[tabloid] Japan Today - Ayumi Hamasaki vs Kumi Koda

[kaue_]

Originally Posted by Demure_Dusk

“Hamasaki is the single biggest contributor for the label,” said a label affiliate. “There was a time when Hamasaki alone accounted for 40% of Avex sales. It is not an overstatement to say that Kumi Koda and Ai Ohtsuka became who they are today with the money that Hamasaki raised.

I absolutely love that.

[BabyUtada]

Originally Posted by Weslicious

And considering Ayu went all up herself the other year saying she'd become too big etc it's a bit rich for her to act like she is avex.

IMO, SHE IS AVEX....LOL When you think of Avex ,who come to mind first,...Ayu not Kumi! When you think whose going to release more who comes to first...Ayu! When you think of who should become next the CEO of Avex, who comes to mind first,....AYUMI not KODA KUMI!!!! I don't know where this crap about Koda Kumi being the next Ayumi is coming from...IMO, Koda Kumi is like Jessica Simpson. She might have the spotlight for now but if she makes the wrong, that's the end of her career.......

[WillofDusk]

Agree
btw, my post was deleted hoho, too agressive

[JimmyKoria]

Originally Posted by Kilyk

Ayumi Hamasaki is so amazing that she can do whatever she wants! Haha that's why she brings her dogs into work! I hope A-Best 2 has the highest selling figures for the year of 2007! I never thought of it that way about Koda Kumi & Ai Otsuka being helped by Ayumi's income. In a way that's very true. NOBODY can take the place of Ayumi as the Empress of J-Pop, she is a legend.

Because being amazing means saying no to common decency.

[ayuayu]

Originally Posted by Demure_Dusk

[I]“Her previous ‘A Best’ album sold 4.5 million copies,” said a spokesperson for Avex, the label she is under. “Unless her new ‘best of’ album sells equally as well, people will start talking about her declining popularity.”

I don't think it's really fair to say that (at least anytime soon) because wouldn't we have to wait another 6 years after [A Best 2] to see which one sold better? or compare their first week sales or something like that? You can't compare an overall 4.5million copies of [A Best] over 6years to a month, year or whatever of sales from [A Best 2]. This is a wait and see time of thing.

As for Koda Kumi, I think the same applies. This could be her "prime" right now, or maybe in another year or two she'll hit the top. But you can't compare the present day ayu to koda. If one day you want to see who was the most influential, popular, best-selling, etc. you're gonna have to wait till they're both past their prime.

She really is popping out release after release but isn't this what Avex did to Ayu at one time? Make her pop out stuff month after month. So it could be koda trying to get attention/steal spotlight or maybe it's just Avex squeezing all the money out of her (like they oh so loooovvvvve to do). She might not even have any say in whether or how often she wants to release. But who knows.

That dog part? ... yeah... but rich infamous people can do whatever they want. pretty much. I mean the dog thing might be annoying but i've heard worse on tv. I remember hearing on lives of the rich and famous or w/e that some artist has an assistant tie their laces for them, and even adjust the room and bath temp. for them. It seems ridiculous but hey~ they've got money!

[ayu_fan929]

Originally Posted by Kilyk

I never thought of it that way about Koda Kumi & Ai Otsuka being helped by Ayumi's income. In a way that's very true.

It's a cycle. Ayu was helped by Namie's/ELT's/TRF's/globe's income. Ayu helps out BoA/Ai/Kuu. These three help out the newer acts like AAA...

[truehappiness]

Actually, they are kind of paid to do that. That's what personal assistants / friends do. [they eventually become friends after a bit, I imagine..]

They fan her when they're outside, they get towels and stuff, they get everything ready. It's not like they have anything else to do. They probably get paid really REALLY good money to be a PA, especially to Ayu. It's like how they represent interns on TV. They go get coffee, run errands, and so on. Ayu can't exactly do everything on her own, it'd be too troublesome to be caught by the paparazzi..

[Raleigh]

Originally Posted by Weslicious

The staff aren't paid to look after the dogs. Maybe some of her carers are but people working with her in the studio aren't. They've got every right to complain. Their there to do a set job and with dogs messing it up, that's unfair on them.
And the idea that Ayu get's special rights in avex is unfair. Sure, she may have made a lot of profit for them but people are going to be given a set wage regardless of who they work for. And considering Ayu went all up herself the other year saying she'd become too big etc it's a bit rich for her to act like she is avex.

She is avex because she actually made them big and was the source of affluence for them for eight years. If it wasn't for her probably avex wouldn't have all this money to promote artists like Kumi, Ai-chin and many others. I think that a person who made avex so rich deserves some extra rights. You have to give recognition for who has worked so much for a company for so many years. That's why avex still supports artists like TRF and Namie and promote them well, because in their era they gave a lot to avex.

