2004 Recap of AKG's Activities: What Will Come Next?

Let me start by saying that this year was excellent for AKG! Below I will tell you what AKG achieved this year, and what you have to look forward to :)

2004 Recap:
2004 was a extremely busy year for AKG, but their work has led the group to great success. AKG came into this year after just releasing their first big album, Kimi tsunagi Five M in Dec. 2003. When they started in 2004, one could have easily labeled them an Indie band because their album had only sold a mere 20,000 copies. To spread their name, AKG first hit the year off by going on their Nano-Iro concert tour in Japan. After their tour ended in March, AKG went straight to work recording. In April, AKG released their single Siren. It went straight to the top! Siren was on Oricons top monthly ranking for two straight months in a row.

After this great success, it seemed to be only smooth sailing for AKG. In May AKG released their next single, Loop and Loop. Again, this single also appeared on the top rankings for two straight months. As if their luck could not get any better, AKG then scored a deal with an animation company. AKG had won the contract to have their next single, Rewrite, featured as the last opening for the infamous anime, Full Metal Alchemist! This single was huge. It scored big on the music charts, and it took AKGs name to an entirely new audience. But that was not enough! AKG immediately released its last single, Kimi no Machi Made, the following month.

Kimi no Machi Made fumbled in the market, and did not do as well as the other singles; however, there was a good reason for this. Only days after its release, AKG officially announced that their next album Sol-Fa was to be released in October. Kimi no Machi Made, along with the other three singles would be some of the songs featured in the new album.

All throughout October fans from around the world began to pre-order the album and there was a lot of anticipation in the air. Sony even gave top rankings to some of AKGs and music videos two weeks prior to the Sol-Fa release. October 23rd, Sol-Fa was released, and over 300,000 copies were sold that first week! Sol-Fa was on Oricon’s charts for over 6 weeks and ended up selling half a million copies!!! I’d say their mission was accomplished :)

AKG continued to grace their fans by then releasing their first DVD in November.

It should also be mentioned that AKG also attended 8 music festivals this summer. Some festivals such as Rock in Japan Festival hosted crowds of 40,000 people on their fair grounds! AKG also hosted the Nano-Mugen Festival, in which they along with 2 other bands rocked the night out.

So after all of this success, what is next in store for AKG?

2005 Plans for AKG
AKG is not planning on resting anytime soon. They have already committed to play at the Sonic Festival February 2005. Moreover, they will also be going on a nationwide tour of Japan from March to June. The name of their concert tour is Re: Re: in honor of the song featured on Sol-Fa.

In terms of more music, I think we can expect to see a new single within the next 3 months or so. Whether they will release another album this year is too hard to determine at this point. So far they have released 2 albums in the past two years, so it is definitely possible. Overall, I know that AKG will continue to please fans with their great music. Moreover, I think AKG will gain a more dominant presence in the Japanese market this year. Need proof? Just look at the trend in their album sales.

Kimi Tsunagi Five M: 20,000 copies
Sol-Fa: 500,000 copies

A great example of what a little advertising and a great product can do :)

As for this site, expect to continue to get up to date information about AKG year round. This is a site created by a fan for fans. Over the next year, I will bring you more music samples, videos, lyrics, pictures, etc

Well that is my New Years resolution for you guys :) I hope you will continue to visit the site and support AKG. It is your support that allows AKGs name to get out there so others can learn why AKG is such a great band!

Happy Holidays and Happy New Years Eve!

Katie (a.k.a. akfgfan)

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