[2009] What actually causes ayu's sales to drop?

[jbrat2219]

Ayu's sales are dropping because people are not buying her music. Why is up to the individual.

[Kazeyomi]

Oh wow there's someone who know all the japanese people.
Lucky you lol

[njanjayrp]

Originally Posted by SunshineSlayer

I really wouldn't count A-Nation as a good indicator. Obviously if someone is at A-Nation, then they likely already like Ayu to begin with or can at least tolerate her. And that's also not taking into account the fact that at every a-nation there are at least a small amount of people that leave before Ayumi's part even starts or in the middle of it.

Hmm, good or bad it's still an indicator, as obviously there are currently more popular AVEX artists than she is and somehow they rarely get as many performances as she does, not to mention the number of those that are aired. Even though both TRF and globe were there, they don't (or rarely) release stuff now days as their sales have hit the very bottom, unlike them she still sells better than the majority of Japanese artists and is still very relevant when it comes to Asian music market.

Btw I remember someone also mentioned that some people also leave before her performances or in the middle to avoid the crowd after the show.

Originally Posted by SunshineSlayer

People can choose to believe what they want. I just know that from my personal experience of going to Japan many many many times over the past 5 years that nothing that I've wrote about those experiences have been a lie when it comes to Ayumi. (btw, I'll be going again in a couple of weeks and moving there again in a few months, yay!^_^)

I don't think anyone said you were lying, just that you obviously can't know the opinions of 120 millions of people and reflect them in your post. It's obvious she is far from her peak and all..

[waterballoon]

Well let's just say that Ayu is like... the onions in Japanese curry now.

You know the onions make the curry really fragrant and all... that's the impact of Ayu in Japan. She has really made an impact, and no matter what, her existence is some pretty big imo... just as anyone on the streets of New York City would know who 'Madonna' is, anyone on the streets of Tokyo would know who 'Hamasaki Ayumi' is.

But again... do we eat the curry specifically for the onions? I think there are many other ingredients (like the meat) that people want. And Ayu is the onions... she just isn't the "in" thing now, nor is she the most sought after, or whatever... singers are like stars, no? Stars shine for a time, and they become supernovas, eventually bursting and dying off. Ayu was hot for a few years, but now... she isn't what everyone is listening to, nor is she a qualification to be in the coolest girl clique in your high school. Maybe she was, but she isn't now... and for the future, that's an unknown door.

What I want to say is, Ayu made an impact, and perhaps had a few "epic" songs that could go down well in Japanese history. But to say no one likes Ayu now is cynical, and to say that Ayu is still popular is being naive. The truth is she does have a strong fanbase, and that's what's really helping her for now.

[Embleu]

Kazuyoshi Shimomura. 'Nuff said.

[waterballoon]

^ lol I'm sure that contributed to like 99.9% of it all! I hate that guy for ruining Ayu...

[Crystal_Ageha]

Lol. Nice analogy, waterballoon.

[Kazeyomi]

Originally Posted by waterballoon

Well let's just say that Ayu is like... the onions in Japanese curry now.

You know the onions make the curry really fragrant and all... that's the impact of Ayu in Japan. She has really made an impact, and no matter what, her existence is some pretty big imo... just as anyone on the streets of New York City would know who 'Madonna' is, anyone on the streets of Tokyo would know who 'Hamasaki Ayumi' is.

But again... do we eat the curry specifically for the onions? I think there are many other ingredients (like the meat) that people want. And Ayu is the onions... she just isn't the "in" thing now, nor is she the most sought after, or whatever... singers are like stars, no? Stars shine for a time, and they become supernovas, eventually bursting and dying off. Ayu was hot for a few years, but now... she isn't what everyone is listening to, nor is she a qualification to be in the coolest girl clique in your high school. Maybe she was, but she isn't now... and for the future, that's an unknown door.

What I want to say is, Ayu made an impact, and perhaps had a few "epic" songs that could go down well in Japanese history. But to say no one likes Ayu now is cynical, and to say that Ayu is still popular is being naive. The truth is she does have a strong fanbase, and that's what's really helping her for now.

