What would ayu need to do to get amuro-likes sales numbers?

[Pieces_of_SEVEN]

So I was looking at the charting for A ONE, which managed to sell over 50k copies in about ten weeks.

Reviewing Namie's newly-released _genic, it has sold, what, almost 140k (I could be slightly off about that) in its first week?

I do understand that namie is somewhat of an anomaly. No shade, because I absolutely adore namie and LOVE _genic. BUT it's an engrish pop album. I know this may not be a popular opinion, but namie has no involvement in the creation of her music whatsoever except giving her voice to the track. As opposed to ayu who has written practically every single one of her, what, 220 songs? Imo, that is a truly talented artist. ARTIST, not performer. WHAT exactly keeps namie "fresh" and popular to this day?

I actually despise the general decline for solo acts in the last few years. WHY do people even flock to absolutely ridiculous bubblegum girl groups with 24 thousand members. I will never understand the appeal, and I won't accept it. It's a little frustrating, honestly.


ANYWAY, what do you think that ayu could do (if anything) to kind of achieve that "comeback" status that namie has been riding on basically ever since Queen of Hip Pop?

Should she switch to EDM? Tried that with Colours (granted it could have been better...except for Terminal and Lelio, those are spectacular).
Engrish EDM? I'd rather her keep her current sales figures.
Not live her life the way she wants (marrying a gaijin, etc.)? I'd rather her do what she wants in her own life and not succumb to opinions and comments from ignorant fair-weather fans. It's disloyal and actually disgusting. I digress.

Should she take a break? She has been extremely active in the last year (and really, for the last fifteen years straight almost). I don't think that taking an extended break would have a positive impact though. If anything, maybe even more people would become less interested in her than they are now.

Is it that Japanese people dislike her sometimes-recycled melodies and lyrics? Is it something about her composers? Do some fans just feel that she is uninspired lately? Do they just think she's a grandma (which is totes ignorant and stupid, because namie is definitely older than ayu, and they both look absolutely gorgeous). I can't wrap my head around it. It just makes me feel like...




While _genic is a SUPER fun, upbeat, fast-paced album, I think that it is just as special as A ONE (or Colours, for that matter), despite being so ballad heavy.

Is ayu fated to simply continue down this path of slow decline until...what? She retires completely? (When that happens, I'll need all kind of psychiatric help and Xanax, btw.)

Anyway, just some thoughts I was having. Opinions?

[Uknow!]

What would ayu need to do to get amuro-likes sales numbers?

Betraying herself.

She is happy. She is doing what she likes. She is an artist. She makes art and she can follow this line. There are a lot of artist in japan and gropus of j-rock that don't need the status of Amuro, because they don't want be the trend, they want do music and Ayu now feels the same way. She wants to do music for her fans and for herself. She wants to perform because she likes it and she is happy with her life now. Japan, sales and Amuro are not important for her.

[Pieces_of_SEVEN]

^^Exactly that. I feel that she would be incapable of betraying herself at this point anyway, because of how she has lived her life up until now. If she tried to do something like that, it would be ultra transparent and probably also fail. So of course the best answer is to always be yourself. Sigh.

[ladygryffindor]

This is all very new and frustrating to me. I have been a solitary Ayu fan since 2006. I really didn't connect to any others in the fandom and was unable to really read any news about her. I just had her music, which I adore. So I never heard gossip or knew how popular this song was, or that song.

It frustrates me how mean people seem to be toward her. What did she ever do to make the anti-ayu so vile toward her? How can they say such mean spirited things??? How can they get joy from it? If ayu changing would just because of these people, then I say good riddance. I love her writing her own lyrics. I love her playing with different styles. And for the darkness she pulled me out of a few years back, I'll be her fan until the day I die.

Recently I have been trying as hard as I could to buy physical copies of her music. I had already bought almost everything from iTunes, but I felt a very strong need to show support now. From everything I have been finding out the past couple weeks here, she seems to need it. <3 I have been focusing on what seems to be the "most shunned" albums first and then I will get the more "popular" ones as I go. (I just received Colours in the mail yesterday ^_^).

