Will things be better if Ayu leaves Avex?

[jang-kun]

I don't mean things aren't good now. Well, let's not lie, we all want that formidable Ayu, especially on the charts. That feeling of certainty that whenever she released something, it will only land on top. I don't wanna be a hypocrite, cause Ayu spoiled me of her number 1s herself, so I really miss seeing her on top of everything. Feared by lesser artists, getting all the "Congrats Ayu!" that she deserves.

Now, to see her back on her game again, just like what everyone is throwing about, she apparently needs a new team. A team that has the potential to "wake" her up from her dormancy. Yes, some of it depends on her, but knowing Ayu, we all know what she's capable of. She even defied her own label.

Then, if Ayu will, with the littlest of possibilities, leave Avex for good, do you awesome fellas think things will be better compared to her state of career right now?

[Andrenekoi]

How so? I'm always seeing people over here complaining about everything and creating the most varied theories based on nothing basically like they were marketing experts from the music business, but rarely something that much any sense...

Ayu's career will be on the same place it is while japanese people are still tired of her face because of her huge peak and long superexposition, and there isn't much she can do about it.

[Polyrhythm]

Oh so someone else finally gets it!

Um yeah, well avex has been ruining her career circa 2009. Weird release patterns to maintain their precious streaks and whatnot...low budget material (couldn't be more obvious)... embarrassing hallyu pitches...they even ruined the best music she's done in ages by doing that whole retarded 15th anniversary, buy 5 copies of the same stuff and get a free wallpaper gimmick. No surprises really as they have been ruining the careers of every good artist they come in contact with.

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). She needs to kick avex and Matsuura's monkey face to the curb if she is to learn her lesson. Seriously, how many aging, saggy backup "singers," goldigging backup dancers, face-destroying makeup artists, porn photographers does she need before she realizes her problem?

Ayu is definitely a big enough name to get out and start her own label (or at least get a good one like Universal or something)...and she's in a position where it could totally redefine her career.

[jang-kun]

Originally Posted by Andrenekoi

How so? I'm always seeing people over here complaining about everything and creating the most varied theories based on nothing basically like they were marketing experts from the music business, but rarely something that much any sense...

Ayu's career will be on the same place it is while japanese people are still tired of her face because of her huge peak and long superexposition, and there isn't much she can do about it.

i study the science of business.


while your point is valid, there are always some exceptions though. there's namie. i thought that one point her career would end during the early 2000's, but she managed to pick up the years she lost. who knows about ayu? if she won't try then surely nothing will happen. like the lyrics of Tell All, hesitating leads to nothing.

i just wonder if the thought of dropping her label ever popped in ayu's mind. lol

[jang-kun]

Originally Posted by Polyrhythm

No surprises really as they have been ruining the careers of every good artist they come in contact with.

you actually made sense here considering namie was ruined when she was under direct management? of Avex Trax then she went to another lesser label (which is still under Avex?) and everything flowed smoothly.


i stand corrected, if ever. that's what i know about her. and FEEL is gonna be release under her own label Dimension Point?


ayu you're waaay richer where did you put all your cash?

[Yumsushi]

If this was 2009 I'd probably be still blindly blaming Avex but I don't think that the case anymore. Ayumi is as much to blame for the current state of her career as Avex. I don't know how she can look back at her legacy and see what happened to her name in the past few years and not want to seek out a change of some kind. Who knows if there's any point to it right now though...

[Andrenekoi]

Originally Posted by jang-kun

i study the science of business.


while your point is valid, there are always some exceptions though. there's namie. i thought that one point her career would end during the early 2000's, but she managed to pick up the years she lost. who knows about ayu? if she won't try then surely nothing will happen. like the lyrics of Tell All, hesitating leads to nothing.

i just wonder if the thought of dropping her label ever popped in ayu's mind. lol

Namie waited a whole new generation before she could actually come back, she actually had her time away from the spotlight before she could do a proper comeback... While Ayu still is fresh on the mind of those who believe she is old and uncool, and there's no marketing strategy to make people that are already hating on her to suddenly love her and give her tons of sales. As we are dealing with an artist, not an everyday product, things are a lot harder than just getting the right song or the right package, people need to identify with her in order to buy her, and one generation never identifies with the same things the past one did. You can't force aesthetics or trends on society, and Ayu is the past trend and the past aesthetic... There's no artist out there that actually could get decades and decades on the top, and the first decade after the end of the peak is almost always problematic.

She got pretty good tie-ins (and still get some from times to times), what is surprising considering she is considered a bad person to use as a spokeperson on the few past years, her material is highlightened at stores and she released songs following musical trends. People over here seen to believe releasing a physical cd with 2 new tracks will magically make her album sales go sky high, while people like Utada, Namie, Kana Nishino and even Koda Kumi got a lot of million seller digital hits without billion seller physical stuff. People keep saying that changing labels may make things happen... And again I ask, how so?

