up with some ideas.

I guess it would be similar to a metro card yes, except that it can also be used for buses and even taxi's I believe. It can also be used in vending machines. But yes, its obvious that Ayu isn't going to be doing much mass transit, but this is really such a basic thing that even I who don't live in Japan had a negative reaction to her not knowing. It was like a wow, 'is she really that far removed from reality?' type of feeling. As I mentioned, even the Kinki Kids had Pasmo cards on the show. (actually its kind of famously rumored that many Johnny's still take the train - usually incognito. That's just johnny-sans way of squeezing out even more profit I suppose.^_^) I doubt there are very many Japanese celebs that don't know and/or use Pasmo, just like I'm sure most, if not all, celebs that live in New York know what a metrocard is.

[NintendoHTF1242]

So what if she is losing popularity and having sales declines. She's still making music, that's enough for me :B

[jbrat2219]

I think it's a shame that Ayu seems so distant from the public. I think if everyone knew her as we know her from her TA messages and stuff, they would maybe feel more connected? But only die hard fans get that connection I guess.

But question...? Even with these kind of sales, she's still doing much better than other female artists right? (minus Hikki, Namie and Kumi because they're kind of on the same level). It's really the boy bands and male artists who are soaking up all the sales?

I mean what is Ayu's REAL downfall here? Is it her diva status? Her music? Her gender? Or all the above? She's obviously still popular, but what is keeping the casual listener from falling in love with her again? Does she need to put on a t and jeans, get a PASSCO, sing R&B and look like a tomboy?

I would never want Ayu to conform to what the public thinks she should be just to increase sales (I don't even really think that Ayu cares about that kind of stuff really... I could be wrong though). I want Ayu to be Ayu, and if that's a diva who worked hard for ten years to get where she is, then so be it! I mean it's not like she's a ***** or something, she may not be "humble," but she's a sweetheart ^^;

I'm just typing while thinking..... haha

[music_*]

AYU!
You're gorgeous now, but most people just prefer the girl-next-door... ):
They're accessible. Look at YUI!
She's nothing like the current you, but Japan loves her!
Right now, you are like a lighthouse - bright, all the way at the top and seen and heard all around. But no ships go near lighthouses, right? Distancing yourself is lonely.
And after so much to get here, you're kinda back to Square 1. WE DON'T WANT THAT! D:
Is that why you sang ASFXX?
......
AHA! I BET IT'S THAT CRAZY PHOTOGRAPHER OF YOURS THAT'S MAKING YOU PUT ON THIS CRAZY ACT!
Always taking weird pictures with weird expressions and making un-understandable PVs. JUST FIRE HIM ALREADY! D:<
You're great in those TA Messages! Japan's not seeing that side of you BECAUSE OF HIM!!
WEIRD DELUDED GUY WHO THINKS HE'S OH-SO-ARTISTIC: Stop making Ayu your poor scapegoat just cos no one else wants to! MEANIE! Artistic? More like abstract art no one understands. YOU RUINED GREEN FOR ME YA NOE!?
Where's Leslie Kee?! He's great!
I say: fire that guy, compose a awesomely great song, wear some plain o' tee and jeans to Kouhaku to grab ppl's attention and adopt a baby! It's really popular now. 8D
-flies off into a deluded rant-

Spoiler:

JUST JOKING! xP
Only wanted to lighten things up but ended up typing gibberish. But I do agree with what jimex289, SunshineSlayer and tokyoxjapanxfan said about her distancing herself, her diva persona, and that she should change her tact. And Luv ~Venus~, nice analysis. ^^
We should just mail her. From AHS to Ayu!: Our love and suggestions!

[Melon Panda]

I think it's just a time issue - no one stays on top forever. Male bands seem to have greater longevity, but even they fall sooner or later.