17LIVE 4th Anniversary meets 浜崎あゆみ" Singer audition"

[MKAyu]

Originally Posted by natalaxie

I agree that she has been super super active compared with other artists. Recently she also had two babies - it seems she wants to focus on that at the moment (a different life stage). But also, the label may be pressuring her to do lives rather than release new music, since given the streaming age there isn't much money to be made in new singles/albums anymore...

These both make sense to me as reasons. First, what's the point of making so much money if you don't have something to spend it ON? I'm not into having kids myself, but I know that for many people, the most important thing to spend money and time on is family and children. Ayu has always lived her life as she wanted despite social pressures and wagging fingers, so if she wants to spend more time on family, that's the end of that.

Second, like you said, money. Even the best-selling singers now don't make much from the music, and singers themselves are rarely big stars. They make the money in tie-ins and ads and sales of stuff like t-shirts. For Ayu to spend loads of money producing an album that wouldn't make its money back just wouldn't make financial sense for either her or Avex. Ayu is a businesswoman, she knows that.