This years Kōhaku Uta Gassen is an intersting one.

Red Team/White Team

1. Aiko/ Arashi
2. Angela Aki/ Akikawa Masafumi
3. Kaoru and Tomoki (Marumaru Mori-mori)/ Itsuki Hiroshi
4. Ikimono Gakari/ EXILE
5. AKB48/ NYC
6. KARA/ Kitajima Saburou
7. Kawanaka Miyuki/ Go Hiromi
8. Ayaka/ SMAP
9. Ishikawa Sayuri/ Sen Masao
10. Kobayashi Sachiko/ Tohoshinki (TVXQ)
11. Koda Kumi/ TOKIO
12. Godai Natsuko/ Tokunaga Hideaki
13. Sakamoto Fuyumi/ AAA
14. SNSD/ Nagabuchi Tsuyoshi
15. Tendo Yoshimi/ Nishida Toshiyuki
16. Natsukawa Rimi/ Hikawa Kiyoshi
17. Nishino Kana/ Hirai Ken
18. Hamasaki Ayumi/ FUNKY MONKEY BABYS
19. Perfume/ Fukuyama Masaharu
20. Ayaka Hirahara/ flumpool
21. Fuji Ayako/ Hosokawa Takashi
22. Matsuda Seiko/ Porno Graffiti
23. Mizuki Nana/ L’Arc~en ciel
24. Mizumori Kaori/ Mori Shinichi
25. Wada Akiko/ Inawashirokos
26. Kanda Sayaka/ Suzuki Fuku
27. Shiina Ringo/ Yuzu
28. Matsutoya Yumi/ —

So now I’ve gotten the Kpop thing outta the way we can really look at who is at this years Kohaku and who is your typical Kohaku attendie. I’ve hightlighted a few and we are gonna complaire them to groups I like that didn’t make it (Kis-My-Ft2, Morning Musume and Sexy Zone) and see if we can see if this year is really that balenced, or a balenced as the massivly corupt Japanese entertainment system can be. I should note that all sales figures will be for the first week only just to save time. Unless the single charts over nine weeks the first week is always the bulk of the sales anyway.

• Aiko, the solo singer:

Aiko is on this years red team and she has performed ten times before. She released two singles this year Zutto which was released on the 23rd of Novemeber and charted at number four and selling 46,827 copies and a double A side Koi no Super Ball / Home on elventh of May which charted at four and sold 72,816. Her most notible release was two best albums which she released on the same day that charted at two and three and both sold 200,000+.

Being a solo artist her string point was definatly albums, untill I saw her awsome sales there I was thinking she must have alot of exsposure and radio play to make up for it. That really shows that Idols really are the exception in the music industry since Aiko sells just like any western artist.

• NYC, the young Johnny’s Group:

NYC is on this years white team and this is their third time in a row that they have been invited to Kohaku. This year was a slow one for them as they only released one single Yume Tamago which charted at number two and sold 122,023 copies. The group as a whole have very few CM’s together but one member Nakayama Yuma has had one Drama and one CM seperate from the groups activities.

I know it, you know it NYC would not be invited to Kohaku if it wasn’t for Johnny’s Entertainment aparently refusing to let their talents Arashi host unless some of their junor talents got to perform as well. However at least in previous years NYC were active and released more than one single but getting in for just one single? Does Kohaku think they will capture a younger audience with a group this quite? Compare NYC to their Junior group Kis-My-Ft2 and it is night and day. Not only did Kisumai sell much more (315,781 on their debut single) but they are still releasing another single and they have had more work with a Drama (Ikemen Desu Ne) a stage play with a ex-NEWS member (again Ikemen Desu Ne) but all of their promotions have put the group at a much bigger profile than NYC, but putting fairness onto JE is like putting science onto Tarot Cards - they just don’t mix.

