I was wondering how popular SCANDAL really is. Since they're a band, I don't expect them to be up to par with idol groups like AKB48 or Morning Musume. Their sales are rather low, but I'm not sure if that indicates their popularity. Does anyone know anything about this?

Yes obviously Scandal are not as well known as the idol groups you mentioned as they have been around a long time but the Scandal are J-Pop and not an idol group.
I would say they are pretty well known in Japan these days, I have about 40 Japanese friends and at least two thirds of them have heard of Scandal.
Sales are often lower in Japan than many western countries but that does not mean they are not popular.

randomperson99 wrote:Their sales are rather low, but I'm not sure if that indicates their popularity. Does anyone know anything about this?

When I last checked the sales of Japanese all-female bands' latest albums (regardless of what genre they play) about a year ago(?) SCANDAL won, and not by a little, either. Also don't forget that people are unassuming/idiot lazy and buy lossy digital music at almost the same price as CDs would cost. (digital sales do not count towards Oricon and Soundscan charts) Also, SCANDAL have 2 gold record (for Shoujo S and Shunkan) for selling more than 100.000 digital copies!

They also set up quite a few records, too. (first all-female band in Oricon history to have 4 (now 5) studio albums, starting with their debut albums to peak in one of the top 5 position in Oricon weekly album chart, second all-female band (first one was Princess Princess back in 1991(!!!)) to have a 2-day concert in Yokohama Arena, etc)

Oh, and by the way numerous Japanese media called them as the "representative of girl bands" and they also think SCANDAL is of the main reason (alongside with K-On!) of Japan's recent "girls band boom" (ガールズバンドブーム). Guess that supposed to mean something :D

(sowwy for the Hunglish, but I always got fed up whenever this topic comes up)

Also, SCANDAL have 2 gold record (for Shoujo S and Shunkan) for selling more than 100.000 digital copies!

I didn't know that =O Well that's great!!! Do we know more digital sales stats?

For the topic I think we can simply say that SCANDAL is a big and known band now in Japan but surely not mega stars like some singers/bands. They are not a small underground band, they have plenty of exposure :D

I live in California and found out about them through an anime. That's how a lot of people find out about them. Like Sillentdx said, they have 2 gold records,they are first all-female band in Oricon history to have 4 (now 5) studio albums, and they are the second all-female band to have a 2 day concert in Yokohama Arena. Judging from that and things they have collaborated in, I think they're popular.

HaRuRiNaMaMiToMo wrote:For the topic I think we can simply say that SCANDAL is a big and known band now in Japan but surely not mega stars like some singers/bands.

Yeah, I'd agree with that. When I first got into them a lot of people I know in Japan had never heard of them, but now whenever I mention them for whatever reason, people usually at least know their name. I think they're pretty well known at this point, but that doesn't mean everybody who's heard of them is a fan. They may have just seen them on TV or heard someone else talking about them.

AKB48 absolutely dwarfs them, it's not even close. But AKB48 is a special case. There is just nothing else like them in terms of popularity, anywhere. I'm from the US and we have absolutely no equivalent. AKB48 is like half of Japan's economy right now. (I'm joking, but it seems like it sometimes.) It's not fair to compare them with anyone.

Scandal is definitely the most popular "girl's band" in Japan.

@spacecadet

Yasushi Akimoto ( Aki-P ) AKB48's big Boss recently had a meeting with Shinzo Abe the Japanese Prime Minister and the papers joked that Japan wanted a loan from Aki-P.
That is how much money AKB make for Japan

Thanks for the info. I've learned a lot of interesting new things. Sorry if I offended anyone. I wasn't implying that they were unpopular by any means. I was just curious. Anyway, I'm glad that the girls are receiving the attention they deserve. Hopefully, their fame will only continue to grow.

They're having a world tour and when SH members post, some of them add their country, so you can see if Scandal is known in some countries. <-- That just adds onto the point I made earlier. I think they are popular

spacecadet wrote:Yeah, I'd agree with that. When I first got into them a lot of people I know in Japan had never heard of them, but now whenever I mention them for whatever reason, people usually at least know their name. I think they're pretty well known at this point, but that doesn't mean everybody who's heard of them is a fan. They may have just seen them on TV or heard someone else talking about them.

AKB48 absolutely dwarfs them, it's not even close. But AKB48 is a special case. There is just nothing else like them in terms of popularity, anywhere. I'm from the US and we have absolutely no equivalent. AKB48 is like half of Japan's economy right now. (I'm joking, but it seems like it sometimes.) It's not fair to compare them with anyone.

I agree with you. My definition of a popular artist is how people can easily recall their songs, whether fan or just a casual music listener. I believe that their songs are quite easy to recall.

For me, Scandal are considered in the league of their own. They are quite influential too, if not totally with superstar-like popularity. I even saw a clip of a major label-signed pop rock band covering Scandal Baby on Youtube. Also, there upcoming world tour (although, many Filipinos including myself are STILL hoping for them to visit Manila) can also signify their growing popularity.

BTW spacecadet, I like they way you humorously compare half of Japan's economy to the success of AKB48. Hehehe!

The topic is too broad, maybe we must conduct some technical survey so that we can forecast data to other members, not a wise idea but smart idea for this forum

Yeah When I Ask My Japanese Friends About SCANDAL They Tell Me They Never Heard Of Them Before Which Shocks The Hell Out Of Me Really LOL I Guess It Depends On What Kind Of Music People Are Into

@JR_Grimes

They may not be as famous as AKB48 but plenty of my Japanese friends have heard of Scandal.

SCANDAL is very popular in Turkey actually. However there is only one SCANDAL Tribute Band for now and I play bass in this band (SHOUJO SPIN).

And people don't buy SCANDAL albums. Most of SCANDAL fans in Turkey watches videos on YouTube. So they know few songs of SCANDAL.