[Charts & Rankings] The IV Oricon Thread of NEXT LEVEL ~Keeps rollin'~

[CoriKaru]

Originally Posted by riozz

YAIIY.. it will sell 370K soon... next target is 380K which is quite hard

Yeah, it'll be a stretch. :/
Seems to be dropping consistently so sales are consistent in that manner anyway. Doesn't bode well though for steady sales in the end.
Interesting that her Single did how it did without much promotion yet her Album is like this. I'm still shocked the 4 different versions amounted to this. Unusual.

[ayumisrael]

Originally Posted by CoriKaru

Yeah, it'll be a stretch. :/
Seems to be dropping consistently so sales are consistent in that manner anyway. Doesn't bode well though for steady sales in the end.
Interesting that her Single did how it did without much promotion yet her Album is like this. I'm still shocked the 4 different versions amounted to this. Unusual.

Actually Days/GREEN got more promotion than NEXT LEVEL specially when it was still counted a 10th anniversary single.

3 different editions + limited USB don't worth much with crappy promotion.
The promotion of this 3 + 1 limited versions album got is laughable.
What's so shocking and unusual with the poor promotion it got?
It's her least promoted release excluding some remix albums and Rule/Sparkle though it had the whole Dragon ball attension in japan before the crappy movie started and the whole toriyama painting with the Honda commerical tie-in that seemed to draw some attension.
Even the outdoors promotion was poor, shibuya used to be filled with posters (even with GUILTY) and the big billboard in the 109 building, but NEXT LEVEL got just a billboard near that and some in stores.
Casual listeners (that don't follow ayu) could barely notice she is releasing something this time.

I do remember you posted that you don't think it will sell over 350,000 2-3 weeks ago, don't think you think it's great it's going to pass 360,000 soon?

[Max_ZZZ]

this makes me wonder... will her next BEST do well? it WILL have BLUE BIRD after all... (won't it?) because secret was before A BEST 2, so does it count for the next BEST? lol sorry off topic but ya

[njanjayrp]

^ it's too early to even consider how her next best will do Different editions don't really help much if you don't have way too many fans and we know that even JE bands don't sell their albums this well, while there are people who buy multiple vers. of their singles, I really doubt many people would go for 2-3 editions of NEXT LEVEL which means that the fact it had 3.5 vers. has little to do with the sales.

[KarenPang]

Originally Posted by njanjayrp

^ it's too early to even consider how her next best will do Different editions don't really help much if you don't have way too many fans and we know that even JE bands don't sell their albums this well, while there are people who buy multiple vers. of their singles, I really doubt many people would go for 2-3 editions of NEXT LEVEL which means that the fact it had 3.5 vers. has little to do with the sales.

yup you made a really good valid statement there

that & also it depends on your financial ability on whether are you able to buy all 4 editions or just cherry pick outta the 4 editions on which one will give you the most 'benefit' of sorts

for me I got the CD + DVD because I can live without the 2nd live CD & also I prefer the CD + DVD cover a bit more than the 2 CDs + DVD xD

even though the 2 CDs + DVD was produced locally in S'pore by Warner , I couldn't be bothered about it & I instead went to order the CD + DVD on the net

[SolarAngel]

At least the weekly sales are in the multiple thousands...

[njanjayrp]

^ Exactly Karen, I consider my self a hard core Ayu fan, still I don't like to waste the money I have, I've bought the 2CD+DVD ver. as I kinda love Ayu's live voice and there are a number of songs on the PCDL I loved live (And then, Naturally, For My Dear.., SIGNAL, HANA and everywhere nowhere). I have never thought of buying multiple versions of an album, I guess singles are cheaper and therefore more affordable to some, plus the differences between the few album versions are rarely big, personally even though I appreciate the live cd, I think it was only another way for AVEX to make some additional money. It would be different if the actual track lists were different with some having bonus tracks, but this way I don't really see why would someone spend $150 on the same thing, USB excluded.

