Debunking the Myth of the End of Morning Musume

This article aims to debunk the myth that have been circling around the Morning Musume fandom (especially the English fandom, check out the reactions noted in IntlWota.com), that due Morning Musume's weak sales in their latest single "Mikan" is a sign that their time is done, and that their popularity is fading. Many fans assume that their fandom is rapid shrinking, due to older members have graduated, and wotas less interest in the current Momusu members (their attention has diverted to the C-ute and Berryz Koubou).

As noted in the previous post Mikan sold around 28k copies and has been performing weaker than the others. If you are a hardcore Morning Musume fan, you may want say that the Japanese music industry is declining overall. But the fact is the industry is NOT on a decline. It's because.... times have changed.

Beginning with Oricon figures, as we all know Oricon sales figures should not be taken as a true measurement for the sales performance. They only count sales based on reports from selective stores, therefore we use the 1.75 modifier to calculate a closer estimate. Still, it is not 100% accurate. I have touched on a subject that Oricon may be playing favorites and everyone still mentions it every now and then.

To restore hope to all desperate fans let's look at a bigger picture, outside of Oricon sales figures.


The Rise of Digital Age
The market for digital-sales have
Four days after Apple launched its iTunes Music Store in Japan, they recorded over one million song downloads. An outstanding feat, seeing that it took iTunes USA a full week to achieve the same numbers. The main factor - price. Why spend 1545 yen ($US 13.99) on the CD jacket, when you can download it for 463 yen ($US 4.19).
As noted by Gaki in the comments of a previous post, the RIAJ (Recording Industry Association of Japan) reports that digital-music sales are rising due to the increasing popularity of ringback tunes, mobile-based full-song downloads, PC-downloads and other forms of paid downloads. We are talking about 121.6 million units of digital-sales in the 3rd quarter of 2007 that are not taken into account by Oricon.

Cumulative digital-download results for the first three quarters of 2007 show mobile-based music downloads rising 28% to 325.2 million units, for a value of 50 billion yen ($458.1 million), up 44%, while PC-based downloads in the January-September period rose 27% to 22.3 million units, for a value of 4.3 billion yen ($38.7 million), up 15%.
Total digital downloads, including miscellaneous categories, for the first three quarters totaled 347.5 million units, a rise of 28%, for a value of 55.3 billion yen ($506.8 million), up 44%.

In summary, while in the first three quarters CD sales dropped 30% but digital downloads have risen 28%. CD Sales as of Oct 2007 was 51.421 million and download sales were 347.5 million. Meaning that, comparing with the industry CD & digital-sales, for every 1 CD single sold, it is sold by digital download 6.8 times (rounded from 6.75). Therefore to calculate a more closer estimate of the true sales, is to take the Oricon figures and multiply by 6.8.

So the true sales for Morning Musume's single "Mikan" is 28,082 * 6.8, giving us a 190,957 of estimated true sales, with a discrepancy of +/- 1000 units. Now the numbers don't look so bad, huh? ^_^

It is this lucrative potential in download sales that prompted Avex to announce that Ayumi Hamasaki's next single, "Together When...," will be a digital release only. The full song officially goes on sale on December 5, with shortened ringtone versions available starting last Wednesday. Avex acknowledged the decline in CD sales and increase in digital sales and as a result it became the main factor behind the decision. They recall the RIAJ report of the rise of 142% in sales increase in 1st half of 2007, and due to its low-cost production (compared to the cost producing CD jackets) and may consider making it the core of their future music business if the single is successful.


Morning Musume's Other Income Source
Other than CD sales and digital-downloads come from concert tickets, concert merchandise, photos, Hello! Project stores, photobooks, radio shows, variety shows, political campaigns. So there are no worries that the group cannot find ways to sustain. Children who attend H!P concerts bring their parents along, meaning that they generate revenue even from the wallets of parents of H!P fans. So don't think the wotas are the only source of income for Momusu.


