Well to me, I can't put songs like independent, july 1st, unite! with fairyland, blue bird, glitter...even though they're all released in the summer, they sound so different. Its not because of the era it was released in. Its the songs itself. Fairyland, blue bird, and glitter sound too summer beach...and I really can't listen to them whenever...especially non summer time. Songs like independent, unite!, july 1st don't sound as summerish and they're more like step you concert type of songs...and I still listen to them now whenever I feel like listening to upbeat songs. If fairyland, blue bird, glitter was released during her peak, I still wouldn't like it...just like I don't like audience, fly high, trauma. Inspire was the last summer song that I really truly liked. MY ALL is the type of song I've been waiting for ayu to release in the summer...but too bad she released glitter instead.

You might just be right :( If they really wanted to keep her streak alive they could have released the album in another date. I'll be honest, sometimes it feels like they don't care as much anymore. There seems to be a lack of innovative ways of promoting her as an artist. I know they still consider her as one of their most important artists (she is!) but I feel like she is slowly being put in the backburner.

Things just don't feel the same :think

I would have to agree. It feels like she is getting lessor and lessor promotion. Even though she had huge posters everywhere but things like tie-ins, magazine appearances, are getting less. The only thing that is going up is her doing asia tour again but I can't help but feel avex will very soon give other artists their asia tour just coz ayu's was successful. As if using ayu to open the path to the asia market for others.

If you compare koda's promotions and ayu's, big difference...but I guess it can't be helped as koda still have juice left for them to squeeze out...even though their sales are getting closer together.

Ayu's tired, let Koda do all the work she needs to GET her sales,
Ayu just needs the posters lol~XP

Would they consider the 1st Jan non-#1 the album's debut charting position though? Plus, there's still weekly to consider.

I agree that Ayu needs more tie-in's and CM's. I miss them.

Does anyone else besides me think that billboard promotion and trucks playing music is a really annoying way of promoting a product? I have no idea what people in Japan would think of this, but all I know is that I'd be somewhat annoyed. It's like all.. desperate and in-your-face.. I don't see why an established artist like Ayu would even need obnoxious promotion like that. Maybe in the next round, avex should lay low with that type of promotion and try to get some big-scale tie-in's. Then again, Koda probably has first dibs on all of those...

Oh wow I'm just in shock I suppose. asdfghjkl

I think it's pretty much standard for every major release.

I'm sad that she's lost her No.1 streak, at the start of her 10th year anniversary. But guess tis is expected to happen at some point of her carreer. No artist can be on top forever. No.2 is still great esp for someone in her 10th yr in e industry. Plus GUILTY is such a great album and e sales is muc better than expected.(i thot it will sell like mayb 300,000plus copies only, and at least her drop isn't as serious as mika, Boa and Ai).. hopefully it will maintain & stay long on e chart. Prayin for mayb total sales of 650,000copies..=) *finger crossed

I just hoped Ayu continue making good music and stay happy, will support her no matter what..=) God Bless. hopefully she will haf a comeback soon

Haha, sorry, I tend to ramble XD

Yeah, that's why I really admire Ayu sometimes---even though B&D was a flop, I don't think she cares. I honestly think she really loves that song--look how happy and confident she is every time she sings it! :P It proves that interesting arrangement and different vocals aren't exactly what the people are looking for...I remember in one of the talkin' 2 myself sales threads, someone brought up a really good point that everytime Ayu has an "experimental" single, it tends not to do well.

I think a lot of it has to do with Asian culture, really...being Vietnamese, it's my experience that sometimes when my parents are watching a Vietnamese music show and the song is sad or something, they're like "UGH get over it". :laugh Not all the time, of course, but I think maybe cultural mentality has something to do with it. "GUILTY" is a rather dark album ("MY ALL" and "glitter" aside), and the past two albums have been rather dark as well. I think at first it was really refreshing to see this honest young singer voicing her troubles (hence the success of "A Song for XX", etc) but lately maybe people are just tired of hearing Ayu complain :laugh It's just a theory, but just maybe. Perhaps this is why her summer singles tend to do better than her regular ones?

And about the instruments...well, I don't think it's her team, but rather just what's practical. Guitar and piano are staples in not only Ayu's music, but many, many artists' music as well.

well talkin' 2 myself isn't a really experimental single, as she has already done many heavy rock songs previously. Maybe I shouldn't say it's about piano and guitar or same instruments... It's rather about similar or even same arrangement. Let's use (don't) Leave me alone as an example. I watched the dvd before listening to the cd, so I didn't aware of the very beginning of the song is almost exactly the same as the very beginning of 1 LOVE. Then when I played the cd in my car, my brother pointed out that immediately.

I guess if B&D wasn't released as a single, people might have accepted it easier. There are other factors affected this single's sale beside the arrangement. Releasing it closer to (m)u was one of the huge mistakes. Or probly people didn't like ayu's dark hair (I kinda doubt it tho cuz she looked really really good with that). I remember that I wasn't particularly annoyed when I found out that both songs in this single didn't get into A BEST 2. But later on I feel that it's quite a stupid not to include B&D and Pride.

Actually Pride is not a really weird song in ayu's discography. Yes, it's experimental, but it's just another ballad. I guess it's been attached to B&D so it has the same fate...

About the dark concepts, I guess it's about age problem. Hmmmn... let's say in this way. The early songs that ayu wrote was mostly about her darker teenage period. We must admit that teenagers are more emotional than adults. It's easier to bring out the resonance (or unison?..) within that group.

Now the dark songs ayu writes are probly more about adult-related, or just something so mysterious/abstruse. Teenagers can't understand the meaning of the songs, and probly adults don't have time to care about the meaning (or dun even wanna touch the darker songs... life is hard already so why bother?). That means, less people attracted by her recent materials (esp fast heavy rock songs...).

Of course this is just one of my assumptions.. There must be more than one reasons why lesser people buying her materials nowadays..

Official numbers by Oricon

*1　454,601　*,845,485　Kobukuro - 5296
*2　432,113　*,432,113　Ayumi Hamasaki - GUILTY
*3　314,711　1,236,780　EXILE - EXILE LOVE

BTW, GUILTY is #1 at today rankings

#1: Ayumi Hamasaki (GUILTY) - 9,238 (x1.7) = 15705
#2: Kobukuro (5296) - 8,987 (x1.7) = 15278
#3: EXILE (EXILE LOVE) - 7,185 (x1.7) = 12215

Nifty.

GUILTY is back to #1 daily again today? I didn't think it can...good job ayu!

Nice "first" week, I'm really happy. Here's to strong "second" week sales! :D

T__T
very very sad..
but why chas_ayu create 3rd thread..
this thread still need 70 posts until 500 posts to create new thread

but i'm so happy for the 1st day sales in this week do very well

Ayu's never had a song as rockish as talkin' 2 myself before...yes, she's had rock, but they've always been pop-rock, not necessarily straight up rock. ;)

B&D and Pride weren't on A BEST 2 because Ayu only included songs from her "second chapter"--that is, songs UP TO Bold & Delicious. And even though Pride is a ballad, I still think it was different since it was a little more gospel-y (along with B&D) than previous ballads. The vocal style was definitely a change.

I don't think Ayu's newer dark songs speak of adult troubles. Rather, I think she talks about a lot of universal content in her lyrics that people of a variety of ages can feel. While it's true that her fanbase consists largely of teenagers, I don't think the lyrics are what's scaring them away from buying her albums lately. Ah well. Who knows? The industry in general is suffering as a whole.