The End?

GSTS™ · #1 29th February 2004, 07:42 AM

Let's see the upcoming ayumi hamasaki products:

1) Complete Clip Box- Compiles all the promotional videos from her debut to now.
2) A Museum Concert- Sang all (most) of her hit singles from her debut to now.
3) Moments/ Memories Single

I'm optimistic, but is the day most Ayu fans fear coming?

#2 29th February 2004, 07:46 AM

scary to think but it could happen... who knows Ayu is weird, she gets everyone on teh edge with these relases and she over works herself.. one of these days its just gunna go **POOF!** it could mean shes gunna take a break... but whatever she does i support her, and what she has done is already legendary heh.. i still listen to her first works...

We'll just have to stick around and see till teh end

jerms · #3 29th February 2004, 07:55 AM

uh..it could be but i dont think any of those reasons are part of it..o_O.

a museum was just celebrating the 30 single mark right?
and the clip box is just..all teh clips from the 30 singles. lol o_O who knows.

Chrono · #4 29th February 2004, 11:26 AM

oh well... it could be. chances are slim though

sxesven · #5 29th February 2004, 11:29 AM

Weeeelllll, let's just hope that it's not. I can't really say... arr....

AfanforXX · #6 29th February 2004, 12:32 PM

in the words of Mai K "Wish You The Best"

tetsuo69 · #7 29th February 2004, 01:36 PM

... i doubt ... this is just the start.,... of a whole new AYUMI...

hiro · #8 29th February 2004, 01:54 PM

I was just about to say that Tetsuo. Hopefully a more mature Ayumi. The expiration date for most idols is suppose to be 25 right? How old is she now?

Chrono · #9 29th February 2004, 02:05 PM

25?

AyuLover · #10 29th February 2004, 03:12 PM

Hmm...a few people at this other forum I go to kept saying that Ayu was immature and baby-ish, over-rated, etc. I tried not to burn fire on them. Even though I have seen a change (obviously we all have) in Ayu's music, I can't be too sure if this really is something like a "new Ayumi". For all I know, Ayu's music is very mature, wonderful, and mesmerizing.

hiro · #11 29th February 2004, 03:23 PM

1 year is a long break?! lol
Well i guess it is considering this is jpop. But still 1 year isnt too long of a break. American artists usually take at least 2 years off.

Unimatrix Prime™ · #12 29th February 2004, 03:38 PM

I don't think Ayu's quitting anytime soon, since there wouldn't be any real reason to leave now. Even if she married Nagase, she could still release CDs and hold a couple of concerts, so it's not like that'd end her career. With AyuReady supposedly ending on March 20th, Ayu will find other things to do (like hosting the show "FUN"), and her tours last well into April. I just think that she's a bit busy these next few months and not because she's quitting or anything.

Piccolo · #13 29th February 2004, 04:19 PM

Well, when avex released "A BEST" she didn't quit. She has plenty of energy left inside of her for a couple more years !!

AfanforXX · #14 29th February 2004, 04:33 PM

energy doesn't equal quality music, look at Morning Musume for example.

***ImpactBreaker*** · #15 29th February 2004, 04:34 PM

Ayu has low sales? When did that happen? I never noticed that, Ayu's sales are pretty high in my opinion........She always gets first place on oricon charts even if it's for a short moment. Why do some people consider it low sales goes beyond my imagination though.
This ending of career stuff.....Some people were saying Memorial Address would definitelly be the end of her career, her last album since it was a mini album and the word "Memorial" and things like ayu saying "this is a present to fans" made some people quite sure it was the end of her career...did it end? Of course not. Now that I think about it, thanks god she never made an album cut for "Over" or else a lot of people would have thought it would be her last release LOL

If Ayu likes what she does, I don't see why she would quit...because of sales? OLIVIA has gotten pretty low sales for her album if compared to people like ayu and she still plans to release more stuff, she still plans to get better and better at what she does....Why does everyone see ayu as a weak, loser? The girl has shown a lot of times that she's quite strong, that she goes way ahead in order to ahieve what she wants why will she give up just because all of the albums salings have gotten pretty low lately? Plus a lot of artists endure the fact that they don't sell well and still release stuff (which is not ayu case because, once again, she's selling pretty well imo) why does it have to be different with ayu? Why does she have to necessarily quit while she's at the top?

jerms · #16 29th February 2004, 04:43 PM

oh geezz..even if she died otu i dotn see these as valid reasons. i think we're trying to look deep into what's not really there. its just what's happening, no hidden meanings.

