The “era of Johnny’s dominance” has come to an end… The “latest single” featuring all of Johnny’s talents was unexpectedly defeated by a group of up-and-coming artists.

Artists belonging to STARTO ENTERTAINMENT such as “SUPER EIGHT” and “Snow Man” have released a charity single “WE ARE” under the name “STARTO for you.

It ranked second in the Oricon Weekly Singles Ranking dated August 5, losing out to artists belonging to LDH. The former Johnny’s was once a dominant force in the male idol world, but in recent years other boy groups have emerged.

STARTO ENTERTAINMENT started full-scale operations on April 10 of this year as a management company to replace the former Johnny’s office. This year’s “WE ARE” featured 75 members from 14 groups, ranging from NEWS to the “Ae! group, which made its CD debut in May, and all proceeds will be donated to the victims of the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake that struck at the beginning of the year (both singles and downloads will be available until December 31 of this year).

The CD of “WE ARE” sold 144,001 copies on the first day of its release and ranked No. 1 on the Oricon Daily Single Ranking dated July 23, 2012, followed by the single “24karats GOLD” by the young group “THE RAMPAGE from EXILE TRIBE” belonging to LDH. GENESIS” of “THE RAMPAGE from EXILE TRIBE,” a young group belonging to LDH, was in the lineup.

What caught the attention of fans was its sales. The single of “THE RAMPAGE” recorded 134,156 copies. Fans on X (formerly Twitter) were surprised that the difference was not as large as they had expected. The song is sung by popular groups such as “Snow Man,” “SixTONES,” and “Naniwa Boys,” which are the most popular groups in the world today. ……” (entertainment writer)

Perhaps feeling impatient, the STARTO side later announced that a lottery would be held at CD stores nationwide to give away special prizes. The winner of the lottery was a B5-size clear file or A4-size clear poster featuring the members’ photos.

The official website of the album also announced the stores where the lottery was held and the EC sites (Tower Records Online and HMV Online). It seems that the special offers were added “after the fact” after the release.