Current trends: Decline of the solo artist?

[noisy_harmony]

lol I know this is a brand new information but I think it's still kind of interesting stuff, worth posting. It might bring another discussion here as well.

If you’ve recently been following Oricon and the general trends on the Japanese music scene, you’ll have noticed two things. One is the Hallyu wave (Korean Wave) and the recent success of groups such as KARA and Shoujo Jidai. The other is the trend of idol groups over solo artists with the explosion in AKB48’s popularity, Perfume’s utter domination of the technopop scene. Tohoshinki’s dominance in the early part of 2010. Not to mention mega group Arashi – or other Johnny’s groups such as Kanjani8 and NEWS – having a hit on their hands with every single release.

What does this exactly mean for the solo artist in Japan? In the past five to six years alone, we’ve seen the dramatic decline of once mega popular artists such as Ayumi Hamasaki, Ai Otsuka, as well as many others in their league. Now while this isn’t particularly a singling out of these artists, there is something to be said about the way their popularity is now as compared to these idol groups. And it’s not just Ayumi Hamasaki or Ai Otsuka – it’s about solo artists in general. Just take a look at Oricon’s yearly single charts so far. While the year isn’t over just yet, it’s shocking for most to see that only 3 solo artists have been able to crack the top 20: Fuyumi Sakamoto at #12, Masaharu Fukuyama at #17 and #19 respectively, and finally Kiyoshi Hikawa at #20.

However, all is not lost for the solo artist as they’ve been fairing much better on album charts. While this group domination is apparent in the singles charts, the album chart has quite a few successful solo acts to boast: Kana Nishino currently holds the best-selling female solo album this year at #2, with Namie Amuro at #4, and other entries such as Kaela Kimura, Hideaki Tokunaga, Lady GaGa, JUJU, Koda Kumi, Ayumi Hamasaki, YUI, and Superfly, all within the top 20.

As for the first trend, it will definitely be interesting to follow this into 2011 with the intentions of K-pop groups such as 2PM, 2NE1, T-ara, and BEAST to debut in Japan.

What are your thoughts about these trends? Feel free to have your say and let us know!

Oricon Top 20 Yearly Singles (as of November 4th)

*1 *,826,989 826,989 Beginner / AKB48 10/10/27 　
*2 *,698,542 ***,*** Troublemaker / Arashi 10/03/03
*3 *,696,022 ***,*** Monster / Arashi 10/05/19
*4 *,689,214 **5,511 Heavy Rotation / AKB48 10/08/18
*5 *,649,169 **2,025 Ponytail to Shushu / AKB48 10/05/26
*6 *,613,633 **1,774 Lφve Rainbow / Arashi 10/09/08
*7 *,572,537 **7,800 Dear Snow / Arashi 10/10/06
*8 *,515,074 ***,330 To be free / Arashi 10/07/07
*9 *,439,736 ***,*** Love yourself ~Kimi ga Kirai na Kimi ga Suki~ / KAT-TUN 10/02/10
10 *,389,073 ***,393 Sakura no Shiori / AKB48 10/02/17　
11 *,350,015 ***,*** This is love / SMAP 10/08/04
12 *,302,665 **1,235 Mata Kimi ni Koishiteru/Ajia no Kaizoku / Fuyumi Sakamoto 09/01/07 (Total: 334,929)
13 *,302,072 ***,688 LIFE ~Me no Mae no Mukou e~ / Kanjani8 10/08/25
14 *,289,412 ***,*** BREAK OUT! / Tohoshinki 10/01/27
15 *,282,901 ***,*** Going! / KAT-TUN 10/05/12
16 *,275,558 ***,*** Wonderful World!! / Kanjani8 10/06/30
17 *,269,765 ***,*** Hatsukoi / Masaharu Fukuyama 09/12/16
18 *,250,206 ***,*** Hitomi no Screen / Hey! Say! JUMP 10/02/24
19 *,238,075 ***,622 Hotaru/Shounen / Masaharu Fukuyama 10/08/11
20 *,236,218 ***,*** Shamisen Tabi Garasu / Hikawa Kiyoshi 10/03/24