The Lure of Morning Musume
Morning Musume is recognizable to every Japanese, no matter if you are a Jpop fan or not. I remember seeing a variety show in which Yaguchi Mari was on. The on-site reporter carried placards of Morning Musume members to remote villages around Japan. They pick a random senior citizen and ask if they know who the person in the card is. Not surprisingly, all of them do know! (even though some of them got the names wrong, but they recognize the girls at least)
We owe this recognizability to TV exposures and other mass-comm media, which Morning Musume have in abundance. See the viewership figures here -->
Utaban exposed to 13.5 million viewers
Music Fair exposed to 11.3 million viewers
Music Japan exposed to 13.3 million viewers
Music Station N/A about the same as the others
Haromoni as of Nov 11 draws 2.4 million viewers

Speaking of Haromoni, which given a daytime slot aired on Sunday mornings, it is a variety show designed for children. Despite their many past scandals, Momusu has always and will remain a strong demographic draw of pre-teen girls, who like Momusu fashion style and make up. Kusumi Koharu testified in an interview with Oricon that during her junior school's radio taisou (morning assembly exercises) session, they used "Love Machine" as a tune to dance to (Much to the shock of Nakazawa Yuuko, who is feeling the generation gap there ^_^). Additionally, many teens name Takahashi Ai and Tanaka Reina as their role-model.

Overseas, Momusu are 3rd most searched group in Korea. They are in the top 5 in sales in Taiwan . Their visit to Taiwan caused a near riot at the airport for fans to see not only Junjun and Linlin, but MM as a whole .




Business Is On a Roll - Expansion.
Earlier this year, the holding company UFG (Up Fron Group) the mother company for UFW (Up Front Works) and UFA (Up Front Agency) where Hello! Project resides under, are on a move to get listed on stock exchange.

This can only mean one thing, business is booming. And it is not without the help of image recognition created by their entertainment side of the business. Namely, the artistes with UFW and Hello! Project. They would not have spent 100 million yen to promote their company image in 3 national papers if it was not important.

Therefore it makes no business sense to kill a brand that they have spent 10 years to build, especially one that they have invested with so much resources.


Conclusion
I hope this article helped to answer many questions that you may have, and to urge you to have more faith in Morning Musume. I'm not saying that the Oricon sales figures is not important, because it is. A good sales track record looks great on any portfolio. But if you can look beyond the numbers and the bigger picture, you will find that there are still many untapped potentials for Morning Musume. They're time is not done. In fact, they've only just begun...


Peace (^_^)v

29 November 2007 - Facts & figures provided by Gaki, edited by jinryuichi




RIAJ Reports Rise In Q3 Download Sales
Online music sales surging in Japan
iTunes Japan hits 1,000,000
Ayumi Hamasaki next single will be digital download only
Output of Audio and Video Items in 10/2007
>> Read the rest of this article

Can Morning Musume's Mikan Take the Top Spot in Oricon?

The time draws near, and the result will be out soon - Will Morning Musume's latest single "Mikan" regain their number position at the Oricon charts once again?

...... funny, I have never anticipated the charting positions like this... maybe it's because earlier today, I was worried if Momusu can even make it pass the top 10, thankfully they eventually did....

In any case, we have heard from our own side of opinion about Momusu's latest single but what about the others? Here are Momusu's main competition:

KAT-TUN - Keep the Faith This one really ROCKS! Sorry to say, but they are truly rockin' it good, and I like the song... this will be damn tough to beat. (Actually, I don't think it can be beat. Please don't stone me... )

KOH+ - KISS shite J-Rock, it's OK, but not spectacular to me.

Keishimeshi - Seinaru yoru ni / Fuyu monogatari - A Hip Hop Christmas song. With X'mas drawing close, and the PV showing lots of lovey dovey stuff, they should get some attention.

EXILE - I Believe - Another Christmas themed winter song, a feels-good-to-be-in-love song, I like this one. Notably, the lyrics is written by new vocalist Takahiro.