I don't particulary like Avex, actually, considering what they did to Ayu during her peak, I dislike them... But I can't see what they could be doing that other label would. More tie-ins? It's not like they can force her songs on stuff if the companies don't want it. More TV? This probably has a lot more to do with her than it has with Avex, and it's not like Namie does a lot of TV either (when was her last appearence? While promoting Break it?)

[TeamAyu2004]

honestly I think Ayumi has so much control over what she wants to do it wouldnt matter if she changed or not.

Shes just not in right now.

[jean-baptiste]

Originally Posted by Yumsushi

If this was 2009 I'd probably be still blindly blaming Avex but I don't think that the case anymore. Ayumi is as much to blame for the current state of her career as Avex. I don't know how she can look back at her legacy and see what happened to her name in the past few years and not want to seek out a change of some kind. Who knows if there's any point to it right now though...

Originally Posted by TeamAyu2004

honestly I think Ayumi has so much control over what she wants to do it wouldnt matter if she changed or not.

Shes just not in right now.

I agree with both of you.

Can someone show me a quote from avex or ayu saying her single release pattern is skewed because they're trying to hold her #1 streak? It's annoying to see that so often without a source. If its been said by someone official show me.

Like its been said here, maybe ayu just wants to stay out the spotlight for a bit and come back with a bang? Maybe she just wants to chill for now? Who knows. I just know it can't be avex calling ALL the shots the way they used to back during A BEST days. I believe avex has recognized ayu deserves a say in her career after all the money she's made for them and the work she's put into what she does. I'm sure they respect her enough to give her freedom.

To answer the question, I honestly don't think much would be different if she changed labels.

[TeamAyu2004]

your not going to find a quote because its fans being fans. They change dates all the time, for reasons unknown.
But I think it would be stupid for ayumi to go up against a HUGE selling act because it would just mean less sales for her.
Is it to keep the streak? Maybe. Is it for less competition, always. This is the music business. they are in it to make money after all, not satisfy the need of fans and their obsessions for number 1 streaks.

[ComatoseBunnySnatcher]

Can't she just have an alter ego that releases pop songs (and singurus)?

[emi♡]

Someone is responsible for the low quality of her productions...

I'm not really sure who it is though.


When you see someone like Koda putting together all of these wonderful albums, like in terms of the physical products or her tour goods, bonus items, etc...it does make me wonder.

[George]

You don't need to be an expert on marketing to know that the market has substantially changed and sticking to the old and tired formula would no longer work.

[xLuna&1LOVE]

Her sales might be disappointing for those who care, but I like the post-2009 Ayumi. She is still 'in', and her work is imo not better or worse than Namie or Koda, whose names appeared in this thread.I think we make our conclusions too fast when we try to blame someone of her recent marketing style and comments as that 'people are tired of her old face' make me even pissed off. How do you know? How could that possibly count as an argument? She is still an idol to a lot of people. Isn't that what she wanted? Isn't that what she wants to be? I think she is doing great: she is experimental, she is more daring and she is recycling her name. And I do not see how leaving avex would improve those factors. As long she is still loved, who ****ing cares about the little downsides of her career.

[KarenPang]

Maybe ? You look at BENI whom used to be under avex but is doing gazillion million times better after she has parted ways with them

When BENI was under avex , her sales were horrible & at that time she wasn't able to find an identity if not sound to match who she was . Only when she left avex in 2008 & switched record label/management that things looked up for her significantly since then

Likewise the same with Naoto Inti Raymi . He had little if not no success when he 1st signed with Sony . Only when he moved to Universal & subsequently changed his stage name (just like BENI coincidentally) then his popularity increased tremendously

Bottom line is , it still takes a lot of hard work to sustain yourself in the business . I think ayumi come to a stage where she's just too laid back if not contented until she doesn't have the same drive if not motivation as what she used to do in the past

I know many people have said & want her to leave avex so that she can have a better if not bigger future in the business in many more years to come but the question's , will she do it & does she want to take that step ?

[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.

[Andrenekoi]

Originally Posted by emi♡

Someone is responsible for the low quality of her productions...

I'm not really sure who it is though.


When you see someone like Koda putting together all of these wonderful albums, like in terms of the physical products or her tour goods, bonus items, etc...it does make me wonder.

Koda releases the same album every year... It's probably the most formulaic top-tier popstar in Japan right now.

[ComatoseBunnySnatcher]

Originally Posted by Andrenekoi

Koda releases the same album every year... It's probably the most formulaic top-tier popstar in Japan right now.

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)

[Zeke.]

No. Ayu's reputation is completely ruined. Practically un-salvageable.

[tokyoxjapanxfan]

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

Otherwise we'd have normal release patterns.