Also other artists drag their dogs at avex as Koda does. See her offshots and recordings so in the end I don't know what's the big deal about special rights, since other artists do it too

Also this is unofficial so we do not know if it's true that they are complaining.

Originally Posted by Weslicious

Plus, I really don't get how people can get on at Kuu's marketing strategy. Ayu's being just as 'bad'

How is it just as 'bad'? Her last best album was years ago. It's due to a new best album and a reasonable choice for Ayu while Kumi has been releasing best albums like there's no tomorrow.

[realize_!]

Originally Posted by ayu_fan929

It's a cycle. Ayu was helped by Namie's/ELT's/TRF's/globe's income. Ayu helps out BoA/Ai/Kuu. These three help out the newer acts like AAA...

Your statement (IMO) proves that ayu IS Avex.

Namie, TRF, globe and ELT = ayu
ayu alone = 3 artists already

which just counter attacks Weslicious comment.

Originally Posted by Weslicious

And considering Ayu went all up herself the other year saying she'd become too big etc it's a bit rich for her to act like she is avex.

so technically it's not a bit rich for her to act like she is avex, because well, she IS AVEX

or did my reasoning didn't make sense at all again haha.

It seems as though the hype surrounding this A BEST will result in quite high sales, even I am going to import a copy asap instead of waiting for prices to go down (£20 for a CD is NOT cool xP).

The dog thing in the article didnt shock me at all, I always had a feeling that Ayu had some diva qualities, after all her popularity and how she is percieved in Avex it isnt surprising. Im a little dissapointed though, if you think you are responsable enough to have a dog, then you look after it yourself, it isnt anyone elses job to clean after it. This is coming from a dog-lover btw

[moombasista]

WTF is this tabloid thing about anyway?

It just seems like a lame excuse to mention dog ****

[SunshineSlayer]

Originally Posted by HybridTheory

The dog thing in the article didnt shock me at all, I always had a feeling that Ayu had some diva qualities, after all her popularity and how she is percieved in Avex it isnt surprising. Im a little dissapointed though, if you think you are responsable enough to have a dog, then you look after it yourself, it isnt anyone elses job to clean after it. This is coming from a dog-lover btw

Well, her choice is basically bring the dog to work with her and have people help her (which I'm sure they are paid to do) or leave the dog at home all day long alone. With as busy as Ayu is, she'd almost never get to spend time with her pets. That imo is much more unfair to the pet. The only negative stuff I've ever really heard about Ayu is about her dogs and if that's the biggest complaint people can come up with then I think Ayu must be pretty awesome then.

[truehappiness]

Originally Posted by HybridTheory

It seems as though the hype surrounding this A BEST will result in quite high sales, even I am going to import a copy asap instead of waiting for prices to go down (£20 for a CD is NOT cool xP).

The dog thing in the article didnt shock me at all, I always had a feeling that Ayu had some diva qualities, after all her popularity and how she is percieved in Avex it isnt surprising. Im a little dissapointed though, if you think you are responsable enough to have a dog, then you look after it yourself, it isnt anyone elses job to clean after it. This is coming from a dog-lover btw

If you've ever seen her MCs during concerts, you'd learn that she does bathe her dogs at home. I'm guessing that when they're really busy, she can't do it, so the assistants end up doing so.

And she also doesn't seem to do much at home when she's "off" other than sit on a couch with her dogs, feeding them treats while watching TV..

[ayu_fan929]

Originally Posted by realize_!

Your statement (IMO) proves that ayu IS Avex.

Namie, TRF, globe and ELT = ayu
ayu alone = 3 artists already

so technically it's not a bit rich for her to act like she is avex, because well, she IS AVEX

Well of course the incomes of Namie, TRF, globe and ELT didn't all go towards Ayu. As well, Ayu alone didn't develop 3 artists with her money. I'm sure avex still had some left over from ELT, globe that went into Kuu (and maybe BoA).

Ayu was avex (maybe around 2000/2001), but she isn't anymore.

[truehappiness]

Well, obviously she isn't avex any more...

But I think she has evolved to represent what "J-pop" is to many people..
I mean, it's not like you think "BoA!" when you think J-pop..

[ayu_fan929]

^True. I think Ayu/Hikki/SMAP and Namie are the names that "pop up" when someone says J-pop. As for BoA, I think "the girl that sings in 2 languages" pops up into people's minds.

[truehappiness]

I tend to think of J-Music in general with Hikki..

Her stuff isn't simply pop, it's just.. a ton of things..

[realize_!]

my friend thinks of m-flo when j-pop enters the conversation. She doesn't like ayu because she's popular yet she listens to hikki when she's just as equally as popular(probably more?) as ayu.

[Raleigh]

Personally I don't know why some people do not like an artist just because they're popular.

[Neo Daydream]

Koda Kumi is only 24?!? this guy in my Eng. class told me she was like 40!