This is the best explanation I've ever read here.

With the Internet, it's easy to have countless friends from all over the world, yes?... All you need is some knowledge of the language, or for them to at least have some knowledge of yours..

Yep it is true, I've have some japanese friends internet is wonderful to meet friends in the whole world!
I was just a little bit confused by who said like 'I asked to all the japanese people if they still like Ayu' lol it sounds pretty.. odd?
I won't to be mean btw.

[Lanz16]

Originally Posted by waterballoon

Well let's just say that Ayu is like... the onions in Japanese curry now.

You know the onions make the curry really fragrant and all... that's the impact of Ayu in Japan. She has really made an impact, and no matter what, her existence is some pretty big imo... just as anyone on the streets of New York City would know who 'Madonna' is, anyone on the streets of Tokyo would know who 'Hamasaki Ayumi' is.

But again... do we eat the curry specifically for the onions? I think there are many other ingredients (like the meat) that people want. And Ayu is the onions... she just isn't the "in" thing now, nor is she the most sought after, or whatever... singers are like stars, no? Stars shine for a time, and they become supernovas, eventually bursting and dying off. Ayu was hot for a few years, but now... she isn't what everyone is listening to, nor is she a qualification to be in the coolest girl clique in your high school. Maybe she was, but she isn't now... and for the future, that's an unknown door.

What I want to say is, Ayu made an impact, and perhaps had a few "epic" songs that could go down well in Japanese history. But to say no one likes Ayu now is cynical, and to say that Ayu is still popular is being naive. The truth is she does have a strong fanbase, and that's what's really helping her for now.

Well said

[spanishfan]

Less popularity? did you people saw a-nation? xD don't remember the total number of songs were on TV but second part of the show was almost only Ayu.
I think people likes her but not so much so the don't buy her cd's (they could download easy) Why to buy Next Level if you can download all songs and erase these you don't like or then, if you want to suport her only buy the songs you liked.
I think if she released a new really good minialbum it could sell more than secret did.

(PS: I own Next Level)

EDIT: OK i didn't read 3&4 pages of the post where someone say the same about a-nation, sorry.

[SunshineSlayer]

Originally Posted by njanjayrp

Btw I remember someone also mentioned that some people also leave before her performances or in the middle to avoid the crowd after the show.

Right, that is true, but the point is that if they really cared, they wouldn't leave at all. It's a small number of people though, relatively.

Tohoshinki and Koda may be doing better sales wise than Ayu, but they don't have the prestige, which is why Ayu still closes the show and gets more airtime. Same thing with TRF always going next to last or when Ayu isn't at A-Nation they go last even though their sales are crap these days.

Originally Posted by koshka

I was just a little bit confused by who said like 'I asked to all the japanese people if they still like Ayu' lol it sounds pretty.. odd?
I won't to be mean btw.

Nobody said that anywhere.

Originally Posted by njanjayrp

I don't think anyone said you were lying, just that you obviously can't know the opinions of 120 millions of people and reflect them in your post. It's obvious she is far from her peak and all..

But the same goes for everyone else here saying that they know Ayumi is still mega popular because they have a penpal in Japan or something. I would obviously trust myself and my own experiences of actually being in Japan more than that.

Waterballoons post about onions was really good.

Oh, just thought of another indicator that hasn't been mentioned yet. Ayu's presence on Takeshita Dori in Harajuku. For those that have been, that street is like idol celebrity heaven. You can buy tons of pictures and goods and what not. However lately the amount of Ayu goods available has been decreasing quite a bit I think. They still sell the photos for her latest tours, but when it comes to actual merchandise, usually it all dates from the pre 2004 years and there seems to be less available now. Just a small thing, I guess but definitely something that I've also noticed.

^But of course that is something that is more demonstrating her falling popularity and not a cause like the original poster is asking about. For causes I'll just go back to my original post and say that there are a lot. ^_^

[rakeru]

Originally Posted by zelenk0

Same reasons everybody's sales are dropping or will drop at some point.

(1) Fickle media, fickle audience.
(2) Internet/downloading.
(3) If an artist does really well, it's hard to "match" that peak again--but that doesn't mean the artist isn't still doing well.