Personally, I think the biggest threat is EXILE and KAT-TUN. Between Christmas and a Johnny's powergroup, I don't know.... it's tough. KOH+ and Keishimeshi cannot be overlooked either. Optimistically, I hope the debut will be #3, but on the pessimist side it may be at #5. But if Momusu can beat either EXILE or KAT-TUN, it will be a good sign of things to come. Because Momusu, if not H!P in general, really needed something to make everyone overlook their scandal-plagued year.


So what do you think?
>> Read the rest of this article

Morning Musume Champion of 5 Titles in Female Group Category

Received news of this since last night, but I waited till it's official so I can source properly. I was so excited that I dreamed about it in my sleep. Woke up this morning and posted this in my pajamas... and battling three blue-screen-of-death in the process ^_^



Happy Golden Week everyone! And what a way to start the Golden Week and the month of May with some happy news~~~!

Following up with their notable historical record in November last year, Morning Musume strikes again with another. Oricon announced that with Morning Musume's latest single "Kanashimi Twilight"'s reported sales of 54,000 copies to date, Morning Musume have officially surpassed Pink Lady as the best selling artiste in the female group category, with a total of 11 million and 85 thousand (11.085 million) copies in singles sales, edging Pink Lady's record of 11 million and 37 thousand (11.037 million) by 46,000 copies.

It was also noted, that Morning Musume now have 5 record-setting achievements in their portfolio.

[EDITED]

Achievement (Female Group)	Date Achieved	Remarks
#1 in Acquired Consecutive Years	August 2001	Six #1 singles. Total nine #1 singles in 6 consecutive years from 1998 till 2003.
Total Top 10 Acquired	November 2002	16 Top 10 Singles. Total 33 Top 10 singles to date.
Top 10 Acquired in Consecutive Years	February 2004	21 consecutive Top 10 Singles. Total 33 consecutive Top 10 singles to date.
Total #1 Acquired	November 2006	Total 10 #1 singles acquired.
Best Selling Female Group (current)	May 2007	Total sales of 11 million and 85 thousand (11.085 million) copies currently.

It is now officially not an exaggeration, nor a marketing gimmick, to crown Morning Musume as the No. 1 female group in Japan entertainment business.

Source from Oricon

モーニング娘。、ピンク・レディー超え！ 女性グループ5冠！

　今年、デビュー10周年を迎えた、モーニング娘。が節目の年に大記録を樹立。今週5/7付ウィークリーシングルランキングで、デビュー以来のシングル総売上枚数が1108.5万枚となり、女性グループで歴代1位となった。

　これまでシングルの総売上枚数、女性グループ歴代1位は、ピンク・レディーの1103.7万枚。先週4/30付までで、そのピンク・レディーとの差は 0.6万枚と、新記録樹立まで目前に迫っていたモーニング娘。だったが、今週、通算33枚目のシングル「悲しみトワイライト」（25日発売）が5.4万枚（順位は2位）を売り上げたことで、ついに同記録のトップに立った。

　モーニング娘。は、すでに「連続1位獲得年数」（達成：2001年8月）、「通算TOP10獲得数」（2002年11月）、「連続 TOP10獲得年数」（2004年2月）、「通算1位獲得数」（2006年11月）のシングル4部門で女性グループ歴代1位となっており、これで女性グループの5冠王に。シングルの主要5部門はモーニング娘。による独占となった。 　本作は、5/6（日）のさいたまスーパーアリーナ公演をもって同グループを卒業する、吉澤ひとみのモーニング娘。ラストシングル。売上は、発売1週目にして、今年2月の前作「笑顔YESヌード」の累積5.3万枚を上回る好セールスとなった。

Translation:

Morning Musume Surpasses Pink Lady! 5 Crowns in Female Group

This year, in advancing their 10th year anniversary since debut, Morning Musume has established a remarkable record in this year of turning point. In the Weekly Singles Ranking of the week beginning 7th May, Morning Musume achieved the No. 1 rank in the female group category with the total sales of 11.085 million copies.