[jbrat2219]

Yeah I usually NEVER buy multiple versions of anything. NEXT LEVEL was my first multiple purchase and that's only because I had extra money for the USB. It was worth it though Some of my friends are jealous and they don't even know who Ayu is lol.

[CoriKaru]

Originally Posted by SolarAngel

At least the weekly sales are in the multiple thousands...

Good point. Once the fist sales figures came in it wasn't a sure thing anymore if it would even make it this far. Perhaps the 4 versions had some kind of effect then but far from what was intended and expected.

[KarenPang]

Originally Posted by njanjayrp

^ Exactly Karen, I consider my self a hard core Ayu fan, still I don't like to waste the money I have, I've bought the 2CD+DVD ver. as I kinda love Ayu's live voice and there are a number of songs on the PCDL I loved live (And then, Naturally, For My Dear.., SIGNAL, HANA and everywhere nowhere). I have never thought of buying multiple versions of an album, I guess singles are cheaper and therefore more affordable to some, plus the differences between the few album versions are rarely big, personally even though I appreciate the live cd, I think it was only another way for AVEX to make some additional money. It would be different if the actual track lists were different with some having bonus tracks, but this way I don't really see why would someone spend $150 on the same thing, USB excluded.

yup you're right , singles are so much way cheaper than albums anytime of the day & I will not be surprised if avex choose to release 4 different editions of NEXT LEVEL just to get a bit more $ or 2 from hardcore ayumi fans

I myself am guilty of buying multiple versions of singles & most recently albums *points to NEWS's colour & KAT-TUN's Break the Records oh god @_@

[jbrat2219]

Originally Posted by KarenPang

I myself am guilty of buying multiple versions of singles & most recently albums *points to NEWS's colour & KAT-TUN's Break the Records oh god @_@

And with a multiple offender such as yourself, I'm sure JE groups would be sad if you stopped due to the economy lol. I'm sure Avex is banking on the same thing, like you said, they want to put out as many versions as reasonably possible to get those hardcore fans to toss out the money even in times like these lol.

[ayumixfan]

Originally Posted by TeddyGrahams

If you want to compare promotions of the other CDs, lets start with Secret first. She preformed 11 times, 10 jewel + 1 1love, 6 magazine appearances, 2 radio appearances. Startin' was the theme song for a game, BtB - winter olympics, Blue Bird- zespri kiwi, beautiful fighters - dsnap, jewel - Lumix, 1 love Dsnap, Secret - movie. She had nov-dec to promote this over a month.

Guilty had 10 performances mainly together when... and 8 magazine shoots. T2M had Lumix, glitter was used 4 times for different things, fated a movie, decision music.jp. She had between December to January to promote this. Over a month easily.

Next Level had 1 tv performance, like 2-3 magazines, and 5 songs used for promotion. She had 2 DAYS to promote it, mainly her visit to the radio station and her performance in rule. The rest she just practiced for her tour/Finishing her album. 4 versions =/= promotion. USB is not promotion. How can you promote music with no sample??? Also how can you when the majority of ppl cant hear the songs of next level less than a week since it's release date?

Can you say it's the same?

Well if you're going to compare about the span of the album's era, then alrite... I was only focusing mainly around the time the album will be released v_v thats why Rule/Sparkle is important because it was released like a month? before the album. Very close, which would help promote it and promotion for the single can be shared with the album. Like I don't think the olmpics and the game tie-in is going to help her secret album that much because it was nearly a year in difference of the releases... And plus a lot of the commericals you stated for those releases started airing like at least 1/2 a year before the album was released while Rule/SParkle started 1 month before the album. There's a good chance that those commercials stopped by then. And plus Rule got some newstime for being featured in DBE and how it was going to be released around the world.

