[2006] A BEST

immel · #1 12th October 2006, 07:35 PM

There's a whole little story to it, and by what I recon it was all more or less acted to increase the sales of the album.

I can give you a short version, because I don't remember all the details off handedly... there's been more than one thread about this.

The story is quite like this: Basically Ayu thought it was too early for her to release a BEST album, as that often is what an artist does when they retire. It was written in press or shown on news that Ayu did not agree to the release of this album, but avex pushed it ... to enhance the feeling of that Ayu might be leaving the stage, as in retiring with a BEST album, they used a picture of her crying for the cover. If this is true, what is true, what is made up, what is acted, what you yourself decide to think... is up to you, and this isn't the entire story, simply what I remember of it and I might be a bit wrong.

I think it was all more or less a stunt to increase the sales, because Ayu was (obviously) not leaving the stage at all.

extepan · #2 13th October 2006, 03:00 AM

A BEST ended up being her best selling album. i guess maybe ayu changed her mind afterwards?

pbs1605 · #3 13th October 2006, 05:16 AM

I never knew that story,thank you for posting.

AyuCharm615 · #4 13th October 2006, 06:58 AM

I never knew that either...cool!

..:Hot:Like:Wow:.. · #5 13th October 2006, 08:02 AM

I always believed it was to signify her retirement. But because it was so successful her career went on.

I believed this because she said she only became a singer cause she had nothing better to do, so retiring early would not be a surprise.

I just realised this.Wow! immel you've only been here since march this year and you already have 6,231 posts. Pretty amazing.

~X2RADialbomber~ · #6 13th October 2006, 08:39 AM

^ It's mostly posts like that post above, that amount to his vast post count. But post counts don't matter. Everyones equal whether they have a bigger number or not.

All these symbolising things are weird... Why would avex like to do such a thing like that? Like in alterna how she's pulled by strings to symbolise "avex controlling her", how would they let her do that?

Dustie · #7 13th October 2006, 10:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ayu_mi

I heard Ayumi did not want to released A BEST. Can someone tell me about this?

Sorry to offtop, but I love your sig pic. Reminds me of the good, oldschool Ayu. Where's it from?...

immel · #8 13th October 2006, 10:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ~X2RADialbomber~

But post counts don't matter. Everyones equal whether they have a bigger number or not.

I love you Amanda

.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kingofpop

I always believed it was to signify her retirement. But because it was so successful her career went on.

I'm pretty sure that this is where the biggest false rumor lies, I don't think she had any plans at all to retire. It's only what was said.

Why would she retire?
The money she had earned up to that point would not last for all her life.
She's got no finished education.
Disappearing from the spot light would make her uninteresting for major companies who want to advertise with her face, her face is pretty, but without the fame it's nothing.
...and so on.

LacusClyne · #9 13th October 2006, 10:53 AM

^or maybe she's just too stress. didn't she release a little too close at that time?

immel · #10 13th October 2006, 11:03 AM

Even if she did release close the market could take it back then... her sales was immense.

criminal · #11 13th October 2006, 02:16 PM

I think the three-year contracts that Avex signs had a big impact on the "retiring" theme, since Ayumi started releasing in 1998 and A BEST was released in 2001.

Keishi · #12 13th October 2006, 02:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ~X2RADialbomber~

All these symbolising things are weird... Why would avex like to do such a thing like that? Like in alterna how she's pulled by strings to symbolise "avex controlling her", how would they let her do that?

I think I hear something like...doesn't matter, whether the record company's name in the public is good or not. What matters to them is that the artist under their name sell well. Eventhough it means to destroy their name.
Fans tend to support artist who is (or looks like) under-the-pressure of their record label.

Nicolas · #13 18th February 2008, 03:23 PM

Ayumi Hamasaki, for anyone that is familiar with her, makes it her priority to be honest at all times. It almost her motto. She would never agree to decieve people, especially her fans, by going along with such a plot.
Ayu didn't feel ready to release A-BEST but Avex shrewdly saw that her fame may be at its peak (They were right, although she is still popular, not as wildly as in 2001) and wanted to capitalise on her fame and make a shedload of money.

Ayu did as much as she could to add value to what she saw a value-less thing (Re-recording) and also managed to express her mental state in the imagary of the release.
Then as soon as it was released she arranged an interview with ROCKIN' ON JAPAN an spectacularly panned the whole thing - leaving few in any doubt as to who was manipulating who during the whole sorry affair.

I think Ayu gets away with a lot as she has built up almost total power over her career and art. So Avex may be uncomforable with her refrences to their power over her career (Dearest PV, evolution, alterna etc. etc.) but they know that at the same time they prove incredibly popular and rake in the cash. Its a paradox that Ayu is often unwittingly the creator of.

ayuzlove · #14 18th February 2008, 03:44 PM

thats some interesting info...thanks!

Bad Wolf · #15 18th February 2008, 04:04 PM

That's how I feel, Nicholas. Ayu has reached a point in her career where her creativity can't... really be stifled by the head honchos in charge--remember the fiasco of when Max may have left avex?, and several high-ranking avex artists with him? Ayu is a huge powerhouse figure of profit for that company--they're not likely to piss her off or try to stifle her anytime soon.

With the instance of A BEST I've read that Ayu felt it was released 'too soon' and that the reasons for it were merely competition and profit: Hikki (Hikaru Utada) was releasing an album during the same time as when they planned A BEST to be released, and so it was merely just a stunt to see 'who would sell more/who was better.' Quite frankly I agree with her displeasure.

I personally believe something similar was pulled with the AB2 released last year, but at least one of them had a new song on it to be more than just a compilation of songs we already have and could form into a playlist based on mood on our own...

Nicolas · #16 20th February 2008, 12:39 PM

Hi Inori, I'm not one of those people who thinks A-BEST was formulated entirely to be in competition with Distance but I'm not closed to the idea that once both releases were announced there may have been a little bit of hype generated in both camps.

I think A-BEST 2 was something Ayu would have agreed to. Considering her feelings about A-BEST and her power now, they would have had more chance of getting a camel through the eye of a needle than trying to force a best-of on her again.
She probably felt, like I do, that after 9 years in the business it was entirely fitting. Maybe not nessesary but not a huge shock.
And she was probably reassured when A-BEST did not magically end her career as she had feared (or something like it) and so knew that it wouldn't do her much harm.

Despite the fact I think she had better feelings about A-BEST 2 she still took the effort to make it worth buying buy recording the new song etc. Classic Ayu.

alternarist · #17 20th February 2008, 12:50 PM

why are u bumping up so many old threads?

fanmail · #18 20th February 2008, 12:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alternarist

why are u bumping up so many old threads?

he's answering unanswered ayu questions. I for one love the insightful posts!!