Different Record Company?

[AznWizKidz]

Do you think Ayu would have her Diva Status if she hadn't signed a contract with Avex Trax?

I think she would be some what popular but not as popular as she is now. If she moved to Sony Music Japan, i think she would slowly lose fans. But that is my opinion. So what do you guys think about it?

[AyuGAME]

i think i have the same opinion with you
but we dont know the fact if she dont try it first

[LacusClyne]

could be...since Max Matsura was the one who discovered ayu's writing talent. if other company got her, ayu can't be that known as now.

or ayu might have given up on herself too. don't forget that when Max found ayu, she just quit her acting career and was just wandering in the streets, playing and not doing something for her future.....

[*Petit*]

No, not at all. Now I don't think there would be a difference, but when she debuted and untill, well about (m)u avex has strongly contributed to making her sales not just big, but immense. If it haden't been for avex trax she would've never had released as many successful remix albums. She would probably not have been know for her remixes outside of japan. And I'm not even going to strat about the marketing strategy. Every other big female star that debuted alongside ayu on other record companies are hardly as popular as her now, even though Utada still has a lot of the same type of "respect" as she's had many of the best selling releases.

[Tasked]

If Ayu would be at SONY; She would probably have more freedom at first. Her debut album would be (well, apart from the vocals) somewhat the same as the avex-music AFTER 2001. She wouldn't have been pushed to make music, but because she isn't pushed; she wouldn't have so many cool tours, remix albums etc.. She would probably have about 20 singles by now instead of 40...

[Delirium-Zer0]

It's too hard to say... avex gave her a chance & promoted her when other labels probably wouldn't have, making her a flop. On the other hand, who knows what other label might have taken the same chance & promoted her just as much. It's hard to say what another label would have done without actually seeing it. But I do think it would have taken longer for them to say OK to her writing her own lyrics, so I don't think her reputation for good, honest, sometimes painful lyrics would have happened, and because of that I don't think A Song for XX would have sold well enough for them to take a chance letting her do more adventurous music for LOVEppears.

[ayu_fan929]

I think definitely the marketing side would be lost if she wasn't at avex which could possibly mean that she wouldn't have been as big as she was back in her peak.

[ayumeg]

Just look at her first album, NOTHING FROM NOTHING. That was not a hit. And it was not Avex. There must be some correlation between the fact that Avex never decided to re-release that particular album under their name.

[slowmoth]

^ I think that the reason is that avex don't wanna Ayu to go hip-hop again. Compared to her pop releases, pop sounds a lot better than hip-hop plus Nothing From Nothing had any PV and promotion

[Delirium-Zer0]

If I were ayu, I think I wouldn't have wanted it re-released. Not her best work, not honest to herself, not HER songs, and not a style she's really that into.

[hiro_hikaru1987]

changing companies... well... it's hard to say... singer change companies either for freedom or for a better career... if ayu changes to sony... it means she wants to go out of japan and go to asia or even internationally cuz sony is an international record company!... if she continues her contract with avex... it means she still dun want to lose her queen status in japan... and want to expand to asia.. for now.... but i think avex would want to have ayu for no matter wat.. cuz even avex admits if there wasnt ayu... avex wouldnt have expanded and become the company today in japan ... think about her earlier days.. her sales was like 1/4 of avex's income. tahts huge! also i think avex influenced ayu... and ayu influenced avex a lot... and there is max matsuura in avex rite.. so... its a really tough decision for ayu...

[emi♡]

I think that if Ayu had signed a contract with another company, then it's very possible that she might not have lasted this long.
I think that avex gave her a certain freedom over her music, and I think that, it's very possible that if another company wouldn't have done that, she might not have been able to continue writing the lyrics that she did and make the music that she did, and otherwise not create such loyal fans.

I also think that avex did a very good job controlling her too. I mean, even with the freedom in her music, the lack of freedom over her image, in regards to the
manufactured status, contributed to her sales and popularity, at a certain time, even if later some don't care for her for it. Not only with her image, but also with her releases and so forth. They seemed to have almost the perfect balance of control over Ayu, and she seems satisfied with it, at least for now.

I don't know much about SonyJapan. Obviously Sony is a bigger agency, is it possible that she would be left to herself amongst the many musicians under their employment (being paid a decent amount in her own terms of course). Sometimes I am a bit scared to think what Ayu's music would be like if she had full reign over it, I mean, while she puts so much of herself into her music, she did admit that she had no idea what she was doing, and I mean, she isn't a musician in regards to instruments and such, I wonder, that if she had not had the guidance of avex and their employees, would her music be of the same quality. Then I think of CREA, and I sort of contradict myself, so, who knows. I do know, that I'm happy with Ayu at avex, even if theyre evil lol.

[Joel]

Honestly, I don't think so.

I don't know how people prefered Japanese music when she debuted, but I thought that her debut stuff was crap, but with avex, I guess they saw potential in her, and she eventually got a whole lot better.

If she were in a different company, I don't think she whould've gotten far, but who knows?

[[taskin.ayu]]

I think she would not be making music now. She wanted to quit, but due to the A BEST sales, she continued. :/

[yamogi]

A large portion of Ayu's success was due to Avex's marketing strategy(remember that 900million yen spent in promoting A Best)

[Daking]

Avex does a great job promoting, so i think she was put in one of the best positions possible.

[extepan]

same. i think avex really did a graet job, and she probably would not have been as popular if she signed another company