What would ayu need to do to get amuro-likes sales numbers?

[melissalove]

^ you forgot kpop and boy groups like exile.

[mizuki-7]

^
Of course ^^

[tokyoxjapanxfan]

Lots of boy bands.
Johnny's of course, but lots of korean singers too. EXO in particular. And Big Bang.

In terms of the male students, they don't seem to have any interest in music. They just kind of like what's being played with no specific love for an artist.

Both male and female students love EXILE and all its variations though.

AKB is surprisingly not so liked. The few people who admitted it got picked on for liking them.

Oh and vocaloids are popular.

[attractive nausea]

Originally Posted by tokyoxjapanxfan

Both male and female students love EXILE and all its variations though.

I'm not surprised, EXILE is awesome, their concerts are too!

But like Johnny's, their songs kinda always sound the same, you know? This is why i don't agree with people saying Ayu doesn't have appeal anymore because her songs are always the same (i.e. Summer songs/Winter songs/Ballads), Johnny's, EXILE, AKB48...'s songs are always the same and the public doesn't seem to care.

[Uknow!]

Originally Posted by tokyoxjapanxfan

Oh and vocaloids are popular.

I will die if Ayu makes covers of vocaloid songs like "Electric Angel" or sagas like "Story Of Evil" and "The 7 Deadly Sins"

[mizuki-7]

^
Anime singers too ! that's another industry in parallel to the mainstream industry but the anison singers have never been that popular since the 90's and the decline of this genre in the early 00's ! Today a lot of anime singers have more success than the mainstream singers (including Ayu) despite not being promoted in the same manner !!

[Delirium-Zer0]

I think Ayu has lost her appeal in part because music doesn't serve the same function for people that it did 10-15 years ago. This is true in the west AND the east - most music listeners back in the day enjoyed music because it resonated with them or it made them feel something; nowadays people like the singers who are cool, and sound-wise they just want whatever can be inoffensively playing in the background. People want a soundtrack rather than music they can listen to.

These days, hiring a really talented songwriter or sound engineer is going to be expensive and I think record labels see that as too much of a gamble (which would explain why DAI is focusing on an indie band and why the guy who mixed LOVE again and A ONE landed a job at a major label mixing a major artist before actually learning how to mix properly).

People probably would like an artist that makes them feel things again, but only an artist who's marginally unconventional will bring them that, and record labels aren't willing to invest in anything potentially groundbreaking because it's just too big a gamble for them right now.

[kalikagai]

Originally Posted by Delirium-Zer0

I think Ayu has lost her appeal in part because music doesn't serve the same function for people that it did 10-15 years ago. This is true in the west AND the east - most music listeners back in the day enjoyed music because it resonated with them or it made them feel something; nowadays people like the singers who are cool, and sound-wise they just want whatever can be inoffensively playing in the background. People want a soundtrack rather than music they can listen to.

You've just opened my eyes... I believe it's so true.

I've been working at school for almost 10 years and I notice some kind of degradation among population. I mean cultural, intellectual and... soul? degeneration.

The main motive among young people is "Do not bother". Don't bother talking (it's easier to chat), don't bother thinking (too difficult, it's easier to consume mass opinion), don't bother feeling (it's easier to live without feelings at all). Maybe it's typical just for my country, but I believe it's a world-wide situation.

IMO, ayu's music, first of all, is about thinking and feeling - it aims to resonate with your heart. And sometimes it resonates with your pain, so it's nothing about the entertainment. Young people want to be entertained, not to cry

If that's the reason to ayu sale declines, so be it, I'm ok with that.

[AyuGAME]

I think what she really needs is new arranger...It will bring a really fresh splash to her music...I don't think the composition of her song is bad, but the arrangement is so old...

Hoping that she will work with FAST LANE...I see that name so many times in current popular Jpop songs...She desperately need new arranger

[ayuinh.k?]

