Music CDs in an MP3 World

I love living in the United States but it is also fun to visit other countries and experience other cultures. This evening I will be headed from Tokyo back to the US, but I have expanded my understanding of the Japanese people. One phenomenon here is the pop music group AKB48. It is a group made up of nubile young ladies ranging from the mid teens to the early 20s. I'm not sure where the number 48 comes from as there are 67 members of the group. They are split into 3 groups with 22 in Group A and 22 in Group B. The rest of the girls are trainees. As the girls get older, they graduate and younger girls audition to take their place.

The genius of the group is how members are voted in. When you purchase the CD single for one of the group's songs, you get a voting ticket that you can cast for your favorite member. So if there is someone you really like, you can purchase multiple CD's and stuff the ballot box in her favor. It is not uncommon for fans to purchase many copies of the same CD simply to cast more votes.

Everybody loves cute young girls and so you can't help but become interested in them. The music isn't bad and their music videos are fun to watch. I have to hand it to their producer as he has also figured out how to sell music CDs in an MP3 world. I wonder if it would work back in the States?