Top 20 Yearly Albums (as of November 4th)

*1 1,034,569 **4,501 Boku no Miteiru Fuukei / Arashi 10/08/04
*2 *,629,294 **2,164 to LOVE / Kana Nishino 10/06/23
*3 *,605,245 **1,492 Funky Monkey Babies BEST / FUNKY MONKEY BABYS 10/02/10
*4 *,574,525 ***,*** PAST<FUTURE / Namie Amuro 09/12/16
*5 *,569,530 ***,459 BEST SELECTION 2010 / Tohoshinki 10/02/17
*6 *,559,827 ***,657 Hajimari no Uta / Ikimonogakari 09/12/23
*7 *,466,770 ***,436 5years / Kaela Kimura 10/02/03
*8 *,464,516 ***,594 FANTASY / EXILE 10/06/09
*9 *,425,746 **2,214 Kamikyoku Tachi / AKB48 10/04/07
10 *,393,014 ***,819 VOCALIST 4 / Hideaki Tokunaga 10/04/20
11 *,391,929 ***,455 Aisubeki Mirai e / EXILE 09/12/02 (Total: 1,289,024)
12 *,386,706 ***,*** ALL COVERS BEST / Kobukuro 10/08/25
13 *,382,290 **3,482 The Fame Monster / Lady Gaga 09/11/18 (Total: 440,720)
14 *,374,183 *22,747 Request / JUJU 10/09/29
15 *,371,590 ***,*** BEST~third universe~ & 8th AL “UNIVERSE” / Koda Kumi 10/02/03
16 *,332,248 **1,826 All the BEST! 1999-2009 / Arashi 09/08/19 (Total: 1,765,029)
17 *,318,454 ***,*** Rock’n'Roll Circus / Ayumi Hamasaki 10/04/14
18 *,303,994 ***,668 HOLIDAYS IN THE SUN / YUI 10/07/14
19 *,291,124 **2,921 Wildflower & Cover Songs:Complete Best’TRACK 3′ / Superfly 10/09/01
20 *,285,592 ***,*** Ano… Konnan Dekimashita kedo. / Yusuke 09/12/16

Source: Oricon

tokyohive


brb mourning forever cause there always has been "FHEFOWFKLFCJKDF SOLO ARTISTSSSSSSSSS!!!! >>>>>>> bands and groups" situation for me in both j-pop and k-pop ever since.

[TofuBunny]

Oh my, I already felt this coming but looking at the chart is just .. Tsk this is bad news since for me : Idol groups : kpop .. Solo artists : Jpop
I guess I'll just deal with it and keep listening to Ayu and the rest even if their popularity is declining

Also, Perfume are not idols and they're not on any of the two charts, why are they mentioned ?

[Polyrhythm]

.....one more single from Arashi and one more from AKB48. All idol top 10 for singles this year....dang.

[haikudasai]

I certainly hope not. I don't mind groups of 5 and under .. maybe 6 but anything more is just ridiculous.

There is no ability to display artistry and talent. Having 48 girls and give them 3 words each song is just about the dumbest thing I've ever seen.

[primavera♥]

This for me is depresseing since I alway want my fav solo artists to be really succesful and influential and have their music appreciated.
But ill always continue to listen to them. I'm not too into the whole "following trends" things. So ill stay supportive of whatever I like

[dreamland2.0]

Originally Posted by AsukaRoses

Oh my, I already felt this coming but looking at the chart is just .. Tsk this is bad news since for me : Idol groups : kpop .. Solo artists : Jpop
I guess I'll just deal with it and keep listening to Ayu and the rest even if their popularity is declining

Also, Perfume are not idols and they're not on any of the two charts, why are they mentioned ?

Perfume are most certainly Idols They just have a different musical style and appeal to different groups of people. They are still an idol group.

