[TeamAyu] GLOBAL TA launching in December!

[Aderianu]

Originally Posted by truehappiness

Feels so exciting to be a member of TeamAyu and freely browse the site now!

grats!

Originally Posted by Kinder Surprise

Does anyone know what happened with the physical TA magazines that were supposed to be purchasable through TA store? I know they stopped mailing them, and that they have become digitalized, but I also remember reading something about how some volumes will be on the TA shop.

nothing happend. People who paid for membership before TA became global still receive it. Maybe magazines and other stuff will appear at store later. TA diary appeared at store in month.

[monochrome99]

Originally Posted by Aderianu

grats!


nothing happend. People who paid for membership before TA became global still receive it. Maybe magazines and other stuff will appear at store later. TA diary appeared at store in month.

:/

Thanks anyways.

[pimenta]

After 4 years since I first joined, I'm officially not a TA member anymore.

I wanted to renew my membership, but for some reason they only gave me the option to pay on a convenience store. I suppose it was because last year I was in Japan and I payed that way, but I'm 100% sure I did not put that as the default payment because I knew I wouldn't be there the next year, and I did change my address to outside of Japan after I moved (since now TA is global) and still they didn't give me the option to pay by credit card, so I simply couldn't pay it. I tried sending them a message requesting to change my payment option with plenty of time before my membership expired, but they never answered. So now I'm not a member anymore, and after this whole issue I don't feel like creating a new account anytime soon...

I'll probably only join again if Ayu releases a CD with a TA version that I really want (a true TA version, like Feel the love and Colours had)... Or if I miss it too much and decided to join again, but not for now.

[kinix]

Originally Posted by pimenta

After 4 years since I first joined, I'm officially not a TA member anymore.

I wanted to renew my membership, but for some reason they only gave me the option to pay on a convenience store. I suppose it was because last year I was in Japan and I payed that way, but I'm 100% sure I did not put that as the default payment because I knew I wouldn't be there the next year, and I did change my address to outside of Japan after I moved (since now TA is global) and still they didn't give me the option to pay by credit card, so I simply couldn't pay it. I tried sending them a message requesting to change my payment option with plenty of time before my membership expired, but they never answered. So now I'm not a member anymore, and after this whole issue I don't feel like creating a new account anytime soon...

I'll probably only join again if Ayu releases a CD with a TA version that I really want (a true TA version, like Feel the love and Colours had)... Or if I miss it too much and decided to join again, but not for now.

I think I heard ppl saying about this before. U need to pay 1 mth before your membership expiry date if you intend to pay with credit card? If after a mth or so, you can only pay at their local convenience store

[pimenta]

^ Yeah, I know, but it makes no sense since I had changed my address to outside of Japan a couple of months before that. How did they expect me to pay in a convenience store if I don't live in Japan? They can't possibly use the same system for international accounts... Idk, maybe because my account was originally Japanese it got messed up...

[Delirium-Zer0]

Originally Posted by truehappiness

FYI, as far as updates go, that is the bulk of what it's been like for years if not from the very beginning.

Nah. Not at the very beginning. Back in the day TeamAyu got release news first all the time (judging from how quickly the "sixxxxxx" covers got distributed after they were announced "ONLY FOR TA" last night/this morning, they weren't wrong to just put all the news in one place after awhile), and of course back then she released a LOT more. In one year we'd get 8 singles, at least one album, and 2 to 4 remix albums, and she was on TV all the time (and TeamAyu members were given the chance to be audience members for most of those IIRC).

She used to do a lot more video blogging/video diary/video report type stuff back then, which is ironic given how social media and the web work now; the site had a bunch of photo galleries & reports after EVERYTHING she did - most of them ended up in TA Magazine later but the site got them first, and more often almost immediately after the shoot happened.

Not to mention the Today's Photo posts, which got really disorganized after awhile, devolved into galleries, and then just abruptly stopped.

Mr. Kaz was really great at keeping on top of things at TeamAyu, and there has been a noticeable decline in the club's quality, organization, and schedule in general since his departure in early 2010. Publishing of the magazine became erratic, the screensavers went away, the handling of exclusive goods has been really awkward, the yearly items that started in 2006 or 2007 went away, and TeamAyu members used to be able to win video props like the "Ayu" hat from INSPIRE and some of the money/ticket things from the 1 LOVE PV, and items Ayu would specifically pick out from her travels like fuzzy pez dispensers and cool t-shirts - the stuff you can win these days feels more like Ayu decided "Eh, I got this for myself but I'm not really feelin' it. Wanna give these away to TA members?" Overall the whole fan club is starting to feel like an afterthought that minimal effort is being put into, but back in the day it felt like being part of an elite group who got REALLY good stuff.

The first press bonus for "sixxxxxx" being a sticker kinda makes me regret renewing, tbh. =\ If we get live streams of the TA exclusive tour in the fall, then maybe I'll stay cuz that would win me over. If we don't, then yeah, I'm not renewing in March.

[truehappiness]

I wonder why Kaz disappeared to begin with... though quite a lot of staff members stopped working with Ayu around then (2009/2010) and got replaced relatively quickly.

