[GENERAL] The AKB48 Thread

My point: SGs managements don't want to be part of AKB's sales anymore. Because all SGs are dropping drastically! if they continue to be part of the AKB, their personal results will become even worse, which may question their existence and economic benefits. SG and especially NMB are not the parts of one company and everyone has their own personal interests. Without them, AKB are unlikely to be able to sell even 300k copies.

also after the scandal (NGT) do they even have management? from the outside it looked like complete destruction without restoration

 

Let's say AKB isn't confident about releasing a single alone without sister groups, they could have used this whole year to increase the popularity of AKB members? I'm confused why they can't produce online shows. They could make shows like AKBINGO! or AKB48 Show, but online, and with simple location and simple production so that it wouldn't cost a lot. They could do dramas. They can do anything to increase popularity of members but instead they didn't do much for a whole year... They only made Youtube channels for some members but to me that isn't very different content than Showrooms, just that the editing is better. I wish to see the girls do more performances that look like music shows, similar to the ones from AKB48 Show, and more acting with dramas, more variety, etc.

Actually even simple videos like this are very fun to watch, or put them in better clothes and use a colorful background and it can look like any real TV idol variety show, it's a waste they didn't continue this and only released a few videos then gave up. For a short period of time they uploaded AKB Off-Shot cams and these type of videos where they play games and it had english subs, why did they stop? Not enough response maybe? I don't know but they could definitely do an online variety show like this and it would help the girls to get more popular.


if the video does not show watch the video here

I really liked this and laughed a lot when I watched it. I even learn a bit some girls names/faces and personnalities, but then they stopped so fast.

 

Based on other 48g and other jpop groups, most (female) idol groups have lost up to 41% of their sales since the first lockdown. Online handshakes just aren't as enticing as personal ones, and jpop groups aren't making it easy to let overseas fan join those handshake events either.

Spoiler: 48/46 Group

[HIDE]
Nogizaka46 went from 1.1M sales for Shiawase no Hogosyoku to 658k for Boku wa Boku wo Suki ni Naru. -40.2%
SKE48 went from 325k for So~Yu~Toko Aru Yo Ne? to 190k for Koi Ochi wo Flag (Jurina's grad single!). -41.5%
NMB48 went from 261k for Hatsukoi Shijo Shugi to 214k for Datte Datte Datte. -18.0%
HKT48 went from 304k for Ishi to 196k for 3-2. -35%
NGT48 went from 175k for Sekai no Hito e to 132k for Sherbet Pink. -24.6% (Considering this also bridges the major scandal, this drop is surprisingly low.)
STU48 went from 293k for Mubou na Yume wo Sameru Koto ga Nai to 204k for Omoidaseru Koi wo Shiyou. -30%
[/HIDE]

Spoiler: Other groups

[HIDE]
=LOVE went from 169k for CAMEO to 142k for Seishun "Subliminal". -15% (I need to add that the fans went all out to get it over 100k and it had another recent surge after the first member recently announced her graduation. First week sales were 99k, which would be a drop of -41.4%)
Last Idol went from 87k for Seishun Train to 54k for Ai wo Shiru. -37%
Morning Musume went from 127k for Kokoro & Karada to 112k for Junjou Evidence. -11%
[/HIDE]

I wanted to compare other 46 groups as well but I think Keyaki/Sakura isn't a fair comparison and Hinata and Yoshimoto haven't released singles since March 2020 either.

Best case scenario, AKB is like MM and only loses 11%. Compared to Shitsuren, Arigatou, they'd sell just above 1M. This is extremely unlikely as 48G sale drops are higher.
Worst case scenario, AKB is like SKE and loses ~40%. Compared to Shitsuren, Arigatou, they'd sell plus minus 700k.

There's no way AKB48 is gonna make one million sales for the next single if they don't get to do physical handshakes. I have said this before though: I do want them to drop, so that they see they need to change other things, and I would love to see them rise from the ashes.

 

Check the sales of AKB's latest singles. No way in hell sister group members are worth 70% of the total of sales, not even close.

 

AKB's latest singles was released without SG? Good point!
Stop looking just only at HS results in Ethernet. It's more than just 30/30.

 

I don't know if management is aware of this but AKB is pretty much like any company in the world. They need money to function properly and if they don't anything, money will run out sooner or later. Without money, management will have to fire part of the members and staff to go on a little longer, or declare bankruptcy.

 

Another thing that can affect sales are graduation of members too, I know these groups all rely on events a lot but for example if a really popular member like Maiyan graduates, her fans would most likely not buy anymore or not buy as much so yes there have been graduations too since the pandemic. it's normal for all these groups to lose sales.

I really think the best solution for AKB is release a summer single with election tickets... it's a double win because 1) they'll get the sales and 2) elections is an event that always gets the attention of fans and non-fans and it can bring more interest to the group. Besides 3 years passed since the last elections, many graduations happened, many changes in popularity, and it will be very interesting to see the current popularity of members. Even some members like Naachan said in October 2020 that she wants the elections back:

"Naachan: Personally I want (Senbatsu Sousenkyo) to be held again. It is a big event which AKB48 famous of. It might be hard now because of the pandemic but once it is over..."

