[Editorial] Is avex Afraid Of Letting Ayumi Hamasaki Release Singles?

[SURREAL__RAINBOW]

Tsutaya is doing what it needs to survive and not end up like that big store that closed years ago in Shibuya, which is yeah, pretty annoying.

I wonder if they have to change their policies due to this new copyright law as well? Releasing the mini a month after this new law will give AVEX some feedback on sales I guess, if it's actually better for them or not.

[Pieces_of_SEVEN]

I just hope that one of these five releases is a single. If her record fails, then it fails. Nothing lasts forever. I think them acting scared to release it is worse.

[ImpactBreaker]

Originally Posted by Pieces_of_SEVEN

I just hope that one of these five releases is a single. If her record fails, then it fails. Nothing lasts forever. I think them acting scared to release it is worse.

If they aren't all singles, what's the point of having one single in the midlle of a couple mini albums? just to have the next mini album with that single added? unless she releases 4 singles and in the end an album, otherwise it would seem sort of pointless.

[LacusClyne]

Originally Posted by tokyoxjapanxfan

^^ And even the Korean acts they have aren't the most popular ones...lol.

I wonder if after the "get caught downloading music and you'll be charged with 2,000,000 Yen" rules comes into place (Oct. 1st) people will be more cautious, thus purchasing music?

But really, Tsutaya is the biggest problem right now. Renting music is way cheaper. And singles are rentable starting from the release date, only albums are delayed.

Yup, I saw more people in tsutaya then tower records when I was there. Wanted to rent some CDs, to rip to my laptop then return them, but they do not seem to allow tourists to rent

[saigodansu]

You went to the wrong Tsutaya, I talked to a clerk and even with very little understanding of what each other was saying, he signed me up at Tsutaya and I was renting the whole time I was there.

[Cornie]

I don't like the article

[Yoake]

People should just stop to be obsessed by the chart. Ayu doesn't care about oricon. She only want to sing & Avex only want to earn money. Moreover oricon become more & more obsolete. We're in the digital era now.

[saigodansu]

Although I agree with many points made in the thread, I still do not agree with the idea that Ayu makes the decisions. In fact she's had a number of TA entries where she has mentioned being asked to do things that not only were not her decision, but made her uncomfortable to be doing those things. So when I see posts saying how she tells TA everything & they believe everything she says, my question becomes "Why do you ignore the many times she's mentioned not being in control?"

In regards to the posts about PQ not having a CM and sales doing ok.
Party Queen had alot of LIVE, Radio & Internet interviews asking very personal questions and very personal answers, including what she sleeps in. An answer that was lied about for a question that was likely planned by her management, since she always shops for pajamas but was claiming to sleep in nothing but a shirt. Also had the giant Billboards & Trucks everywhere & many tweets about it. With all that it didn't need a CM to sell to the 100k+ fans that buy every release she has.

[brener]

agreed...

[emi♡]

Originally Posted by saigodansu

Although I agree with many points made in the thread, I still do not agree with the idea that Ayu makes the decisions. In fact she's had a number of TA entries where she has mentioned being asked to do things that not only were not her decision, but made her uncomfortable to be doing those things. So when I see posts saying how she tells TA everything & they believe everything she says, my question becomes "Why do you ignore the many times she's mentioned not being in control?"

In regards to the posts about PQ not having a CM and sales doing ok.
Party Queen had alot of LIVE, Radio & Internet interviews asking very personal questions and very personal answers, including what she sleeps in. An answer that was lied about for a question that was likely planned by her management, since she always shops for pajamas but was claiming to sleep in nothing but a shirt. Also had the giant Billboards & Trucks everywhere & many tweets about it. With all that it didn't need a CM to sell to the 100k+ fans that buy every release she has.

I buy lots of pajamas to wear around the house, but I sleep naked

It's a possibility.

This is why people think your conclusions are fallacious. And she might have had more interviews than normal....but it's not like she had like 20 or something. Which would actually be good promo.

[saigodansu]

Trying to stay on the discussion, but in reply to the one quoting me just to disagree with everything.

Buying some pajamas for around the house is possible, just not likely. Especially when she buys every color of every brand she likes & it's noticable from nearly every behind the scenes pic we get to see that her choice of clothes for just relaxing is her many pairs of sweats & the only pics I've seen her in pajamas for outside of Peach John ads are those she snaps in the mirror saying she's off to bed.

I don't really care if a few of you want to tear apart every post I make. Because I've noticed since I got over the jealousy thing with Mannie & actually started basing my conclusions on what has been heard, seen & read, that I've had more people agreeing with those conclusions than the few of you who band together and attack everyone with a different view.

[emi♡]

You know, I have a NAME. It's right....
<--------------------- OVER THERE.

And yeah, I disagree, cause it's so easy to. Your conclusions are flimsy and transparent. That's all.

More people would believe you if you just had more concrete evidence. And I'll tell you something else, if there is anyone on this forum you should actually want to convince, it's me.

muahahaha

[happiholic★]

Originally Posted by Yoake

People should just stop to be obsessed by the chart. Ayu doesn't care about oricon. She only want to sing & Avex only want to earn money. Moreover oricon become more & more obsolete. We're in the digital era now.