So far, Pink Lady was the top selling female group in total singles sales with 11.037 million copies. Until last week's 30th April, Morning Musume drew near of establishing the new record with a difference of 6000 copies. However, with their 33rd single to date "Kanashimi Twilight" (released on 25th) with amounting sales of 54,000 copies (Ranking 2nd) seized the top spot.

Up till now, Morning Musume was the top female group in history with 4 different categories of singles achievement with "Total #1 Acquired in Consecutive Years" (August 2001), "Total Top 10 Acquired" (November 2002), "Total Top 10 Acquired in Consecutive Years" (February 2004) and "Total #1 Acquired" (November 2006), with this (record of top selling female group) they are now 5-time champion in female group category. With this, Morning Momusu have monopolized* the 5 major singles categories. This will be the last single for Yoshizawa Hitomi with Morning Musume when she graduates from the said group on 6th May in Super Saitama Arena performance. This single have exceeded this year's February single release "Egao Yes Nude" which garnered total favourable sales of 53,000 copies in its first week.

NOTE: * "monopolized" sounds a bit negative. Actually, the meaning is closer to "sole possession" or "reign supreme", but I did not want to sound bias.


Yoshizawa Hitomi's Comments:

正直とっても嬉しいです！！モーニング娘。を応援してくださっている多くのファンの皆様とお祝いをしたい気持ちでいっぱいです。本当に本当にありがとうございます。これからも世の中の人に愛されるグループでいたいと思います。目指せ10冠王！！

I am exceedingly happy in all honesty!! I'm filled with the feeling of wanting to celebrate this with the many fans who have supported Morning Musume. Thank you all very, very much. From here on, we want to be a group that is loved by all in the world. Next target - 10-Time champion!!

I wish I could go get some beer to celebrate, but I have to go to work. Maybe tonight... (^_^)/

Congratulations Morning Musume!

Source from Sanspo
Source from Sponichi Annex
Source from Daily Sports Online
>> Read the rest of this article

Kanashimi Twilight Debuts at #2 on Oricon ..... A Tainted Celebration

Morning Musume's 33rd single Kanashimi Twilight, Yoshizawa Hitomi's last single with Momusu debuts at #2 on Oricon. Kinki Kids takes #1 with "Brand New Song". A remarkable achievement indeed.

See here.


With this achievement, Kinki Kids still hold the World Guinness Record of achieving #1 on the charts for ALL singles they have ever released. When I first heard that Kinki Kids would be on the charts to challenge the top spot, I knew that Momusu's chances would be slim.

First, some facts. The current top 5 chart positions are as noted in the image:
#1 Kinki Kids - "Brand New Song"
#2 Morning Musume - "Kanashimi Twilight"
#3 Orange Range - "Ika Summer"
#4 WaT (Wentz Eiji, Koike Teppei) - "Awaking Emotion 8/5/my brand new way"
#5 BoA - "Sweet Impact"

To be honest, I am at some point looking forward to see how Kanashimi would fare in the longest hit chart in Japan. Number 2 is still good, but... why am I not entirely happy? I find myself in swinging between balance of the truth and lies.

Ikimasshoi notes that the actual sales for Morning Musume are actually higher than what was stated in the Oricon website. And that is exactly what I am going discuss here...


Oricon - of lawsuits and reliability...
I have recently discovered that on December last year, Oricon had filed a civil suit against a well-known freelance music critic Ugaya Hiro for libel and defamation, and is demanding compensation for the damages he has caused.

Apparently, the magazine Cyzo had called up Ugaya for a short interview for an article which they are about to publish. The article speaks about how Oricon had "fixed" the sales numbers for certain artistes, using questionable statistical methods for their ranking chart, and how it favoured talents from Johnny's & Associates company(e.g. SMAP, KATTUN, V6). End of the day, the publisher Cyzo wasn't the one being served the papers - it was the freelancer Ugaya. The president of Oricon Wataru Koike said that they will drop the charges if Ugaya apologizes and admits that his statements are incorrect.