I agree that trying to make a "comeback" in any way might compromise what we love about her. I want her to be herself and be happy. She'll always have a fan with me.

[Surreal17]

Aww, what a sweet post. It.s really refreshing to read something like this. Welcome to ahs. I also don.t like when people fight over stupid things related to ayu carrer or when they diss her like crazy. On the other side, the stan meaning also bugs me. In fact, I consider myself just a fan. It.s already enough. When you say fan, you say all the nice words. It.s the same with the exagerations for a song like - wow, this is ultra perfect or perfection and after 2 months the same fan says "It grew old" and I.m like wtf. It.s like simple words and feelings are losing their meaning.

[JackieRos]

People can not give constructive criticism without shaming someone
just because they are doing far more better than the other.

Namie doesn't just "lend" her voice and she gets hits. She dances, sings,
performs, acts (music videos are form of acting). Just because she
doesn't write her music doesn't mean she's below other artists.

Ayumi does the same as Namie except that she has the creativeness
to write her own music. Whatever Ayumi is doing maybe fans are
starting to get bored but just because she's not getting that many sales
doesn't mean that her music is any bad.

People act like not writing your music is not common, is more common
for artists to NOT write their own music. And that doesn't make them less artists. Also people are acting like Ayumi doesn't get help with
everything else like choreography, concerts, music videos, her image, or anything besides writing music. She doesn't do that by herself but just
because she gets help or they assign her things to do doesn't make
her less of an artist either.

Both of them are my most favorite singers that I love and when people
start saying that one of them just lends her voice and does nothing
really bothers me.

Ayumi is a legend and just because her sales are not high doesn't mean
she's less.

[Delicious n Bold]

Ayu would have to completely revamp her image. Start fresh.

While Namie isn't cut out for making music at least she isn't writing bad music or stealing credits.

[xLuna&1LOVE]

I was in school the other day, working on my project that involves Ayu and met a Chinese girl that has been a huge fan of her in the past. She said that some people think Ayu is 'lost' and also the stuff all about her privat life the last years has not been forgiven or forgotten yet. This was for her the reason she is not listening to her anymore. But, on the other hand, she seemed to be a Namie fan and said: "Namie just found her style, and the music is good." Well, people are entitled to their own opinions, but I encouraged her to listen to A ONE. I think it is just time that people need to get over the idea that someone is lost or whatever, because Ayu has claimed with the new album that she is back. I do not think Ayu cannot do much more than stay to her true self and produce great music. I pray for the day people with recognize that. Whatever happens, she is a living legend.


Edit, @Delicious_n_Bold, what do you mean with stealing credits? Or was that just a general comment?

[Delicious n Bold]

^ A general comment aimed at no singer.

[primavera♥]

Ayu doesn't even have music that I think could normally could have mass appeal besides her ballads. So I think people have just tired of it.

She honestly can't do Namie's style, image, music genres, etc because it simple does not suit her but those are definitely more trendy.

Ayu has an image ingrained in people's head and unless people forget that image over time, many people will still dislike her. I think it's silly, but the public looks down on her I guess. And a lot of people don't follow her like serious fans do to have a certain appreciation for her.

I don't really see her sales going up unless more positivity and interest surrounds her career like it did for Namie at some point. But even then, I don't think that would be enough.

Like someone said, someone's sales don't mean the music is necessarily bad or good unlike what many fans will have you to believe.


Some artists just don't recover.

[Uknow!]

Originally Posted by JackieRos

People can not give constructive criticism without shaming someone
just because they are doing far more better than the other.

Namie doesn't just "lend" her voice and she gets hits. She dances, sings,
performs, acts (music videos are form of acting). Just because she
doesn't write her music doesn't mean she's below other artists.

Ayumi does the same as Namie except that she has the creativeness
to write her own music. Whatever Ayumi is doing maybe fans are
starting to get bored but just because she's not getting that many sales
doesn't mean that her music is any bad.