She said that it might be hard because of the pandemic but I think they can just hold the elections indoor and with the members only like they did a few years ago, it was still enjoyable.

I'm also wondering if this situation will continue even once Sakura/Nako/Hitomi return? That would be such a big waste of all the popularity they built during these 2,5 years if they don't have anything to do once they're back. They would probably run away fast. Management needs to do something now... I know it cost money to produce but it's investing, if they do things right, they'll earn more than what they spent. I don't think not doing anything is helping anyone. Release a single, bring back elections, creat online variety shows, online music show, fun things like competition between the new units maybe? and new dramas. it's so sad to think of all these months that passed and most girls only do Showrooms.

 

I'm wondering if they're also waiting for Sakura to return and make her the centre of the next single, maybe making it an election single. IZ*ONE disbands in April, I think, so that seems like the ideal time to release a pre-election single.

Sakura has many new fans that would probably easily push her to the number 1 spot even if Jurina was still around. Other Kami 7 or even senbatsu members will probably be aware of that and go out.

I want to believe Sakura's return will make AKB48 active again.

 

Yes hopefully the return of Sakura will be a motivation for management to actually do something for AKB. I also think the sister group who has been the least active since the pandemic is HKT who only released 1 single like one year ago and it received absolutely 0 promotion... every other sister group released singles since then and with pretty good promotions. Hopefully once Sakura and Nako return, it will also help HKT, and AKB as a whole. At this point we really need anything. I hope management doesn't ruin it...

I was wondering if the agency has financial problems right now, but when I think about it, they can't have less money now than when AKB debuted, right... AKB was releasing music in a regular way even during debut days (3 singles in 2006, 5 singles in 2007) so yes I really find no excuse for the current situation :/

Recently Tatsuya Makiho graduated from AKB and while she was almost inexistant in AKB (she wasn't promoted at all) she joined a new idol group right after graduation and I'm seeing her more in the news than I've ever seen her when she was in AKB. She has photoshoots, live performances, even centers her new group. She gains followers on Twitter while she didn't back when she was AKB (she was even losing followers). it's just sad that now you can become a real idol by leaving AKB rather than joining AKB... Management needs to do something both for the sake of the current members and for the image of the group, so that talented/cute/funny girls will want to audition in the future.

While we're discussing this, I want to share the latest music video of Yukirin's new solo song, because that's one of the rare actual music content we got from an AKB member recently. if anyone didn't see it yet, please make sure to check it and support


if the video does not show watch the video here

 

I hope they will make some spring concerts/lives, maybe with small units in order to keep the social distance... Team 8 new members don't step on a stage since last year's request hour!

 

They had concerts scheduled for the beginning of this year, but they had to cancel them all... I wonder why they don't do online paid concerts like some other groups do? They can make money like that. At least the girls do something new, and the fans have something new too. They can also release it on DVD after...

 

Thay had to cancel it due to the Japan's state of emergency that will last until 8th march, I wonder what will they do after that...

 

57th single.
AKB members: 416/1669
Sister groups: 335/2944

Let's just pretend for one second that in those sister group slots that weren't sold out there's enough to equal the sales of AKB members and that AKB slots that weren't sold out are completely empty. They would still have to sell enough to make up for 81 slots. Even if something absurd as this happened, that single would sell 583 thousand copies without sister groups.
300 thousand is the number of sales of SKE pre-covid. With less members and a smaller market. Things in Akihabara are bad, but not that bad. Not to mention that without sister group members, many tickets used for those members would be used to shake hands with an AKB.

Now, about releasing a single with votes. The Sousenkyo determines the senbatsu (and coupling songs) of the subsequent single... that wouldn't have tickets for real handshakes. See the problem?

 

AKB was losing money in the early days, iirc they were massively in debt to Sony when they were booted from defstar. Which is one of the reasons Aki-p helped devise Nogizaka46, basically he owed Sony a huge favour.

I've also been thinking along the lines that Akb is low on money recently. They've sold off some of the family silver (HKT, SKE and ngt) to other agencies and they have hardly any activities. Even the merchandise recently has gotten shoddy, the Netshop photo sets are complete garbage lately. Anyway its just a theory.

 

ISTR that the limited editions of the summer singles used to come with both SSK voting and HS tickets.

Thanks for the heads-up - but yes it seems to confirm that there'll be no new single soon (although presumably sales from these extra dates will briefly propel this single back into the charts).

 

If you couldn't watch the valentine cooking contest, this channel has it
https://www.youtube.com/user/nontitle2012

 

Each to their own, I've had a different experience. Last set I bought was Jan 2020 vol 1 (tartan costume), I'm taking a pass on the sets going on pre-order tonight. Speaking in general terms, the lighting in the self-taken sets is awful, the clothing/costumes are dull and the angles/poses are very often derivative with too many similar shots, in a lot of cases they have a bunch of close-ups with no full-length shots.

 

aye, JKT48 is the perfect example.