This case greatly reflects on today's ranking position, because, for those who didn't know - Kinki Kids is from Johnny's.

Here's a snippet of what quoted from the article entitled "The Lies Behind the Hits; Does Johnny's Get Super-VIP treatment?!; The Honeymoon Between the Talent Agency and Oricon":

In Japan, Oricon was the only hit chart to exist for a long time, so their statistical accuracy has been excessively valued. First of all, Oricon puts reservation copies in its count. There is a high probability that there are dummy reservations in there - that somebody reserved a copy and then later canceled the reservation. If the words "Oricon Debut #1" get used, you can later use that as promotion. I have also heard from multiple record company employees that "you can manipulate the Oricon numbers to a certain degree." Oricon is a mysterious organization to start with. They assert that they use "Oricon's unique statistical methodology" but almost never clarify those methods. In a normal statistical survey, you detail the methods publicly, so it's natural that you emphasize that there is no room to insert doubts about the [survey's] credibility. If you don't do that, it's like as I am saying, the statistical reliability is low.

Not only that, apparently Oricon made up the numbers at will!. Neomarxisme has the translation for that interview.

The part of the interview that concerns me:

When you were editing Geinou Shijou Chousa, did you go out personally to check exactly how many copies of records were selling at the stores?

No, no. For those rankings, I just made up the numbers at will.

The "A rank" meant it sold about 150 copies in a week. "B" was 130. C was 100. I just assigned the ABC ranking as I liked!

At that time, it's not like stores were really checking their inventories.

Well...

It was like...
"Did you have the data?"
"Sorry, Mr. Watanabe. We've been busy and haven't done it yet."
"Well, shoot. Today's the deadline, so please do it."
"Just please make up appropriate numbers, Mr. Watanabe."

"We made this record the #1 seller at that store" - "Oh, that! That's selling well at our place too. Please make it #1."

From the looks of it, Oricon is perhaps trying to protect its public image, and is concerned that this article could defame its reputation. However, after further searching on the net, I find that lots of people are already aware of Oricon's inaccuracy and questionable ranking methods for a long time.

Then why the lawsuit? Why make a standpoint for an "open secret" that is well known for a long time?

What about having the wrong party sued for the wrong reasons? Why is there a price to pay for freedom of speech? A method of shutting up the negative critics in a legal way? Taking the blame for another's fault?

.... Most importantly, is it true that the Johnny's are favoured by Oricon?

Questions, questions, questions...


A similar case have been going on in my country on a national level, which is why I can relate to this Oricon vs Ugaya case. Seems like wherever we go in the cyberspace, we still cannot run away from situations like this.

Sorry I have mix a moment of celebration with this piece. Just that I felt my joy over Momusu's achievement have been tainted over these news, and I don't know if I should continue to believe what was on ranking charts anymore.


Sources

Neomarxisme
Oricon Music Charts Sues Freelancer Over Quoted Comment in Article
Oricon vs. Ugaya Update: "I just made up the numbers at will."

Japantoday.com
Oricon case gives insights into Japan's democracy

The Japan Times Online
ORICON SUES OVER INTERVIEWEE'S COMMENT
Libel suit attacks free speech: defendant

Reporters Without Borders
Music chart company urged to drop lawsuit against freelance journalist who questioned its practices



Ugaya Hiro's side of the story
Letter of apppeal to public from Ugaya Hiro

Oricon's side of the story
Summary description of the case against the journalist Mr. Ugaya
>> Read the rest of this article

°C-ute HAS come!

Yes that's the name of °C-ute's TV show. But really, they have set great record for themselves. °C-ute HAS come!

Honestly, I am not a big °C-ute fan. I only enjoy two of their songs - "Masara Blue Jeans" and "Ookina Ai de Motenashite". Then again, mostly it's because I'm a Berryz Koubou kind of guy. Still, I never forget them because of Suzuki Airi's cuteness, and Mai Hagiwara is just too adorable. ^_^

But an amazing accomplishment for °C-ute - their first major single Sakura Chirari ~桜チラリ~ under the zetima label, have debuted on Oricon at number 3, beating Garnet Crow and Soul'd Out in the process!



