Will things be better if Ayu leaves Avex?

[Andrenekoi]

Originally Posted by ComatoseBunnySnatcher

Don't bash on her, because the same thing can be said about Ayu half the time.

...except for last year, when she released the same album twice lol

And Kuu's work is far better put together. Just because she might use a formula it doesn't discount her work or make her less of an artist.

(and don't try the lyrics argument because if I have to read another lets go there tomorrow/ill give you my wing translation I'll barf)

If the same thing can be said about Ayu half of the time, it can be said about Koda full time... Her post Best 2nd Session albums are pretty much interchangeable. If people believe taking the Koda route will "save" her, I prefer her to keep on "failing"

[emi♡]

...I talked about the PHYSICAL productions. So for instance, her album booklets, or posters, or bonus items.

Ayu could really use an upgrade there. Her everything is way less put together, and far less quality. It has nothing to do with albums and formulas.


She should actually probably take more ques from like SNSD. SM sure knows how to release something. Trading cards, slip cases, CMs, big PVs, everything.


It won't save her career. I really don't care about her career. I care about stuff. Pretty stuff.

[pimenta]

Originally Posted by tokyoxjapanxfan

I don't think Avex or Max is influencing her enough right now, actually.

Otherwise we'd have normal release patterns.

MTE


I think that at this point leaving Avex would be worse...

[NintendoHTF1242]

Originally Posted by Polyrhythm

Of course, part of this is Ayu's fault. She has serious attachment issues...it's like she can't get rid of anyone who's ever offered her a drink of water or something (maybe she just has a big heart LOL).

l0l quote of the century

[mizuki-7]

Originally Posted by channy

I sometimes feel like we are not talking of the same artist.

Just lately, Ayu has been devastating the musical industry with her absolutely terrific POWER of MUSIC concert which could possibly be considered as one of the most high quality concerts Japan has seen to this day (...?) and ever since of the release of "LOVE again" she pretty much proved once more that she is not going to follow any recent, promising pop music trends.

Have you noticed how every second pop singer in Japan turned into a electro-pop clone when that genre would become utter famous? Ayu never jumped on that trend, she released a few songs with electronical influences here and there but she did that since LOVEppears. Avex could have forced a electro-pop sound on her - they did not!

Funny enough, "NEXT LEVEL", themed with an electronical vibe, eventually turned out to have a diversity of genres, with only two electro songs (rollin', Sparkle), which made the visual concept more 'electro' than the actual musical output itself xD

Frankly, you could tell Avex did not want to recycle their most genuine artist by converting her image to something a thousand artists were producing at that very time.

In my opinion Avex has always carefully assured Ayu's distinct sound would stay true to its origin and this basically makes me somewhat fond of Avex being her label, at least to a certain extent.

Exactly what I think

[jean-baptiste]

Originally Posted by tokyoxjapanxfan

I don't think Avex or Max is influencing her enough right now, actually.

Otherwise we'd have normal release patterns.

[ComatoseBunnySnatcher]

Originally Posted by Andrenekoi

If the same thing can be said about Ayu half of the time, it can be said about Koda full time... Her post Best 2nd Session albums are pretty much interchangeable. If people believe taking the Koda route will "save" her, I prefer her to keep on "failing"

It wasn't just about the music, babe.

And Ayu's fans are the first to claim she's so diverse but when an album drops they just complain about the same rehash being served to them. Youre in stan mode rn so I'll overlook your lack of logic.

[Andrenekoi]

Originally Posted by ComatoseBunnySnatcher

It wasn't just about the music, babe.

And Ayu's fans are the first to claim she's so diverse but when an album drops they just complain about the same rehash being served to them. Youre in stan mode rn so I'll overlook your lack of logic.

I never claimmed she is "oh, so diverse", neither that she is always rehashing stuff, so, please, before addressing any stan comment to me over here in the forum, don't try putting words on my mouth

What I always say is that she has 3 core music influences (dance, rock and orchestral) and that she is always experiementing with sub-genres of those genres without ever leaving pop music.

Now, if you guys want her going on AKB48 mode just to garantee some easy sales (what she is actually doing since 2005 when she started releasing several versions of the same release), that's ok, Emiko just proved my point about Koda not really being about good music and this makes easier to see what direction some people over here expect from Ayu. Now, I want good music (what she is delivering) and good performance (what she is also delivering), not material to discuss her hair or how expensive her shoes are.

[ayumisrael]

I would like ayu to release anything new (music-wise) just that people will stop talking nonsense and "scandals" =)

[jbrat2219]

Outside of Namie, it seems other female solo artists (mainly those who are veterans) are pumping out more promo, performances, concepts, art, "clear direction," etc., and none of them are doing particularly better than ayu.

