For pete's sake, I know they sell bras on TV but when did they turn into balloon smugglers?
That is a little disturbing. Take a look at their original selves on the first page of this thread.
I think I might be looking at a crude amateur 'shop job on an old picture.
This comment from super jpop fan supremenothing on this pic on FB:
"This is from the photo session for the cover to one of VB's first major label singles, and they announced that if they didn't sell a certain number of copies they would disband. I'm pretty sure the mysterious "expansion" was part of the marketing plan."
EDITEDsupremenothing ought to know...
and now you can, too.Not satisfied to leave this unresolved, so I looked it up.
The bulbous photo is front insert art for a November 2015 AAA maxi-single, their
13th single release and their first for distribution by big-leaguers the Avex Group.
Hence the sales requirement: ship 15,000 units of this single, as well as your
next full album, or you are dropped.
Avex doesn't fool around, they have to put their resources behind productive
properties like Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra and Boredoms.
〜〜〜
So, if true it's not exactly shocking, but contract details like that are usually kept
in the dark. This time, at a free event to promote the single, somebody asked the
girls about it. In public! At a performance / talk show / 8th anniversary celebration!!
Extremely bad form, what a downer. Poor Vanibi, crying at their own party!!!
Fortunately, the girls were prepared, like the pros they are. Their slide show presentation
made room for some talking-head video of their manager confirming the rumor.
Help us fans, it's buy or die! And it'll be Christmas soon!
The part about dissolving was just raising the stakes. Avex does not have the power
to break up Vanibi, but the Nordic Idol Unit set some even higher sales targets for
themselves, and said they were packing it in unless they got total sales of a million
and a half over 11 months. Or something like that. Vanibi will not be defeated.
They're still in the Avex stable,* so it must have panned out. Extortion works! One time,
anyway. Given that the followers are tripping over their own tongues to begin with.
* Avex Music Creative manages
their web presence, at least
〜〜〜〜〜
So far, pretty unimaginative sales strategy. Now for the witty part.
The single was released in two versions, a regular CD and an limited first pressing CD+DVD
enhanced edition with the same 6 audio tracks, plus a music video and some other fan fodder.
Regular single front coverEnhanced single front cover – half-body crop so you won't miss itThe bra stuffing was an art direction concept planned in advance
and executed on the photographer's set. Good joke, everybody!
Then Vanibi used the false-front version as the profile image on
their blog and spoiled the whole thing.
Come on girls, fashion is excess. Style is refusal.