With the right song and the right time...

[George]

Yes, I agree a hiatus would just bring her deeper into oblivion.

I doubt she'll ever sell over 300k again. But in order for her to achieve or at least dream of selling 300k, she first needs to step out of complacency and mediocrity, but even that seems highly dodgy. Avex needs to start doing their ****ing jobs and when they decide to, they should create a hype along with massive promotion and a popular tie-in (a taiga drama perhaps?) They need to project Ayu as popular and cool. She doesn't even need to be either, they just needs to make people believe she is, not some outdated old hag who likes to pose in her undergarments.

[ayumisrael]

ayumi hamasaki X feat. AKB48

[jewelbox]

Promotion could be the key in here, but honestly I think it's mostly about the image too. Ultimately, she can continue to do her thing, but public eye doesn't see her anymore like they used to. New generations, new potential fans should be also considered, if she wants to sell more. That's why I think PQ covers were Fail.
I've heard that japanese really do consider Namie "cool", but Ayu as "old and uncool", kinda sad.
She should do something to her image, starting with clever PR in order to sell more.

[sinfonietta]

I think it's definitely possible but not necessarily likely.

A strong single (at least double A-side), heavy promotion in the week or so before the release and a drama tie-in would easily see a major increase in her sales. I also think a change in her image would help too.

[bluegie]

Originally Posted by sinfonietta

A strong single (at least double A-side), heavy promotion in the week or so before the release and a drama tie-in would easily see a major increase in her sales. I also think a change in her image would help too.

A strong single will increase sales, but probly not popularity at the same time. I agree with Mayayu's post:

Originally Posted by Mayayu

IMO Ayu's main problem is that she's disconnected from the market, trying to challenge pple's expectations instead of meeting them. Guess we all want back the pretty big sister she used to be, not the Japanese Madonna she's portraying lately.

If she really wants a second peak, she has to do something that can echo people's expectation. I'm not sure if she's out of the place or not, but obviously the Japanese don't buy her recent images. I think that people cannot copy her fashion and stuff, and her lyrics are not close to their daily lives. So basically they don't have resonance with her. Sometimes I think artists must have a balance between what they wanna make and what the audience wanna hear. Obviously only hardcore fans wanna hear her stuff, and I'm not 100% sure if those fans share common thoughts with her, or they just buy the stuff because it's ayumi hamasaki.

[Pieces_of_SEVEN]

^^I agree with this completely. With a solid double a-side, the right promotion/live performances, definitely.

[ll moments ll]

i think she can hit 300k.

but with the material she's been putting out lately? i don't think it's going to happen. she's not being new & innovative like she once was. she's in her comfort zone & has been for the past couple of years. i feel like she's at a point where she doesn't have to prove herself and she just enjoys what she's doing.

she's still doing pretty well for herself though, imo.

[Pieces_of_SEVEN]

Originally Posted by ll moments ll

i think she can hit 300k.

but with the material she's been putting out lately? i don't think it's going to happen. she's not being new & innovative like she once was. she's in her comfort zone & has been for the past couple of years. i feel like she's at a point where she doesn't have to prove herself and she just enjoys what she's doing.

she's still doing pretty well for herself though, imo.

how are songs like the next LOVE and Eyes, Smoke, Magic in her comfort zone?

[Andrenekoi]

Originally Posted by Pieces_of_SEVEN

how are songs like the next LOVE and Eyes, Smoke, Magic in her comfort zone?

the next LOVE
Eyes, Smoke, Magic
Nanana
Shake It <3
Love song
Last angel
do it again
November
BRILLANTE
Don't Look Back
Sexy Little Things
Lady Dynamite
EnergizE
Sparkle
rollin'
LOVE n HATE

[gallowsCalibrator]

It's a possibility, but I honestly think it's unlikely. From watching everything that's been happening for the past year, it seems like she is slowly fizzling. I mean, I used to be such a huge fan myself, but all of her new stuff is just...mediocre at best, in my opinion. There is also the fact that she's not really popular in Japan anymore, since what's popular is the Korean girl groups and boy groups, and of course the Japanese girl groups (AKB48, anyone?). Maybe she dug her own grave by testing out every genre as she went along, because what is she going to do now? She's stuck in a rut, it seems. But who knows, maybe I'm wrong, and she can pull herself out of the rut and amaze everyone with a fantastic single or album with a ton of promotion, relatable lyrics, and really great music. But with the image she has right now, I don't think it's likely.

[jang-kun]

I guess she's on the point of her career where she can't rely on her local shores alone. She should make a trial/test single. Release a heavily promoted, fresh, and totally epic single, then if it didn't still make it, her name and popularity has been truly washed away by time in Japan. But if she will promote her music globally, with all the creativity and grandness she had once, for sure that 1m-selling single is just a piece of cake.


Okay I just want a A WORLD TOUR 2013. XD

[No_Doubt]

I hate to be pessimistic, but honestly...just no.

[Not Fade Away]

Honestly, I only listen to Ayu's older discography....that was the only reason I even started to like her really (and trust me, it was NEVER about her vocals in the start) but the song compositions back then really defined JPop because they had transcended anything I had ever heard before.

Everyone keeps saying she needs to promote herself more, but I honestly think it's a situation where she is over-promoted and people are just getting sick of her. I know I am for the most part. I feel like every time I come back to the forums it's like "Ayu, new music...blah blah". I know I'll probably take some heat for saying that, but it's true.

Don't get me wrong, I still love Ayu and I always find 2-3 gems on each album of her recent works, but for the most part she never makes me miss her or long for her music.

Meanwhile, if Utada composed a 30 second commercial jingle I would probably buy three copies of it because I miss her and she is pretty much under-promoted in comparison to Avex artists.

Even Namie takes a crap load of time in between albums (though she has enough singles in between to compile 2 greatest hits albums for the most part), and so it keeps me on the edge of my seat waiting to see what she'll do next. She even decided to take a step back in her promotions - she even said as much in an interview (I don't remember what interview) - and only do things that interested her or that she thought was 'cool'.

I feel like sometimes Ayu grabs onto any opportunity for promotion that is thrown her way, imho.

[mellody]

I don't think Ayu can achieve that...
Unless she makes a song with perfectly-admired lyrics like Days or SEASONS, maybe there's a chance.

If avex starts to promote あゆ like what they did with A BEST then...it won't be a problem

[Pieces_of_SEVEN]

^^That's what I think too. I don't understand why they haven't been doing that.

[Andrenekoi]

If they promote her like they did at A Best, I wouldn't be surprised if one album sold better and the next one had a huge fall... like, under 50k...

[Pieces_of_SEVEN]

I think if she released an EXTREMELY catchy upbeat summer song coupled with one of those typical cheesy ballads that people in Japan tend to eat up, promoted it WELL with lots of interviews and TV performances, it could sell extremely well. Maybe even 250k. It just has to be done right.