I wouldn't worry about it.

exactly! with the addition of the economy + the amount of products Ayu releases alone. not even hardcore fans can afford to buy it all, so they have to pick few of many.

[waterballoon]

I would also like to add there's a possibility of human nature working here. More like because she is always around; more so in her peak years where she was spammed everywhere in Japan, people just know her, but that's about it. I think right now, Ayu's place in the Japanese public is there but not there, if you get what I mean...

"I know Hamasaki Ayumi!" =/= "I buy Hamasaki Ayumi's albums/singles; I love her songs!"

But if there's some hope, or some naivety for myself, I would say that the way Days is doing the ringtone charts thingy; there is some sort of proof that she has certain songs that will spark interest in the Japanese... but I guess they were disappointed or turned off when they tried listening to NEXT LEVEL, or the Japanese just like picking a few songs from a range of artists.

[C+R+E+AYUMI]

Originally Posted by Embleu

Kazuyoshi Shimomura. 'Nuff said.

LOL XD


T. R. U. E.

[CoriKaru]

I agree with a lot of what Sunshineslayer has said here.

Ayumi is old and overexposed. People are tired of her. Her photoshoots aren't the best with her fish pucker lips. She puts out material like her contracts about to run out and people can't relate to her. She's still marketed as a product instead of becoming a real person like other artists. Ayumi is regal. Like royalty. Her diversity in music has crossed that blurry line and now it's just sloppy and all over the place. People like a certain type of music and if you're switching genres like armageddon's coming tomorrow then you lose people. You lose fans. They don't know what she's going to do next, while their musical taste remain the same. Ayumi is losing fans at a faster rate than she's gaining because of that very reason.

So yeah.
Ayumi is overexposed and people are tired of being force fed and tired of her.
Ayumi is all over the place with her music so people don't even know if they like her style/genre anymore because Ayumi doesn't even know what her style/genre will be next.
And people simply can't relate to her.
Her sales drop more than others because people don't buy her music as much anymore because they don't like it and/or they don't like her.
Simple.

Not to mention, Ayumi's fanbase has grown old with her. Imagine all of Britney's starter fans. Just as many of them grew up and wised up and no longer gobble her up, I'm sure the same thing is happening with Ayumi.

[Yoake]

Just one thing: download by Internet!
a cd is expensive, so a lot of people choose to download them by Internet

[fantasma3c]

Hmmm... idk really probably people waiting for something new and finding other artists maybe

[ALfromHELLSING]

Originally Posted by Yoake

Just one thing: download by Internet!
a cd is expensive, so a lot of people choose to download them by Internet

This one - of course. Only die hard fans buy her CD's now (I'm one of them ). And another reason is that... Sadly but her albums are not that strong as before IMO. I mean only these two GUILTY & NEXT LEVEL. Too many interludes too little new songs. However her singles are still strong and her single sales are strong as well. She need to work really hard on her NEXT album. I don't want NEXT GUILTY.

[Lady~Deviance]

Wow....you younger generation sure know how to make a fuss!

Just because a handful of your friends/online buddies still admire ayu, does not denote the fact that her popularity is dwindling. They do not represent the 128 million people in Japan. Point blank. Granted she still has her devout following but that is not going to salvage anything.

I work for a building properties company in New York and my employees travel around the world especially Japan, quite frequently. Some of them are even Ayu fans. I cannot tell you how many of my co-workers told me stories of how the natives (old and young) bash Japanese celebrities. The number one name mentioned on average is Ayumi Hamasaki because natives feel her career is being regurgitated and her face is unashamedly too commonplace. I am not saying these people out number her fans but you cannot ignore the fact that she is inevitably losing face in Japanese society.

I am still an Ayumi fan but I am also not going to let my affection toward her render me to make biased statements either. I'm far too old for that.

[asmAyumi1992]

1) I don't know what to say.
2) Probably people hate the cover and refused to buy it and the songs are just okay and not so amazing.
3) It's too diva-ish. Really not like herself. The fans want the real her.