For the benefit of those who don't know - °C-ute have 4 songs to their credit, all of them are released under indie labels, and are sold only in concerts and event venues. This is the first time °C-ute is presented to the mainstream market by releasing under a major recording label, zetima (the same label Morning Musume singles are released).

Sakura Chirari is, of course, written by Tsunku himself. Arrangement is done by Takahashi Yuuichi, who also arranged for the Momusu A-Team's "Bokura ga Ikiru My Asia" and "Juunen Ai" - which explains why all the accordions in the song.

What we have here in Sakura Chirari is simple dance choreography and cute costumes. Allow me to highlight one brave move that the producers have made - the girls get solo lines without the help of the Tsunku ghost. Compared to Berryz Koubou, I still think the girls are pretty weak singing by themselves. Amazing that they are able to rank so high on their first start.

Also, I managed to have a listen to a preview of the B-side track "JUMP". A very happy-poppy upbeat song. Are we seeing a rising force that can rival Berryz Koubou? ^_^
I am interested to see what these young girls, with an average age of 13 yrs old, can achieve this year.


My, my, my.... Maimai is just so CUTE!


Suddenly, I miss Murakami Megumi... I wish she is still around for this.
>> Read the rest of this article

Egao Yes Nude Debuts at No. 2 on Oricon

Had a great Valentine's Day. A nice dinner and received a cool gift. What more could I ask for?

Oh no, there is something else that has brighten my day ^_^ ->

Morning Musume's 32nd single "Egao Yes Nude" released today has debuted on Oricon charts at No. 2!

Source from Oricon Daily Ranking

Absolutely fantastic! And no, I'm not disappointed at all. Considering the competition that they have to face this week, it's a great achievement. Whether it is due to the addition of 8th gen member Mitsui Aika, or the recent tragic turmoil of Yoshizawa Hitomi, or the Hello! Project 10th Anniversary celebration, or the great reception of this upbeat single... nobody knows. But I'm REALLY happy nonetheless!

Though it rarely happens, I'm looking forward to see if it can climb up to the No. 1 spot later on. But it's EXILE they're up against... so it's hard to say. So we'll see what happens.... ^_^
>> Read the rest of this article

Morning Musume makes history

Taken from the sources listed below, here is a rough translation-summary:

With the No. 1 single achievement of Morning Musume's 31st Single "Aruiteru", Morning Musume has now officially surpassed Pink Lady to have the most No. 1 singles in Japan in the female group category. In addition to that, Morning Musume is also crowned as the female group to have the most singles to rank within the top ten - 31 singles. That's ALL singles ever released by Momusu.

Total No.1 Singles (Female Group) Rank Singles Artiste 1 10 Morning Musume 2 9 Pink Lady 3 6 Onyanko Club

Total top 10 Singles (Female Group) Rank Singles Artiste 1 31 Morning Musume 2 15 Wink 3 15 MAX

Past No. 1 singles:
Daite Hold on Me! - 1998
Love Machine - 1999
Happy Summer Wedding - 2000
I Wish - 2000
The Peace - 2001
Mr Moonlight ~ Ai no Big Band - 2001
Souda! We're Alive - 2002
Koko ni Iru ze - 2002
As For One Day - 2003

This also marks as the first time for 6th generation members - Fujimoto Miki, Kamei Eri, Michishige Sayumi and Tanaka Reina, and 7th generation member - Koharu Kusumi, to achieve the No. 1 single since joining the group. Furthermore, this means every member of Morning Musume, past and present, have achieved No. 1 single at least once.