People act like not writing your music is not common, is more common
for artists to NOT write their own music. And that doesn't make them less artists. Also people are acting like Ayumi doesn't get help with
everything else like choreography, concerts, music videos, her image, or anything besides writing music. She doesn't do that by herself but just
because she gets help or they assign her things to do doesn't make
her less of an artist either.

Both of them are my most favorite singers that I love and when people
start saying that one of them just lends her voice and does nothing
really bothers me.

Ayumi is a legend and just because her sales are not high doesn't mean
she's less.

I agree with you. Namie is good at her work. She is a singer, so she sings. She don't need to write her lyrics or take part in others works that aren't sing. But she takes part and I recognize that. Namie have changed the "idol" status for "artist". She is an artist. However, Ayu takes it to another level. You can't deny when Namie is the perfect product and she creates good pop (really good, I like her) Ayu takes it to another level in terms of "depth" "messages" etc. Ayu's music is a story, her story. All albums have a meaning, covers, titles, lyrics, pv, tours and a lot of symbolism (that Ayu has created and can be use only for her). For me these things makes Ayu a different genre of artist and put Ayu to another category that Amuro is not. That's why i can't compare both at all, cause I see Amuro like the typical pop artist that is a good product. And for me Ayu is more than this because she have fought so hard for it. The problem for me is"Ayu is the diva of pop" when her musical career is far of being "typical pop". Ayu is more like a rock artist who try to express herself trough music and connect it with her experiences.

And it is the "reason" why Ayu gets all the hate when she started her most artistic/biographical era (Love era above all). She debuted like a pop artist, but her career don't express it and general public who listen her is looking for the typical pop.


*Not saying Namie didn't fight hard
*When I said "being a good product" I don't say it negativetly.
*I didn't use "typical" negativetly
*Sorry, I really can't express myself good in english.

[Mirrorcle Monster]

I'm afraid that there is nothing that can be done right now, but its still good that she is enthusiastic about her music. Also, we also need to take into account that Ayu has released an insane amount of music over the last few years, imagine a Hikki-like release pattern, it would be smth like:
1999: First Love
A Song for XX
2001: Distance
LOVEppears
2002: DEEP RIVER
Duty
2004: EXODUS
I Am...
2006: ULTRA BLUE
RAINBOW
2008: HEART STATION
Memorial Address
2010: Single Collection 2
MY STORY
2012: (miss) understood
2014: Secret

[Coelacanth]

Ayu's waning popularity is because her work (as well as her unapologetically honest/rebellious lifestyle) confronts human emotion and the complexities of life in a way that has ultimately become uncool in nearly every society in the developed world.

A ONE may have been a return to form for Ayu, but the subject matter is still not "cool." The younger generation, in particular, does not want to consume art that makes them reflect on their own alienation or sadness.

It's more a reflection of the shift in human consciousness, imo. I'm not saying Ayu's music is incredibly inaccessible or cerebral, but as far as "pop music" is concerned, it's probably seen as too melodramatic and overly sentimental for most.

[BlackSilence]

get a collaboration with Namie xD

[orangeakira]

Take this post with a grain of salt. I love ayu, I realized that what I said below sounds pretty harsh. I'm just kind of speaking what I feel. No one hold it against me.
_______________________________

Maybe we're not the only ones tired of hearing generic ballads? Maybe everyone in Japan heard the previews of A ONE and just sighed exhaustedly like "ugh..enough already... I'm sick of hearing these types of songs". I mean, Generic or not, Namie doesn't have a typical type of sound. You can't say that she has a hundred songs that sound like Wild, or Alive, or B Who I want 2 B, or Contrail. When Ayu released that Zutto single I said to myself, doesn't she already have a hundred of these types of songs?

I mean I said it before, I'll say it again. Ayu tries out something, everyone ends up loving it, but then she does it a hundred times. That's when we're all like. Alright...move on ayu...come on...please...enough already... Tissue dancing at her tours, Clowns, Surreal~evolution~surreal, grand winter ballads, upbeat summer pop songs, lyrics that deal with Love or heartbreak, or being stronger and learning from heartbreak. idk... 5 different orchestra versions of the same songs, las vegas/clowns/circus/dice/gambling/lottery/slot machines/magic concert tour themes.