I must say, I do totally agree agree about Oricon. How many physical units a singer sells is no longer a very good indicator of how well they are actually doing, when their entire fanbase are youngsters who download on their cell phones.

Does Oricon still release who raked in the most cash for the year?

[isthisLOL?]

This editorial is rather...unrealistic. As I don't want to call it plain stupid.
Releasing A as a "maxi single" was controversial, especially as it was counted as a full album by EVERY chart system. avex doesn't like controversy - at least inside Japan, they couldn't care less what we think.
LOVE IS technically an album, not even a mini album, a full album. Albums can include remixes, alternate versions and instrumental versions of tracks. The LENGHT of a release determines what it is, not the number of songs or the number of new songs.
X Japan's "ART of LIFE" has one song. But it lasts 30 minutes and is therefore either an album or a mini album.
So, the way it is being released, LOVE had to be released as an album, because it will chart as an album. Some people may say they added all these tracks to turn it into an album, but I doubt that. Ayumi has been increasingly aware of her fans asking for remixes and long singles. So that's just what she and avex prepared, especially since this is to be a big deal. And a long single IS an album.
For the 2 years without singles stuff...Party Queen was concepted and perceived as one in a short period of time, so not releasing singles for it was just natural. While FIVE was an ep, again -> no singles. Ayumi has also moved forward to the digital age more than some other Japanese artists. She is still releasing singles, she is still releasing singles that chart, they are just not physical singles and they don't chart on Oricon because Oricon is outdated. avex couldn't care less for the record because Ayumi has it now and nobody will break it anytime soon. It doesn't matter if she adds one or two singles to the streak or ends it, it's still the biggest streak anyone ever had and that's the only aspect that mattered.
Not releasing singles is most likely Ayumi's decision, she even said it when she released L. avex is a company, a company that makes TONS of money when a single is released, no matter if it's #1, #2 or #3 on the charts, so they will want to release a single every chance they get. They will most certainly take earning much money even if it may breaking a streak that has become irrelevant once L was released.

[Minttulatte]

These articles appear from time to time saying something really stupid stuff about Ayu. I don't really give a damn about what they say because I don't care about Ayu's chart positions at all. I just wish she would release a single again at some point, but if it's her decision not to do so, then I'm ok with it.

But the fact that I don't care about Ayu's chart positions or sales doesn't mean that I don't believe she wouldn't get another #1 because I'm sure she would. Her fanbase isn't really that small anyway.

Originally Posted by emi♡

More people would believe you if you just had more concrete evidence. And I'll tell you something else, if there is anyone on this forum you should actually want to convince, it's me.

muahahaha

+1

[Andrenekoi]

Well..

1. She won't lose her record if her next single fails... To lose her record someone else needs to break it and take it for her, it's not like it matters if she has 1 or 20 #1 consecutive singles more than Seiko Matsuda, she won't break B'z single record cuz she doesn't sell well enough anymore and no solo artist or female artist has a long #1 singles streak. They could be waiting to see if her sales will go up, but her sales rising on the album department doesn't mean she will sell physical singles like crazy either.

2. With it's current tracklist LOVE wouldn't chart as a single, even if it was named that way... There's no point in calling it a single if it will chart as an album.

@isthisLOL?
We posted the same thing together xD

[cdy2010]

Just my thoughts, If Ayumi releases another single or if she doesn't, if she loses her #1 streak or if she keeps it. Does it really matter?

Look at the changing CD sales, even if she released 50 more singles over the next 10~15 years and they all peaked at #1 the sales will become less and less on the first week. Avex will just strategically release them on a week against weaker artists. I don't want Ayumi to keep her #1 streak by attacking artists weaker than her. I want an authentic number one against fair competition. Which may not happen anymore sadly.

Chances of another artist coming along and gaining 25+ #1's by physical CD sales are very unlikely as it's a good possibility the physical CD will be almost irrelevant in the next 10~15 years. Look at it's decline over the past 10~15 years as it is. Let's face it groups/artists like AKB48 are hyped up to be awesome and even they are starting to fall back some in sales/power. Ayumi has nothing to worry about for the overall of the situation.

[kinix]

If avex really cares about ranking and streaks, they would have chosen a better timing to release her recent albums and promote much more for these albums. But nope, nothing much was done for promotion. So I don't think they really care much about it.

So it's a bit of contradicting in your jpopasia's point. as to say avex were more protective in the singles record than the albums record.

[NintendoHTF1242]

Originally Posted by ExodusUK

The same thing with awards...they figured she wasn't going to win anymore as her era was over so instead of losing face they totally ignore and refuse nominations.

She stopped accepting awards because she wanted to pave away for other artists to win. Ayu was taking awards left and right.

[ExodusUK]

Originally Posted by TeamAyu2004

^ thats not how it was... she no longer wanted to accept awards because she had won so many three years in a row

Of course that's what they said mmhmm