Yoshizawa Hitomi (current Morning Musume leader) comments that she was happy with the No. 1 single achievement, but is very surprised to learn that Momusu is now the female group with the most No. 1 singles, and she thanks for all the fans' support on behalf of Momusu. She adds that no matter what happens, Momusu will continue to move forward, and give their best with singing. She hopes that when the fans listen to the song (Aruiteru) will also move forward with them.


Amazing, isn't it? ^_^

Sources
http://www.oricon.co.jp/news/rankmusic/38950/
http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20061114-00000006-dal-ent
[ADDED 16-12-2006]
http://magazine.music.yahoo.co.jp/rep/20061215_001/

>> Read the rest of this article

Why has it got to be Aruiteru?

This post has been in draft mode for a few days. Been busy at work, and pushing up all-nighters. Still a raw write-up but thought I'd push this out soon, before the news gets stale. :)

Firstly, according to ikimasshoi, Morning Musume's 31st Single "Aruiteru" is the Weekly No.1 on Oricon ranking, selling 41,000 copies on the first week. Source here
You don't see this on the Oricon website yet, they're kinda slow on updating the site, I think. And probably the guys at ikimasshoi had an Oricon member's account. The sales figure is correct though. EDIT: Weekly rank Updated

Oricon Weekly Chart

Oricon Daily Chart

From the Oricon chart we see Aruiteru has dropped six places to 7 now. However, it's great to see BoA on the top spot now, really love "Winter Love". A touch of K-Pop feel with a ELT-like sound - absolutely my type of music. ^_^

Ya know, I wished Konno Asami and Ogawa Makoto was still around to experience the Aruiteru wave......

.... okay, back on topic: Why? Why has it got to be Aruiteru reaching the top spot? Why not "Sexy Boy ~ Soyokaze ni Yorisotte"? Why not "Ambitious Yashitenki Ii Jyan"?


To be sure, although I am really excited to see Morning Musume on top of the Oricon charts, up till now I still cannot bring myself to enjoy Aruiteru. It's just not the type of song I play in my car on the way to office, nor playing in the background while I'm whipping up web-application codes. So I sat and thought about it for a long time, looking for an explanation on why a simple song like Aruiteru can fetch the no. 1 spot. (My penchant for analyzing things can find no end, it seems ^_^)

Finally, I had a flashback.
A few years ago, I was introduced to a branch manager of the previously mentioned recording label that I was affiliated with. She came from Taiwan to visit our country, to give some valuable advice for us budding songwriters. We discussed and summed up some answers to that million-dollar question: What makes a hit song (especially in the East Asia)?

The Hook
This is Morning Musume's specialty. Every hit song needs a "hook", it varies from a memorable intro, a catchy chorus, meaningful lyrics, an easily-recognizable melody or even a running bass line. Something that listeners can easily remember and whistle to, even when the song is not playing. Whether you like the song or not, if I ask if you can remember Aruiteru, most of you would probably recall the "A-Ru-I-Te-Ru" part, or the "Na Na Na..." part. If that's true, then the song hook has worked.

The Timing
There is a time when a song strikes a chord with the listener. In Aruiteru's case, as mentioned in ikimasshoi's reference, a lot of youngsters in Japan found a chime with the song and is loving it. Sometimes, you may have the best lyrics and songs but it may not hit, because the time was not right for the majority. I'm sure each of us can name a Momusu song that we love and thought that it should have been a hit, or should have been a A-side song. This "Timing" factor is really subjective, it can be purely luck, but it can be speculated too.

The Audience
Find the target audience and write a song for it. I am thinking that Aruiteru is meant to be easy-listening and appealing to the youth. And for that, you need simple melodies that you can sing along, and meaningful lyrics that they can relate to.

The Frequency
This is probably not related, but I thought I'd mention it anyway. Basically the more songs you write, the more your chances for a eventual hit.

And the evil way...
The Opportunity
A hit song can be "orchestrated". E.g. Create tonnes of promotions and have the radio station play the song to death, and it will eventually grow on the listener. I don't think this is related too.