Originally Posted by AyuGAME

I think what she really needs is new arranger...It will bring a really fresh splash to her music...I don't think the composition of her song is bad, but the arrangement is so old...

Hoping that she will work with FAST LANE...I see that name so many times in current popular Jpop songs...She desperately need new arranger

She should take a break from using Yuta Nakano as her main choice for arrangements and also any compositions by Tetsuya Komuro. Maybe she could use the REDONE team more often ala Movin on without you or try other arrangers like Giorgio Cancemi (he composed/arranged some of Nishino Kana's biggest hits in 2010) or maybe even Akimitsu Honna (he arranged a couple of songs on A song for xx)

[AyuGAME]

Originally Posted by ayuinh.k?

She should take a break from using Yuta Nakano as her main choice for arrangements and also any compositions by Tetsuya Komuro. Maybe she could use the REDONE team more often ala Movin on without you or try other arrangers like Giorgio Cancemi (he composed/arranged some of Nishino Kana's biggest hits in 2010) or maybe even Akimitsu Honna (he arranged a couple of songs on A song for xx)

AGREE with TK...I know TK is a legend, but let's admit it that his song is sooooo old school sounding in a bad way. Please Avex don't push Ayu to sing his song for a while...don't give her any TK demo song at least for two years.

Even when I start to hear Jpop back at 1999. GLOBE already going down in popularity. So why to keep GLOBE-esque kind of song again in 2015??? I don't get it. Lots and lots of new composers waiting and I believe they want their's song sing by Ayu.

Especially new Arranger..she really need it, different instrument sound, different beat. It will be nice.

[DonkeyKongRemix]

I think she needs a new crew. One that can give her high quality music, PVs, and an overall "fresh" image. She should start doing TV lives again, use her music in anime more, and whatnot.

I have to ask if this is really what longtime fans would enjoy or not. But, I think higher quality can't be argued with. If anything, she should start collaborating with some bigger groups or artists. I feel like some of the people she does music with are a little....out of the left field....BUT I COULD JUST BE IGNORANT!!! XD

[Kazeyomi]

^
Yup, using different composers/arrangers for once would be like a breath of fresh air.
But I don't think it would be good enough to getting huge sales.

I agree with those who said Ayu could never be relevant in pop music nowadays. But I don't see it as a huge failure.
I think Ayu achieved a lot during her career and life so far, actually it's much more rewarding being a living legend rather than a popular singer. I've listened to many popular female jpop singers through the years, but most of them quickly being forgotten or they just quit with music.

Would be cool if she would sells tons of copies like on old good days, but I think she's doing well anyway.

[chocopockymaster]

^ because the trends of pop culture are cyclical and what was ~*~hip in the 90s~*~ is officially "in" again.

[Pieces_of_SEVEN]

SO 1, 2, 3, 4, you and me?

[freedreamer]

release the album

PLAY again

[Delirium-Zer0]

It's not just that she needs to work with DIFFERENT people... It's that she needs to know whose sound will work best with what she's trying to say. HAL back in the day - and Ayu said this when RAINBOW came out - just UNDERSTOOD what Ayu wanted, and their arrangements reflected the feeling behind the lyrics really, REALLY well. They GOT IT. And I think Ayu's current musical collaborators are making songs that she likes listening to and that she finds appealing, but they don't always bring out the feeling of the song in the best way.

[evolution]

Perhaps she needs dai to compose songs for her again

[stepYOU1234]

I actually really like the RedOne arrangement for Movin' on without you. It was nostalgic but modern at the same time.

[Pieces_of_SEVEN]

Originally Posted by stepYOU1234

I actually really like the RedOne arrangement for Movin' on without you. It was nostalgic but modern at the same time.

Maybe that was on purpose since the song is a cover of a sixteen-year-old song. lol

I also want her to switch up some of her team. I miss the likes of BOUNCEBACK (although I don't much care for shake it), CMJK, DAI, HAL, CREA, etc. (Even though I know CREA will never happen and HAL technically doesn't exist anymore.) I can always dream...