I think they key to avex's promotion here is using her two tours v_v. Unlike Secret and Guilty which were released before CDL and died off the top 50 WAY before arena tour even started, Next Level was released after CDL, and right before Arena Tour. Although CDL was already performed, but people who went to see it will definitely remember the performance and her music if they liek it lol. So putting the DVD would definitely help her grab people who liked her CDL and the Arena Tour for the album can obviously help the album in SO many ways. Secret and GUILTY got help from CDL, but by the time the arena tour started both albums already died in the charts, which is kind of a little too late to promote them. Anyways I think the Arena tour helps sales WAY more than CDL ever could because of the time lengths of tours. Her versions wouldn't really be counted as promotion and technically avex trying to steal money from fans, but her USB was promoted on a tv show... thats promotion right there. GREEN the music video made celeb news because of it's high budget which would attract interest to the song. I really think she might''ve done less llives and magazine shoots, but she made up for it in other places. I think a lot of forms of promotion are not considered because people undermind it.

@waterballoon, this is just what we think. we can't really assume everyone thinks like this about the song in the movie. You can't just call it anti-promotion. As long as the movie brings attention to the song, I think that is promotion. Whether people like the song or not is another story of course.

For outdoor promotion, you don't live in japan ayumisreal, i'm sorry but u cannot base it off a picture you saw =/ If you've been around japan and seen everything then I will agree with you. In Canada, a lot of albums aren't promoted on billboards, but rather out subways and buses so there's a high possibility they decided to change it up or something.

Anyways regardless, the album is still doing very well on the chart =) ~! I think it still has a chance of passing 400k, but it isn't the highest possiblity : (. Oh well it'll still make it really high in the yearly charts =D It's still charting in the thousands =) ~! which is a very good sign.

[TeddyGrahams]

^ Like I said countless of times, how is the USB any indication of promotion when it's more like a collectors item? Did they sample her songs in the USB tv, no... As pop stars, you have to be in the lime light, which ayu hasn't been in it for a while. I guess everyone says shes overexposed. And concerts are not promotion, the album is the promotion for the concerts. SHE MADE BOTH the concerts before Next level. And she did way more promotion in her I am... Rainbow period, where she both did concerts and still perform and release singles inbetween.

Secret and Guilty still fare better than Next Level. She didn't do anything to promote this album. What you're saying is all promotion coming indirectly. What I am saying is how can an artist not promote her album directly to the public? Which Ayu did only a few directly. Direct promotion > Indirect promotion.

Although Next level is better charting now, but before, it was not. But like Secret and Guilty, Next Level is rushed. Ayu needs to make a fuller length album with no interludes. Because these interludes (Guilty and NL) would have been such awesome songs. -____-

[ayumixfan]

I think you are undermining indirect promotion. As long as the news about a new album is released, thats the important thing. The radio can plays ayu's songs countless times. Tours and albums promote eachother v_v lol. If albums were only released to promote tours, artists like utada who don't tour often would be in serious trouble. Of course she's not directly throwing herself out there liek before but don't forget promotion is promotion v_v u can't just not count it because its indirect. Its like saying a re-cut single isn't used to promote an album :S its used indirectly to promote the album while gather sales for the song too. Of course I understand that we're all not happy how ayu hasn't been doing as much lives as such, but she needs to rest right? so she's going to have to resort to other forms of promotion until she heals again.

Obviously she got more promotion at her peak than now, but i think her promotion for the last 3 years have been pretty steady v_v. I think a lot of fans are just labelling her stuff as lowly promoted becasue the sales are dropping =/ Of course I could be wrong, but thats what i thought too, but its so wrong now that I rethink it.

Anyways to say direct promotion > indirect promotion isn't necessarily true. I think making the news for RULE can gather as much casual listeners as one live performance. A lot of people read the news. Its like ayaka's incident where the news of her marriage and disease got her sales back up. Although indirect, she shot back up and gathered sales.

Sorry I'm bringing up other artists, I don't really want to debate about them. i'm just saying that promotion is promotion v_v.

[keikeiaznqueen]

Originally Posted by ayumixfan

Lots of text

I do see where you're coming from.