There are other reasons that I thought about, but not given too much weight:


- The Japanese audience is the main target market. No wonder it doesn't appeal to us from across the ocean.
- It's a memorable occasion, cos' it's the first single with 8 person lineup after Konkon and Mako-chan's graduation. Also the last single with 8 person lineup till next audition intake. It's something people looking forward to see, I think.
- New fanbase. More young girls like Morning Musume, now that Momusu's image makes the girls seem friendlier and approachable.
- The 8th member audition has given Momusu some extra popularity.
- Koharu's solo work and GAM's Fujimoto Miki have brought in some new fans for Momusu.
- Momusu's recent eco-campaign and World Volleyball campaign, has upped their recognition.


Just my two cents... Thanks for reading. ^_^
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Morning Musume is on top. But.....

So Morning Musume's new single "Aruiteru" is no. 1 on the Oricon charts as I mentioned in a prior post, and I was going "Hurray!" and "Woo Hoo~~!" about it. But when I look around, other than a few guys with the same sentiments, everyone else was like:
- "Well, we'll see how long that lasts..."
- "The competition was less this week, they got lucky."
- "Yay. They're on top. Great. Nice. What's for dinner?"
- "Koharu did it again! She's a miracle!"
- "You don't need high sales to be No. 1 on the chart."
- "....... (silence)"
- "....... (nothing to say)"


Am I one of the only few people who is excited about this? I'm in no position nor right to correct anyone, but I still think we should be happy for them. It's a good thing, really.

I think, Morning Musume have been absent from the top of the charts for so long, that fans have started to become doubtful. Reminds me of "Major League II". ^_^

Gone are the times when Morning Musume was invincible in our minds, that they will always stand out among the rest, a genre of their own, a phenomenon unmatched...etc. Still, I think we should give them the support they need, and things will be looking better from here. I submit the following for consideration:

The company is happy -> This achievement on the Oricon charts gives Momusu's management something to cheer about. The board of directors and shareholders are happy, and will be more supportive in allocating resources and attention for future Momusu projects.

Ride the wind -> Will be riding on this success with more merchandises and future projects, by including the tagline. E.g. "Here's our newest product X supported by Morning Musume.... by the way, who also been No.1 on the Oricon". May also have the motivation to repeat this success on the next single release.

Milestone in Momusu history -> A long interval from their last No. 1 spot, creating a reference to be circulated and used around by journalists and paparazzi. Also another colorful entry in their history portfolio.

New breed of fans - I'm only speculating, but I think "Aruiteru" is type of music appeals more to the new generation of young girl-fans. This is really good, because we all know lots of girls in Japan do not like Momusu. A whole new market has been created.

More lure -> Their demand has become better. Suppliers and advertisers will come for them.

More appearances -> Appearing more in national broadcasts and TV shows.

There is nothing wrong in being doubtful. But there is also nothing wrong in having more hope and giving more support for Morning Musume. Myself included, am also doubtful on how long their standings on Oricon will last. But nevertheless, being within the top ten in the charts for every album and singles released, is a no small feat, especially for a long-running female group. Hopefully, this gives the Momusu girls themselves something to shout about, and I'm sure they will work harder to repeat this success next time. Yes, I am sure there IS a next time again.

Peace ^_^
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Morning Musume is No.1 on Oricon!

Good Lord! Hurray!
Ladies and gentlemen, Morning Musume is now number 1 at Oricon charts!

See for yourself!



This happened yesterday... why didn't anybody tell me?!
Man...Three and a half years... It's been that long since they last topped the Oricon charts with "As for One Day". I have to pinch myself to see if I am dreaming! ^_^

I apologize for my previous remarks on Morning Musume's latest single "Aruiteru". but it seems that the strategy worked after all. Never mind that I was right about the concept of the song, but boy, am I SO glad that my opinion of its acceptance was wrong. It would appear that this song was created specifically for the Japanese market, easy on the listener, simple but straightforward lyrics... the strategy came through and the people loved it. Yes!

I'm a gonna get some beer now and read the interview...^_^
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