As far as things that TeamAyu gets exclusively, I wonder if her touring so much (and releasing less things overall) is affecting it. She's going to be performing more in venues this year than she has in just about every other year she's been active!

[Delirium-Zer0]

Actually I can't help but feel like Ayu is seeing the lack of value TA members are getting right now, and maybe that's why she decided on the TA-exclusive tour. I mean the magazine used to be published 4-5 times a year, but since 2013 there's only been ONE issue a year. And that's just one example. I mean that's just... really really sad. It's no wonder they're stopping the physical portion of the club entirely but i'm sad it never bounced back to its former awesomeness.

I dunno why Kaz left either - it does appear he voluntarily retired, since he stepped back to a management position in mid-2010 before leaving entirely, my guess is so he'd be able to oversee the transition of the fan club from his hands to others'.

I would really like to see the fan club site add more exclusive content. Wallpapers (including widescreen resolutions, that'd be nice), a return to screensavers (sure no one needs them anymore but they've always been cool), videos like that LINE interview with subtitles included, vlog-style video diaries rather than just filming ayu working or overly-edited digests that just end up on dvd/blu-ray releases anyway... And if the fan club site could resurrect some of the old pre-2006 content that was removed, that would be absolutely amazing. Just SOMETHING to make me feel like the club isn't a low priority, you know?

[Earth_maiden]

I got an email from TA saying they'd shipped a mini tote and chain, has anyone received theirs yet? Curious to see what it looks like.

[BabyJane]

Yeah, I received that mail too. Think I saw some on Yahoo. Like a metallic purple pouch with a chain (can't really tell from the pics in the auction)
http://www.noppin.com/portal_ya_deta...n%2Fe163584405

[Aderianu]

I didn't =(

pics from twitter

[~angel*ayumi~]

I got e-mail too, but since I allraedy changed my address to my home address I think i won´t recive it XD Oh well I will just buy it on TA shop or yahoo then^^

[tokyoxjapanxfan]

I truly wish she'd stop with the pink sometimes lol. If this were black or blue or red or green or yellow or orange or silver or gold or beige, I could potentially use this. (Not to say men can't like pink, I personally don't like pinks and purples, never have haha.)

I'll probably use it for a catch-all kind of thing. Maybe put my tickets in there when I'm going to her tours and stuff like that.

[oaristos]

That's kinda tacky.

[tasking]

Originally Posted by Delirium-Zer0

Actually I can't help but feel like Ayu is seeing the lack of value TA members are getting right now, and maybe that's why she decided on the TA-exclusive tour. I mean the magazine used to be published 4-5 times a year, but since 2013 there's only been ONE issue a year. And that's just one example. I mean that's just... really really sad. It's no wonder they're stopping the physical portion of the club entirely but i'm sad it never bounced back to its former awesomeness.

I dunno why Kaz left either - it does appear he voluntarily retired, since he stepped back to a management position in mid-2010 before leaving entirely, my guess is so he'd be able to oversee the transition of the fan club from his hands to others'.

I would really like to see the fan club site add more exclusive content. Wallpapers (including widescreen resolutions, that'd be nice), a return to screensavers (sure no one needs them anymore but they've always been cool), videos like that LINE interview with subtitles included, vlog-style video diaries rather than just filming ayu working or overly-edited digests that just end up on dvd/blu-ray releases anyway... And if the fan club site could resurrect some of the old pre-2006 content that was removed, that would be absolutely amazing. Just SOMETHING to make me feel like the club isn't a low priority, you know?

At first I was really excited to join, since it was my first time being able to access everything at my leisure and not when someone shares something, but now I don't even check it. The videos just end up posted on YouTube anyway, the "gallery" photos for Last minute ended up being in an actual gallery and were horrible resolution, and I can just go to a blog if I wanna check out her life entries. (Even on TA though, not all of them are being translated into English.) I thought we were on the verge of seeing that former awesomeness when TA went global, but honestly the global thing just ended up being really fucking insulting. I now understand why Japanese TA are the way they are. Nail in the coffin for my days as an Ayu fan, to be honest.

EDIT: And to add more insult, you can now get really far in TA without being logged in.

[tokyoxjapanxfan]

New TA is quite boring. It's basically become a ticket source. No tv lives, no TA pvs, everything is digital and shareable, presents from
Ayu are infrequent.

I actually really miss the TA magazines. And the original designs with the drawings.

[truehappiness]

Well, we are due for a TA PV soon. From Fly high to Humming to Sunrise... we should be getting one either next year or the year after.

And they do usually invite for the TV lives when she is scheduled for them. I hope at least one is coming for sixxxxxx!

[oaristos]

I was really excited to start working and join the fan club, but after reading all those comments I'm not sure if I want to spend my money on that...

[luna7996]

Frankly? I got a membership recently and regret it. Unless you are going to Japan to see her in concert and would like to enter the lottery tickets the membership is pretty useless. Tho I still hold hope that before my year is over the fan club will magically restore it's former glory.

[se7entheaven]

Originally Posted by tokyoxjapanxfan

New TA is quite boring. It's basically become a ticket source. No tv lives, no TA pvs, everything is digital and shareable, presents from
Ayu are infrequent.

I actually really miss the TA magazines. And the original designs with the drawings.

THIS