It's really subjective, this issue of whether or not NEXT LEVEL received enough promotion and whether or not this has significantly impacted Ayu's sales. Would NEXT LEVEL's sales have been 200k higher or something if she DID get that Shibuya 109 expensive billboard ad spot? Would it have sold much much better if Ayu did an addition of 10 performances of the songs on NEXT LEVEL? We can't test it out or anything so I don't suppose we can find out, since there are so many other non-promotional factors that can affect sales. I don't think we can isolate promotion as the only reason why NEXT LEVEL has sold less than her other albums. (For example, Ayu's albums are usually released around Christmas and December is... kind of a shopping season I suppose.)

Maybe Avex DID change around their marketing tactics for Ayu. Maybe they decided not to spam Ayu's TV performances and public billboard ads like they usually do (Ayu has often had that Shibuya 109 ad spot a week or so before her new releases! As far as I remember that has often been the case.) After all, that's expensive, right? So maybe you're right. Maybe they thought using the tour to promote NEXT LEVEL was the better option because it saves the money that should have been spent on billboards, and also kills 2 birds with 1 stone.

Overall, I don't agree that NEXT LEVEL's promotion has been good per se, but I don't exactly think it's been *bad* either. I think it could have been muchbetter, given she had more time to go around to actually perform. The factor that had prevented further promotion by Ayu via more performances had been her busy schedule rehearsing for tours... also, Ayu doesn't strain herself as much as she used to anymore. She's bound to go at her own pace more. Then there's the budget factor. I think Ayu's budget that Avex spends on her promotion and marketing has shrunk or something... It seems to me that avex is spending more energy and money promoting newer artists rather than making Ayu release 3-5 singles a year like she used to. She's down to 2 a year now.

So despite having more tour dates, I feel like avex has slackened their grip on Ayu in the recent years. Ayu used to do loads of tours and release loads of singles at the same time as well has have her own tv show, and then loads of other magazines appearances and ads and bits and bobs everywhere. She was a constant presence. I don't feel like she needed to do all her promotion right before her releases. She's always somewhere. It's a lot less like that now. I think that's why a lot of people here feel like Ayu's promotion for NEXT LEVEL isn't on par to what her promotion used to be.

Yes she's Ayu and yes she's always had more extravagant and spammy promotion than this more conservative promotion she has received... I wish to see more of her performances and public appearances, as well as billboard spam, but that can't be helped if avex doesn't think it's suitable. Maybe the profit that Ayu makes is higher when they promote her less. Ads are expensive after all.

[njanjayrp]

Fans are mostly the ones who attend the tours, some even go and attend multiple shows. You're overrating the promotional value of the tour ^^ The fact is, NEXT LEVEL had a really poor promotion, even though indirect promotion is promotion it still doesn't mean it's effective (as it obviously isn't).

[ayumisrael]

Originally Posted by ayumixfan

For outdoor promotion, you don't live in japan ayumisreal, i'm sorry but u cannot base it off a picture you saw =/ If you've been around japan and seen everything then I will agree with you. In Canada, a lot of albums aren't promoted on billboards, but rather out subways and buses so there's a high possibility they decided to change it up or something.

I actually based my opinion mainly from people who actually were there (in Shibuya) from the board and said that they barely saw any billboard of the album unlike how it used to be when she released something. =\

[njanjayrp]

Plus SunShineSlayer who often visits Japan did tell us that Ayu hasn't been all over in ages. And we have seen pics from the people who were in Japan during the time NEXT LEVEL was released. Still even though we might not be able to prove the lack of outside promo, surely we all agree that the TV promo which the most important was at minimum.

[greenteadrinker]

No matter how you might argue it, NEXT LEVEL had poorer promotion than any of her previous studio or compilation albums. It wasn't even close. Yep, the most effective form of promotion is TV appearances, magazines/radio etc. etc. aren't as powerful, not nearly. And Ayu only had ONE TV appearance, ONE. It's also the first time that Avex released two other major artists' albums in the same week as Ayu (Kuu and Tohoshinki). Never before. Dunno what they were thinking. It's not up to Ayu when the album is released.

[KarenPang]

top 50 albums of '09

*7 *,357,375 **3,439 NEXT LEVEL / 浜崎あゆみ 09/03/25