State of CityPop/AOR in Japan

Recently I was at Tower Records in Shibuya. It's a cliche tourist stop, but it was nice when I went. It was early in the morning, before it opened and a day when an Idol was doing a live appearance.

I was curious so I went in to the ground floor and was surprised when I saw Nujabes, Takeuchi Mariya and Tatsuro Yamashita albums covering the entire floor.

The music is good, yes, but I was 100% surprised it was the first thing you see when you walk in. Ususally the ground floor entrance is reserved for new stars, upcoming stars with huuuugee fandoms.

But, everyone at the door waiting to gain entry was, considerably under 40 - what the above demographic is not for the above.