I don't want to play devil's advocate or anything but news about Ayumi being too powerful in the company (coupled with drama over Matsuura nearly being dropped) has been around for quite a while, long enough for me to believe that there's something fishy going on in the managing of Avex. If it's true, Avex walked itself into the trap by letting one artist have so much control. There's always more to the story and no one person can be blamed, especially with industry stuff.

In any case, Ayumi shouldn't have anything to fear because despite lagging sales, she still has a big fanbase.