I think Avex is smart. No amount of extra effort is going to translate into sales for ayu. Namie's situation is unique because not only did she drop off the face of the Earth for a while, she came back with a completely different sound & image. I simply don't see ayu doing this no matter which label she joins. Ayu has always gone her own direction, she's not the kind of artist to do whatever it takes for sales (Avex may try dirty tricks but it doesn't reflect on ayu's music as an artist). And does she really need to? She's broken so many records and achieved so many accomplishments it takes a 48+ member group to even reach her level. Why can't she just make music and leave it at that? Isn't that what it's all about? Are we fans of ayu, or are we fans of her accomplishments?

[jean-baptiste]

^Well said.

As for the rest of the posts on this page of the thread, what in the hell just happened?

[NintendoHTF1242]

Originally Posted by ComatoseBunnySnatcher

And Ayu's fans are the first to claim she's so diverse but when an album drops they just complain about the same rehash being served to them. Youre in stan mode rn so I'll overlook your lack of logic.

Preach baby girl, preach.

[Yumsushi]

Originally Posted by channy

I sometimes feel like we are not talking of the same artist.

Just lately, Ayu has been devastating the musical industry with her absolutely terrific POWER of MUSIC concert which could possibly be considered as one of the most high quality concerts Japan has seen to this day (...?) and ever since of the release of "LOVE again" she pretty much proved once more that she is not going to follow any recent, promising pop music trends.

Have you noticed how every second pop singer in Japan turned into a electro-pop clone when that genre would become utter famous? Ayu never jumped on that trend, she released a few songs with electronical influences here and there but she did that since LOVEppears. Avex could have forced a electro-pop sound on her - they did not!

Funny enough, "NEXT LEVEL", themed with an electronical vibe, eventually turned out to have a diversity of genres, with only two electro songs (rollin', Sparkle), which made the visual concept more 'electro' than the actual musical output itself xD

Frankly, you could tell Avex did not want to recycle their most genuine artist by converting her image to something a thousand artists were producing at that very time.

In my opinion Avex has always carefully assured Ayu's distinct sound would stay true to its origin and this basically makes me somewhat fond of Avex being her label, at least to a certain extent.

Originally Posted by jbrat2219

Outside of Namie, it seems other female solo artists (mainly those who are veterans) are pumping out more promo, performances, concepts, art, "clear direction," etc., and none of them are doing particularly better than ayu.

I think Avex is smart. No amount of extra effort is going to translate into sales for ayu. Namie's situation is unique because not only did she drop off the face of the Earth for a while, she came back with a completely different sound & image. I simply don't see ayu doing this no matter which label she joins. Ayu has always gone her own direction, she's not the kind of artist to do whatever it takes for sales (Avex may try dirty tricks but it doesn't reflect on ayu's music as an artist). And does she really need to? She's broken so many records and achieved so many accomplishments it takes a 48+ member group to even reach her level. Why can't she just make music and leave it at that? Isn't that what it's all about? Are we fans of ayu, or are we fans of her accomplishments?

I'm not sure that anyone is specifically saying Ayu has to change musically or artistically. Right now I can honestly say her music is her only saving grace. However, Ayumi has never been just about music, she's also created an image to go with her music and that image also extends to marketing. And since her packaging and marketing have been abysmal recently, many people like me are torn because they like Ayumi's music and are still fans but feel that either her or her company aren't putting in the effort as before and it's disappointing because it's Ayumi who has set these standards in the industry for herself. No one is asking for gold dusted cd covers but as a longtime fan, its hard for me to just see something like her 15th anniversary fiasco and just be happy with the music and ignore everything else that came with it, especially when it makes her look like a joke.

[ayu-michan]

I don't think it's necessary for Ayu to even care about those stuff such as sales drop and break record and how she's not number one anymore. things change, and you just got to accept it. she's already the queen in japan HISTORY, along w namie and kuu. Ayu just do what she likes, it is so obvious, thats what make her different than other artists.
I just want Avex to stop blocking those videos and ayu's work (pv songs) in big social network, bc seriously, ayu's music is amazing, but because of different in languages and they use the classical promo way, her music is not very well known outside of Japan (like in US, not many ppl heard of her).
This is the era of internet, and she needa use that advantage man. Ppl are mostly depending on internet now, and her work is just like, completely blocked online.

