Why I think Ayumi's sales have fallen...

[channy]

Originally Posted by all.night.raver

Damn, she could make a song compiled completely of farts, burps, animal noises and alarms, and give out used toilet paper fragments and there would still be the fans that would say "OMG IT IS BOMB! DON'T EVER DIS AYU SHE IS GLAM AND YOU TROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLL!!"

I love this part! =)

Btw, "GUILTY" is more rock than "'Rock'n'Roll Circus" will ever be.

[love in music]

Originally Posted by all.night.raver

But I am not as blinded as many AHS-ers around here. I knew everyone would freak the -bleep- out.

Namie's music is definately westernized, but that doesn't mean there are not good points or that him/her bringing up her concerns or feelings regarding Ayumi, as a FAN, makes him/her a TROLL. Jesus.

God, I hate when people make posts like these. Obviously you have to be blinded to not agree with this post or feel the same way about it as you do. lolok.

[Crystal_Ageha]

^ I just pointed out that this person may be a troll considering, you know, he only has one post, and he uses it to make this long ass post with a bunch of very stupid points (mainly the Namie thing). Some of it was true, but like someone else said, we already knew all this. No reason to post a page worth of crap that's already been discussed over and over, especially whenever it's obviously just for attention.

[Aditmi Krisnasaki ~II~]

what? Namie's songs are waaaayyyy more AMERICANIZED than Ayu! LOL. (do you think BALLAD, Don't Look Back, and Microphone sound AMERICAN? I guess not, they're all J-Pop and almost sound so Eastern-Traditional IMO)

all those short english lyrics, they are all in Namie's songs' verses, choruses, and even bridges! o.O

Those damn chaku-uta downloads lower ayu's sales nowadays IMO...

[R_Hikki]

Ayumi doesn't need sales. She has our souls.

[JackieRos]

it's all about the economy in the dumps
simple

Some of you are way too sensitive. This post wasn't even bashing Ayu.

Anyway, I think mostly why her sales have dropped, like already mentioned, is because Japan is tired of her. Sad, but true. She's not selling millions of albums because she doesn't have a fanbase that big. I doubt many people do. She use to sell over a million because she had casual listeners buying her albums and singles, but they aren't interested anymore. If one of those casual listeners from before happens to like a song from her nowadays, they'll most likely just download it.

[Bad Wolf]

Originally Posted by Love Shine

Actually, you bring up a very good point. In Japan CD sales are something that are considered very important (from what I gather, not being from Japan and all), and having a #1 streak seems to be something that people take very seriously. I think, and this is really just my random thoughts, that maybe it is because it's all just a part of the culture of Japan. Not just in music, where rankings and polls are super popular (Oricon's weird polls, anyone?), but even in schools. From what I can see they put the rankings of every student on a board where every student can see each other's results and who got #1. I guess raking is just something that the Japanese find important?

Yup -- you actually posted exactly what I was thinking about earlier today, when this whole subject popped into my head again. It's about some kind of competition and coming out on top, I think? Such rivalries do exist, or did, in America between certain artists but it never seemed to take hold or it only really existed in the "imagination" of the media and some ... less than mature fans (like Britney VS Christina, now Britney VS Lady Gaga...). However, sales never really had *much* to do with it -- people always argued about something else, but sales never seemed to be the huge sticking point. Sales are something to brag about for the artist's individual success, but I do see people comparing record sales between artists as a way to show which one sucks and which don't. It's.. weird.

Even in schools here I don't see *too* much competition or status clashing -- people tend to grow in groups and stick with them. They all compete with their own individual selves to do better, to study harder, work more, etc. etc. They may use others as standards of what's best/good, but I also feel like it's more openly malicious in the West (lol Mean Girls, anyone?).

I do agree with you, though. Rank seems to designate a kind of status to which people can either strive to have for themselves or it sort of lets them know their own rank in comparison? >.o This is just speculation from me, so I really hope I don't sound offensive or stupid.

I think it's obvious that some of the Japanese public may be sick of her, or not really interested in her anymore -- and that's fine. No one HAS to love her completely, no one HAS to adore everything she does and put her up on a pedestal always and forever the end. I take no issue with that, because it's just a fact of life. I guess it just depends on what we base popularity on -- can it JUST be on sales alone? Or can it be on cultural impact? People can be over-exposed and thrown in our faces constantly but does that make them popular? The best? Hardly -- "reality" television "celebrities," for instance, get a LOT of screen-time during their initial celebrity status, but just because they're all over the news doesn't mean they are popular in the sense of being well liked -- they're popular because, well, media outlets are forcing them on us.

