Originally Posted by maikaru
(Post 2726874)
Wow, you didn't read ANYTHING I wrote did you. You buy a product from a brand because you are familiar with the format and quality of the brand, even if it's first buy to buy a particular product, or whatever number of times you bought it. Ayu has never done this kind of concert before, and since it's radically different from the format and quality that everyone has been accustomed to and were expecting, without so much as an announcement before, then it leaves a bad taste. If Apple announced "we're gonna radically change the iPhone this time" before time, people have the choice to buy or or not buy it. But if Apple doesn't say anything before hand, and when people expect the iPhone to be almost the same as previous iPhones with different version ups and whatever, and are met with a radically different iPhone that they didn't know was coming, that's bad business and it leaves a poor taste, and a lot of upset customers.
Anyways, the point of my entire thing is I understand why people are complaining about the concert, especially the ticket holders. If the tickets were 99cents, then I would be like "Ok, well..." but we all know that A-nation tickets are so expensive! Can you imagine paying so much money for something, and be VERY disappointed in the end? I want people to understand this, because I hate the tunnel vision that is always apparent on this board, even myself included sometimes. This time, A-nation was very much promoted under false advertisement. It said "Hamasaki Ayumi." Not, as I said before, "Hamasaki Ayumi and Friends." It's as simple as that.
Ayu herself has already stated that the name "Hamasaki Ayumi" is a business and product. If a company doesn't listen to the customers and patrons of their business, what else does a business have left? What kind of music and concerts that the business side of Hamasaki Ayumi creates is not connected to the feelings we have with the personal side of Hamasaki Ayumi, because we must separate our personal feelings for the artist from the goods that we are buying. If something is bad, or disappointing, then you must call a spade a spade. If someone says "I am very disappointed with this concert," it doesn't translate to someone saying "I hate Ayu." And I think that's the reasonings many people on this board resort to in the end. That statement ACTUALLY translates to "I paid money for this concert ticket, and I am not satisfied with the product that I have received."
And what many of you guys don't seem to understand, but I'm gonna give the benefit of the doubt that you do, in Japan, your customer is God. You MUST please them, because that's your duty to do that. They are paying their hard earned money for your service and your entertainment, so you must produce entertainment that is entertaining for your customers, to fulfill your duty for them paying you. If you do not produce this, and you do not at least listen to what your customers want, then you are not an entertainer, and you might as well stop entertaining. Ayu saying "I think you will understand why I did this" is not a good enough reason for someone to not be upset or disappointed. It doesn't matter if we understand or don't understand, what matters is if we are entertained. It sounds harsh and cold to say it like this, but it's the truth. And that's why I hate when people bash on the people who have gone to the performance and don't like it. "You shouldn't have gone." "You shouldn't go see it." "If you don't like it, don't watch it." What a stupid and childish response to have. In the end we are all Ayu fans, and we enjoy the format and content and quality we are used to having, and we want to continue to enjoy said format and content in the fashion that we are accustomed to. Why should we simply look away and turn our eyes if something is disappointing in our opinion? If she is what we have invested a lot of time and money in, should we not continue that patronage and offer feedback and criticism to her? Edit: If you were a business, wouldn't you want to know when your most loyal customers are unsatisfied? That would mean you are doing something that doesn't work, and you need to fix it. Saying you shouldn't watch something is counterproductive to this logic.
And I don't think Ayu herself would even want to build a world where no one offers their opinion and criticism about her work, because there would be no need to grow or evolve. In the end, this criticism will help her build a product that will satisfy everyone's entertainment levels, including her own, in her own way. But I think Ayu, above everyone else, already understand herself that she has built a product, and she needs to entertain her loyal fans, because that is the job that she chose for herself.
Why is that so hard for people to understand and accept? Why do I even have to write rants and essays about this? I thought this was general common sense.
Edit: And I want to also say before someone says something, I am all for her doing collaborations and whatever. But tell us when the entire set or concert will be only collaborations with one person. Give that person the credit he also deserves as well. What I'm saying is this should have been advertised in advance, and if it doesn't meet with the expectations of your customers, do something about it. Don't be stubborn and sit there and make up excuses. Take the responsibility, which I know she will do. At least, that's what she's been singing about all these years.
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