I didn't mind A ONE, but I got over it extremely fast. I think Party Queen is her worst album ever, but I listened to the songs on that album far longer than on A ONE.

[primavera♥]

^yeah but ayu's more unique songs aren't really received as well anyway. Just look at the list of fan voted songs for A Best Live. That's what people end up liking or preferring more it seems.
People don't appreciate or enjoy the other works as much usually. So it still wouldn't help her sales.
Of course, this is just what it looks like to me, I don't know all of her fans or the public.

There are other artists who don't dramatically change and still sell well. There are a lot of other factors involved.

Honestly ayu has a pretty varied doscography, even in the past 5 years, although I understand the ballad complaints. But that didn't save her. And it won't in the future unless other things change.

[Coelacanth]

The notion of infinite "progress" and continual growth prevalent in today's consciousness is carrying over to the arts, in disastrous ways.

As everyone knows, my opinion on Namie's music (as well as contemporary Western pop and K-pop) hasn't been kind. It's mostly discordant, loud, soulless music hiding behind a lot of incoherent tech-noise. The abuse of synthesizers and programming is absolutely vulgar (I'm not sparing Ayu's recent work, either), and the kicker is, it's done pretty much without any kind of irony. In a world obsessed with iPhones, tablets, and all the latest techno-toys, it's not surprising that EDM has become the model for all current pop music. The way it sounds these days, is so decadent, and so lacking in self-awareness... Listen to the way synthesizers are implemented in the music of Kraftwerk, Devo, Yellow Magic Orchestra, Japan, etc. It's craftsmanship at its finest.

Music production is unfortunately all about one-upmanship now. Melody and harmony take a backseat, whereas loudness and "progress" are emphasized. People have ZERO attention span, so they need everything to sound "new" and "fresh," "something we've never heard before!" even if it's just an incoherent collage of digital beeps and clashes.

A ONE, was, in a sense... Ayu coming to such a realization about Colours and going "back to basics". Though her arrangers and engineers did go overboard on a few of the songs, I think the obnoxiousness of "The Show Must Go On," whether intentional or not, is really compelling. Melodically, it's a beautiful song, especially in the quiet verses... but the beauty of the harmony is de-emphasized by overzealous engineers and techno-obsessed producers. "No matter how much the times change..." Ayu sings, it's as if the song is commenting on the tension in today's world between the old and the modern, minimalism and decadence, harmony and discordance—but life must go on, the show must go on, I guess.

[Andrenekoi]

@primavera♥
Pretty much... The albums were she tried something different for her RAINBOW, NEXT LEVEL, Party Queen, or even Bold & Delicious... were pretty much trashed and considered her worst, even if people warm up for them overtime. People keep on complaining she is always doing the same thing (what she isn't), but it's not like they are open to anything that stick a little from the formula. She most likely do those for herself, not for her fans.

@Coelacanth
I believe the The Show Must Go On really shows the ansiety and the chaos that is going on a whole new tour every year.

Also, I don't get the "Namie had a fresh start" thing people keep on tossing around. Namie is doing whatever is playing on radio, and this is what she ever did.

[emi♡]

Ayu's music is stuck in an era of pop that just doesn't exist anymore. No one wants her brand of creativity or sentimentalism. They just don't. That sort of pop died out everywhere in the early 00s. Even in the west.

There isn't anything she can do. She can maybe wait around for some years and see if the market gets into a trend that is more her style.

I kinda wish she'd get into a more raw sound a la count down, but it wouldn't be popular either. Rock in Japan has it's own culture. A lot of their music genres do...lol But I'd love it

idk why it matters that much. Most musicians today are not making tons in sales. We think about everyone in the media, but, they're still a drop in the sea of music making, and it's only going to get more inundated with musicians lol Our relationship with the arts we actively consume is changing.


PS. Contrail is <3 Beautiful, non-original songs are just *nice* sometimes.

[chocopockymaster]

She can pull some invasion-of-the-body-snatchers shit and take over Namie's body--that's about the only thing that will bring her sales back up to Namie's numbers.