[Bigtop]

Originally Posted by ayu-michan

I don't think it's necessary for Ayu to even care about those stuff such as sales drop and break record and how she's not number one anymore. things change, and you just got to accept it. she's already the queen in japan HISTORY, along w namie and kuu. Ayu just do what she likes, it is so obvious, thats what make her different than other artists.
I just want Avex to stop blocking those videos and ayu's work (pv songs) in big social network, bc seriously, ayu's music is amazing, but because of different in languages and they use the classical promo way, her music is not very well known outside of Japan (like in US, not many ppl heard of her).
This is the era of internet, and she needa use that advantage man. Ppl are mostly depending on internet now, and her work is just like, completely blocked online.

Agreed

I just don't know why Avex doesn't care about Ayu...

[jang-kun]

Originally Posted by Yumsushi

I'm not sure that anyone is specifically saying Ayu has to change musically or artistically. Right now I can honestly say her music is her only saving grace. However, Ayumi has never been just about music, she's also created an image to go with her music and that image also extends to marketing. And since her packaging and marketing have been abysmal recently, many people like me are torn because they like Ayumi's music and are still fans but feel that either her or her company aren't putting in the effort as before and it's disappointing because it's Ayumi who has set these standards in the industry for herself. No one is asking for gold dusted cd covers but as a longtime fan, its hard for me to just see something like her 15th anniversary fiasco and just be happy with the music and ignore everything else that came with it, especially when it makes her look like a joke.

MTE


if ayu bowed out gracefully, no offense guys, it would have been better for me. at least, she lowered the curtains while she's still on top, not when everyone thinks she's already a sell out. it just saddens me, so i asked if she's going to leave avex, maybe things will be better, even just a little?

[Andrenekoi]

Avex blocks Ayu's videos cuz her videos are sold on dvd and internet... They probably are also afraid of people ripping the songs from youtube.

This IS very stupid, but it's not something exclusive to Avex...

[marty]

I don't think she needs to change, I think she just needs managers with a brain!
Sorry, I know I'm not an espert, but really, they did a great job with her until, as someone pointed out, 4-5 years ago. Then they just went mad. I can't understand: I don't want her to be so powerful like in the past, I know it's kinda impossible, even if she deserves it, but is it too much to ask for a NORMAL PROMOTION? I don't want miracles. I don't want masterpieces or resurrections. I just want a nice, clean, well done job. You know, singles, tie-ins, normal budget videos... simple stuff. And if she doesn't strike, well, that's sad but okay.
Is it possible that the only two options are either a superfantastic and expensive job or a very poor one? I just want a normal thing! This is no matter of being no longer the Queen, it's that when a job is done badly, it's done badly. Period.

[miki_beland]

I think she needs a big change, so why not?

[hsienko]

Originally Posted by Yumsushi

I'm not sure that anyone is specifically saying Ayu has to change musically or artistically. Right now I can honestly say her music is her only saving grace. However, Ayumi has never been just about music, she's also created an image to go with her music and that image also extends to marketing. And since her packaging and marketing have been abysmal recently, many people like me are torn because they like Ayumi's music and are still fans but feel that either her or her company aren't putting in the effort as before and it's disappointing because it's Ayumi who has set these standards in the industry for herself. No one is asking for gold dusted cd covers but as a longtime fan, its hard for me to just see something like her 15th anniversary fiasco and just be happy with the music and ignore everything else that came with it, especially when it makes her look like a joke.

This.

Regardless of what type or quality of music, when it comes to solely a product perspective like CD art, posters, tour goods, etc. Post-Next level artwork has been very low quality its like they don't even put forth any effort. Love songs and Love again was basically just a lame picture and times new roman font. The tour goods are pathetic as well. All she has is a towel, a shirt, a pamphlet and a photobook. As a comparison, Koda Kumi has jewelry, fans, license plates, cell phone straps, tape, matchbox cars, etc. for her tour goods. The king craft of this whole thing was the 15th anniversary releases it was the same thing like 4 times and then for collecting everything you're rewarded with a wallpaper... are you serious? It's pathetic not to mention highly insulting to us as fans for them to try to feed us this bull*****.

Clearly she has gotten complacent, she's approves this marketing, she doesn't perform on TV anymore, she keeps rehashing the same "Love" concept over and over and over and over again. She needs to get it together or just bow out if she doesn't want to do it anymore. She'd have more respect if she just quit like Utada instead of becoming a trainwreck like BoA.

Originally Posted by Andrenekoi

Avex blocks Ayu's videos cuz her videos are sold on dvd and internet... They probably are also afraid of people ripping the songs from youtube.

This IS very stupid, but it's not something exclusive to Avex...

That is so stupid. The same people who buy the DVDs would still buy them because internet quality does not even compare to DVD quality.