Honestly I like many groups on the charts so I can't say one bad thing xD

[Polyrhythm]

^Depends on what your definition of idols is. Personally, I think of AKB48 or Morning Musume when I hear that....some people think SNDS or those other korean groups....I don't think Perfume is an idol group. Maybe they were up till recently. Whatever they are, they sure are not a solo artist so i guess that's why they're mentioned. Although the whole article is completely jumbled mess . Making it sound like groups are completely taking over......except when you look at the actual charts...you don't see Shoujo Jidai or Kara or Perfume. Its basically just AKB48 and the Johnny's Groups battling it out....so its not really a trend or anything....its just these 2 huge entities squeezing everyone else out of the top spots.....so that everyone else's sales look like crap compared to theirs.

[dreamland2.0]

^Yah I know and it's been like that for a few years too LOL
I guess just because of the high sales AKB and Arashi are getting this year or really because of HOW MANY singles they have released LOL

[Polyrhythm]

^Yeah....I'm always amazed at how much they sell after just releasing not so long ago.....

[Melodie]

It's somehow depressing to see Ayu almost at the bottom of the list.

[noisy_harmony]

^ We should be happy she's still here and she's still relevant. sort of.

[Yum!Fruit_Salad!]

No, it's not. The article itself even mentioned it; the single charts is where solo artists are being pushed out not by groups in general by two groups, AKB48 and Arashi, and the album charts is where the solo artists are able to off-set the "domination". *sigh*

Unrelated but Kana Nishino is so close to getting 630k. Hoping by the end of this year she gets 700k.

[NintendoHTF1242]

*sheds tears at the thought of ARASHI not getting #1 single of the year*

anyway, aww that's too bad. Um I guess. At least solo artists are still doing good on the album charts. Specially my bb Kana <3

[ストロボ・EdGE]

Originally Posted by Melodie

It's somehow depressing to see Ayu almost at the bottom of the list.

Originally Posted by ` flying proud

^ We should be happy she's still here and she's still relevant. sort of.

Oh please guys. Bottom of the top 20? You know how many albums have been released in Japan in the past year? Too many to count, and out of all of those, Ayu's is the #17th best selling one this year so far. How many of those other artists on the top 20 have been around for 12+ years? She's fine, she's fine :3

[Aditmi Krisnasaki ~II~]

what the...

[emi♡]

Yeah...you know, we always seem to come back to the idea that, the average person here has no idea what it's like to have an artist you absolutely love more than anything, who's totally amazing, and have them not even chart

I can't deny the influx of groups...and even though people will always bring up those few that are popular at any one time, like Kana...it can't make up for the fact that, anything outside of what is super popular/super hyped by the media, sells really really badly.

It always used to surprise me, like, the sales of the artists as you go down from the number spot...it is incredibly disproportionate. That's what REALLY makes me sad about their industry.

For all the incredible people they have, very few sell well.

And it seems to me, honestly, that competition is non-existent.

2 or 3 people up against each other...only...is kinda sad lol Usually it's only 2, IF the labels even allow that to happen lol

[Ranma Matsuri]

... yeah but isn't this how Japan's music industry has always been? When you're at the top, you sell a ton compared to everyone else.

We had a period here in the US like 10 years ago when the music scene was dominated by teeny boopers, boy bands, and girl bands most specifically, the Max Martin set and now they're like an endangered species. It's just one of those things. In probably 3-5 years time (probably even less than that), there'll be solo acts topping the yearly sales charts again while fans of groups will be mourning over the decline. That's how trends work, it's no big deal really.

[chu-lips]

even shojo jidai beats ayu single sales now..
T,T..

[Kanzaki]

There's a korean wave? And a decline of solo artists?
Not in my world

These things changes all the time though. I wonder whats next! Maybe there'll be a chinese wave? Aw, now I want to listen to S.H.E...

[TITANIC]

hopefully Ayu's next album doing better for next year