CD Singles Dominate 2010 Japan

Two idol groups, one male and the other female, completely dominated the Japanese singles market this year, according to pop chart compiler Oricon.

The five-member boy band Arashi was the best-selling artist of the year for the second year in a row, a feat that hasn’t been achieved in Japan since 1974-75.

The group had six of the year’s Top 10 CD singles in terms of retail store sales, and, combined with sales of video content, brought in about 17.2 billion yen ($207 million) altogether.

The other four slots in the 2010 Top 10, including the top two positions, were filled by AKB48, the 48-member girl collective based in Tokyo’s Akihabara electronics mecca. Their top seller, “Beginner,” sold more than 950,000 copies.

The operative word in both cases is “copies.” These particular charts still measure CD sales, which might sound unbelievable given the worldwide push toward digital marketing, but the two groups’ business models still stress physical product.

Arashi is part of the lucrative Johnny’s talent agency, which tends to downplay digital content. All six of the quintet’s songs that made the 2010 Top 10 were only released in CD single form.

With Johnny’s acts, the strategy is to cultivate fans first and then offer product. This scheme is especially impressive given that CD singles in Japan normally retail for about $10.

AKB48’s strategy is even more ingenious. The group’s business is mainly built around its regular stage shows, which attract mostly young men, and the attendant meet-and-greets.

These “fans service” events are often limited to people who buy AKB48 CD singles, which come with vouchers that allow one to get into fan events.

Though the group also distributes its music digitally, CD buyers have priority.