I think that's the difference between Ayu's popularity now and what it used to be -- in the past, I feel like she was eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeverywhere. She's still, y'know, everywhere, but that "invasion" seems less pronounced or at least now more balanced between other artists (who are used in commercials/ads/promotions) or even whoever is the new, hot item (boy bands~). The fact that Ayu's sales are still strong, and her fanbase still as dedicated as it is, shows she's popular with people in a way that isn't solely based on rank and high sales. For me, what she has now is the best kind of popularity~

Btw, "GUILTY" is more rock than "'Rock'n'Roll Circus" will ever be.

I'm sorry to say but I really don't see how someone can listen to RNRC and ... not... hear rock songs O_o The more I listen to that album the more I'm like, "Yes, this is rock the way Ayu wants to do it." I'm not entirely sure why you and others are saying things like this -- is it just not your style of rock music? Were you expecting something different?

[waterballoon]

I think we should all just take it that Ayu is "everywhere nowhere".

[Bad Wolf]

^ Ah yes, that's a good way to phrase it.

[Ayu_no_tenshi]

Originally Posted by emiko

imo Ayu is being held back by the sales because the culture in Japan just isn't really open to the way she's changed.

Apparently, she's been losing popularity since Duty...in Japan anyway.

Honestly, Namie Amuro has high sales because she hasnt had a studio album in forever, AND she's quite popular in other ways, fashion, and image-wise, etc. And imo, Namie's high sales wont last that long.

Female Solos...especially ones that so their own thing, are just not the it thing anymore. That's just how it is. imo, it is impossible for her to have million sales again.


But also...you know, people here at AHS are kinda....blinded a little bit...thinking that an album selling just 300k sucks. A lot of people here have no idea what it's like to follow artists that are never in the top ten, or the top five, and for the vast majority of artists in Japan, that is their reality.

Having an album sell 300k copies in Japan is great. GREAT. I only wish half of the artists I love sold that "badly".

Ayu IS the Empress of J-pop. There are still no other artists in Japan that come close to her status and prestige, and regardless of her sales, that will never change.

i have never agreed with you more than right now. and you know me...i always rant on forever about my ayu theories but you said everything perfectly. xD

Originally Posted by lumieregrl

I agree. Most of the time I hear how she's considered 'old hat' and how they are tired of her. I imagine it must be like how I feel about Madonna. And as much as Japan seems to love switching out idols every few years, Ayu is a dinosaur. lol

yet she still tops the charts, year after year. ^^

[primavera♥]

^ yes this

[Chessur]

Originally Posted by InoriNoUta

^^^ Took the words right out of MY mouth (poor sifow ;~; )

I really do think people are spoiled by high sales, and I will NEVER understand why only Japanese music lovers put such a high emphasis on it. Nobody I know here in a America gives a **** about sales unless it's REALLY BAD -- like a total flop of less than a thousand, haha. Why, then, do people who love Japanese music OBSESS over how much a damn single or album sells? Who the hell cares, really? It's not like sales are any indication of talent, artistic integrity, or worth (let's all just take a good look at who dominates the charts time and again [coughboygroupscough] and REALLLY ask ourselves whether they're artists or just products with pretty voices [and faces~]).

YEah I never really understood that either. here in america we dont even care if the single gets the #1 spot on the charts as long as its good we make it a hit and dont even pay attention to the sales unless they are a flop like HEIDI MONTAG DEBUT ALBUM that cost millions to make and only sold 1thousand copies in its first week (not that i listen to her)lol. BUT I have to disagree with you on ayu sounding american. NAMIE AMUROs music IS VERY VERY AMERICANIZED FROM HER BEATS TO THE LYRICS SHE EVEN INCORPORATES ALOT OF ENGLIS IN HER SONGS I LOVE NAMIE BUT I sometimes stop to listen to her for a while becuz we have the same style of music as she does here in the states and thats why i listen to AYU because i want to get away from the "american" music HER MUSIC IS JPOP AND NOT AMERICANIZED sure she has american influences in her music but so what that does not make her music americanzed. AYUs SALES HAVE DECLINED FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS and sure her popularity is declining but every ones popularity will decline eventually just like USHER here in the states, but the fact that AYUs popularity is declining doesnt mean that she is not as iconic, influential and talented and PRETTY as she was. For example in they boy group world it used to be SMAP and now the throne of the top selling boy band has been passed to ARASHI (johnnys) AND arashi will eventually have to pass it down to someone else. I MEAN U STILL SEE KIMUTAKU BEING AS INFLUENTIAL AND POPULAR EVEN THOUGH SMAP IS NOT THE IT GROUP and this may very well be the case with ayu