Quote:

Moreover, I myself have to admit that I'm really getting sick of Ayu. For example, I couldn't even bring myself to watch the A Museum concert; I actually skipped a lot because I was bored of her singing the same songs the same way. The audience didn't look too enthusiastic either. As the proverb goes, "too much of a good thing is a bad thing."

LOL wth..?!? your tired of her? simple thing to do is just to not watch it. eventually you'll miss her. its not like she's forcing u to get her stuff right away. bsides, how are u tired of her? i do believe this is the least-releasing-year ever since she's been with avex. only what..10 songs? a little off topic, geez i really dont get how people are saying she's too busy nowadays when she's been releasing so much less. (not pointing fingers..lol)

Unimatrix Prime™ · #17 29th February 2004, 04:45 PM

I think people mean lower sales in comparison to newer sales, but with Japan's economy, along with the mass usage of MP3s, I guess that somewhat affects why some people think her sales are lagging. First is first, whether she sells 100,000 or 1,000,000 CDs. And even if it's not listed on Oricon, Ayu's CDs are still selling somewhere in the world.

But you're right about how other artists endure, even if they're not on the charts. One can only wonder what people would say when Ayu doesn't debut in the top 10 stats, or her CD sales barely get above 100,000 in a year. Does that mean that she suddenly became a horrible artist? No. As long as you like it, I think that's what matters more than stats and sales info.

***ImpactBreaker*** · #18 29th February 2004, 04:54 PM

Her Concerts are a bore. I agree she ALWAYS sings the same old songs. Honestly, I'm tired of seeing her singing evolution and the other same songs. She could add some variation like have her fans perform girlish with her...THAT would be interesting. Plus she could start singing her less well known songs, just for the sake of variation. It has nothing to do with her album/singles/PVs releases though.....just her Concerts since she always perform the same stuff. The last of her concerts I wtched was the old Stadium Tour and I only plan to watch her next cooncert after she releases a whole bunch ofnew songs so that I won't see her performing the SAME old songs....at least I hope so.

jerms · #19 29th February 2004, 04:58 PM

lol..unite, boys/girls, evolution, trauma, independant, and audience(& sometimes surreal) will always be there, mr. impact

u cant really escape those!

AyuDearest1 · #20 29th February 2004, 05:02 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Unimatrix Prime™
I think people mean lower sales in comparison to newer sales, but with Japan's economy, along with the mass usage of MP3s, I guess that somewhat affects why some people think her sales are lagging. First is first, whether she sells 100,000 or 1,000,000 CDs. And even if it's not listed on Oricon, Ayu's CDs are still selling somewhere in the world.

But you're right about how other artists endure, even if they're not on the charts. One can only wonder what people would say when Ayu doesn't debut in the top 10 stats, or her CD sales barely get above 100,000 in a year. Does that mean that she suddenly became a horrible artist? No. As long as you like it, I think that's what matters more than stats and sales info.

H sold 990,000 and a couple of extras that pushed it barely into the 1,000,000 mark. SMAP has their single sell over 2,000,000 - The economy in Japan doesn't kill cd sales. They have had over a DECADE of depression, CD sales haven't collapsed at the same rate as Ayumi has. If they did, the entire Japanese music scene would be collapsing. Ayu's time is ending,

Someone who once sold over a million to somebody who can't sell even a fraction of that with singles?

Here's some info off the oricon site: & was the 8th best single, quite a drop. The next one is 32 then 36. That's not good by Ayu standards. Rainbow for 22 weeks, I am - 27 weeks and a lot more sales, A best - 45 weeks, Duty - 27 weeks. MA - 10 weeks. She also no longer holds #1 for more than a week. She drops like a rock. Other singers are able to hold the #1 slot. It isn't the economy its the crappy music she is releasing. If the music is good, it will sell.

EDIT: For Ayu, sales matter. Her music isn't whats selling her cd's, its slick promotion. If she doesn't sell enough, she won't get it. That means her sales will fall even further. She is an IDOL first and foremost, not an artist. She is an idol who has taken on artist aspects. We're not talking about Shiina Ringo here who can explore other aspects of music and survive, we're talking about the most commercialized singer in JPOP, who sings pop. The differences are quite striking.