• Ayaka the solo singer coming back from her year long Hiatus:

A member of this years red team she last released a single in July 2009 so she has had no activties this year except one CM where her music was used. Acording to some commernts I read, though I can find no comfrimation, her last live performance was at last years Kohaku so go figure. She has been on the show five times before.

Ayaka is planning to restart her carere next year and since her last performance was aparently last years Kohaku I guess it makes for a good story. She as even left her agency Ken-On this year so either I’m missing a big piece of info here or I guess the Japanese entertaiment industry is less Cut-throat than I thought.

• Koda Kumi this solo singer who is known as one of the top three in Japan:

A member of this years red team Koda has been on Kohaku seven times in the past and was very active this year releasing three singles (with another on the way released today) and an album. None of her singles ranked above a number four in the charts with her best seller POP DIVA selling only 32,702 and charting at number four. However she fair slightly better with her album Dejavu charting at number one with a respectable 138,005 copies sold.

Koda, despite her Kohaku history, is not somone who I thought would be invited. 2011 was not a good year with her only bright spot, her album Dejavu, only claiming the top stop due to her management avioding compation. She kept her spot though name alone and here we can see the big diference between Morning Musume and other lowiish selling 90’s stars like TOKIO. SMAP still has the same members, Koda Kumi is still Koda but the big members from Morning Musume have now left the group. Until MM can build it’s name beack up again (as it is doing slowly this year) it looks like it will always be in the shadow of Dream Morning Musume.

• TOKIO the rock band older Johnnys group:

White team memeber TOKIO have been on the show a stagering eighteen times before this years but have had a quiet 2011 releasing only one single Miageta-Ryusei charting at number four selling a disapointing 25,370 copies. They had one comercial deal this year selling a smart phone and have two shows on the air one being a reality show about the members living the farmers life.

Unlike SMAP TOKIO are one of the quiter Johnny’s groups but they still get a fair bit of work. Comparing their work to resently debuted Johnny’s group Sexy Zone it is easy to see their inclution is mostly on past glory and JE ‘magic.’ Dispite debuting this year Sexy Zone have had one CM deal (Promoting the Vollyball FiVE World Cup, which they supported this year) Charted at nuber one with their one single release (selling 172,925 copies) and are the main personalitys on a Johnny’s themed reality/Varity show Johnny’s Jr. Land. So here we can see that Johnny’s groups have have their own criteia for peroming at Kohaku that JE get to deside.

• AAA the Idol group under avex:

White team member, dispite having two female members, is one of the busiest groups on this list releasing a Studio Album Buzz Communication charting at two and selling 50,701, a Mini Album 6th Album “Buzz Communication” Pre-Release Special Mini Album which didn’t chart, a best album #AAABEST which charted at number one with an okay 66,203. Not to mention four singles Daiji na Koto, No cry No more, and two double A sides CALL / I4U and most resentley Charge & Go! / Lights. Ranking and selling at four (27,297), three (47,498), five (35,451) and five (48,912) respectivley.

I think out of all of the invitiees AAA are the most confusing. They are the busiest out of those I’ve looked at but even Avex promoting the fuck outta them didn’t improve their sales. Every one complaines that MM has shit sales but in coparason with AAA (a first time Kohaku guest) they are just under the curve never selling in the 20,000 but avergaging in the 30,000’s. As Idols they didn’t do any dramas this year and as far as I can Google havn’t done any comercial work. I tried seeing what agency they were under in case it was Vision Factory the most powerful briberific one, but no, they are just under Avex it seems. Checking the Billboard charts it becomes obvious what the difference is: Air Play. As much as AAA my not sell amazingly (but still respectibley) they get much more radio play somthing Hello! Project do not have.

So what have we learned? In order to get invited to Kohaku you must:

1. Sell well (But this isn’t a desiding factor);
2. Do alot of comercial work;
3. Have nostgia on your side;
4. Have a powerful agency (JE, VF, Ohta Pro ect);
5. Have alot of air play.

So if the guest list is done not by bribes but by sence then work hard and your faviorte band can make it too!!