SORRY FOR THE RANT
i do agree with you on alot of points though NICE THEORY

[microphone]

Namie Amuro is the most Americanized Japanese solo artist i've listened to. She is an R&B Hip Hop singer. That style of music is incredibly popular in America, although not originated from here. (But nothing is, right?) Is this your true feeling? Ayumi is far away from an American singer. To some people, that is a great thing. To others, it is not. For me, it is the best thing I can ask for in a singer so I disagree with you.

Anyway, too much of anything is bad, isn't it? Perhaps, if Ayumi did not release an album every year, she would sell better per album. Don't forget her vocals have drastically fallen! If she did not do so much per year, it could have been avoided.

[Mirrorcle]

Ahem, I don't know if anyone's mentioned this, buuut...
Don't forget that more and more people started downloading albums for free off the internet.
If the internet and making copies of CDs never existed... Would she be selling more?

[microphone]

Yes! Every artist would sell more. Download songs is too common practice nowadays...

[Bad Wolf]

Originally Posted by Chessur

YEah I never really understood that either. here in america we dont even care if the single gets the #1 spot on the charts as long as its good we make it a hit and dont even pay attention to the sales unless they are a flop like HEIDI MONTAG DEBUT ALBUM that cost millions to make and only sold 1thousand copies in its first week (not that i listen to her)lol. BUT I have to disagree with you on ayu sounding american. NAMIE AMUROs music IS VERY VERY AMERICANIZED FROM HER BEATS TO THE LYRICS SHE EVEN INCORPORATES ALOT OF ENGLIS IN HER SONGS I LOVE NAMIE BUT I sometimes stop to listen to her for a while becuz we have the same style of music as she does here in the states and thats why i listen to AYU because i want to get away from the "american" music HER MUSIC IS JPOP AND NOT AMERICANIZED sure she has american influences in her music but so what that does not make her music americanzed. AYUs SALES HAVE DECLINED FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS and sure her popularity is declining but every ones popularity will decline eventually just like USHER here in the states, but the fact that AYUs popularity is declining doesnt mean that she is not as iconic, influential and talented and PRETTY as she was. For example in they boy group world it used to be SMAP and now the throne of the top selling boy band has been passed to ARASHI (johnnys) AND arashi will eventually have to pass it down to someone else. I MEAN U STILL SEE KIMUTAKU BEING AS INFLUENTIAL AND POPULAR EVEN THOUGH SMAP IS NOT THE IT GROUP and this may very well be the case with ayu

SORRY FOR THE RANT
i do agree with you on alot of points though NICE THEORY

Aww, you didn't rant at all! I actually agree with you totally -- though I don't think Ayu's Americanized at all ^^; I just wanted to make that clear~

And LOL YES I heard that about Heidi Montag. So sad.... lol.

[Zeke.]

Originally Posted by identity

God, I hate when people make posts like these. Obviously you have to be blinded to not agree with this post or feel the same way about it as you do. lolok.

I'm not really saying this post per-sey. But a lot of times it seems rabid fans won't even listen to a smidge of constructive criticsm regarding Ayu and everything she does and/or releases.

[truehappiness]

But a lot of times it seems rabid fans won't even listen to a smidge of constructive criticism regarding Ayu and everything she does and/or releases.

To be honest, I haven't seen all that much constructive criticism at AHS when people are discussing, it's mainly DEstructive.

"SUNRISE AND SUNSET ARE HER WORST WORKS EVER"
"glitter/fated is the worst release that I have seen from Ayu."
"She disappointed me like never before with this latest album.."

And so on.

[primavera♥]

^^cuz theres people that dont do it in a constructive way. so everyone gets put in the same boat. and some people feel an insult to ayu is to themselves.

at least its simply theoretical. maybe they just have no good reason


ive already made clear who i agree with. its not necessary to state further