Jun 30 2009

NEXT LEVEL in the US, Sunrise/Sunset get tie-ins

Ayu’s latest original album NEXT LEVEL has been released on US iTunes for $11.99.

In Japan, the official site has updated with Sunrise/Sunset’s official tie-ins. “Sunrise” will be the theme for the summer drama Dandy Daddy? while “Sunset” will be used Music.jp television ads.

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Jun 29 2009

New Single! Sunrise/Sunset

Published by Stacey Anne under new releases, singles

Ayu’s official site has updated announcing a brand new summer single: Sunrise/Sunset ~LOVE is ALL~! The single is set for release August 12 in a CD and CD+DVD format.

CD

  1. Sunrise 〜LOVE is ALL〜 (Original mix)
  2. Sunset 〜LOVE is ALL〜 (Original mix)
  3. Special Mega-Mash-Up-Mix (July 1st / Greatful days / fairyland / BLUE BIRD / glitter)(temporary title)
  4. Sunrise 〜LOVE is ALL〜 (Original mix -Instrumental-)
  5. Sunset 〜LOVE is ALL〜 (Original mix -Instrumental-)

DVD

  1. Sunrise 〜LOVE is ALL〜 (video clip)
  2. Sunset 〜LOVE is ALL〜 (video clip)
  3. Sunrise 〜LOVE is ALL〜 (making clip)

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Jun 28 2009

Better Late Than Never: Goods, Deals, and Stats

I’ve been pretty busy for the past month and on an internet-free vacation for the last week, so please excuse the tardiness of this announcement.

First off, Yesasia recently listed merchandise from Ayu’s latest tour for sale on its website. Overseas fans can now order everything from official travel mugs to totes with the Ayu brand.

Not to be outdone, CDJapan has kicked off its annual summer sale, offering marked-down Ayu DVDs and CDs. Not only that, but any purchase over 5000 yen will get a free poster!

Finally, Oricon has issued its quarterly update for 2009’s best sellers thus far. Ayu’s most recent studio album NEXT LEVEL is already at #7 on the album charts, while singles GREEN/Days (from last year) and RULE/Sparkle chart at 11 and 17 respectively. This does not include digital sales (you may recall “Days” was a huge seller independently).

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Jun 05 2009

US iTunes Listing Restored?

Published by Stacey Anne under international releases

After a brief absence, the listings for Avex artists like Ayumi Hamasaki, Namie Amuro, and BoA appear to have been restored on US iTunes.

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May 31 2009

New Osaka Dates and a-nation ‘09

Published by Stacey Anne under a-nation, avex, concerts, schedule

After a flu outbreak led to the cancellation of two shows in Osaka earlier this month, Ayu’s tour schedule has been extended to include two make-up shows in the area July 1st and 2nd.

Ayu will also be making an extended appearance at Avex’s summer concert series.

  • August 1st, Kumomoto Prefecture
  • August 8th, Ehime Prefecture
  • August 15th, Aichi Prefecture (Nagoya)
  • August 22nd, Tokyo
  • August 23rd, Tokyo
  • August 29th, Osaka
  • August 30th, Osaka

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May 20 2009

Osaka Area Concerts Canceled Due to Flu Outbreak

Published by Stacey Anne under avex, concerts

In light of a significant flu outbreak in Osaka, Avex updated its corporate site and pertinent artist pages to announce that all upcoming concerts in the area will be canceled. This includes Ayu’s shows today and tomorrow, and Ai Otsuka and Koda Kumi’s individual shows the 23rd and 24th.

Yesterday, a press release PDF was uploaded announcing that concertgoers would be supplied disinfectant and anyone with a cough was required to wear a mask. Now the shows have been officially canceled.

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May 08 2009

New DVD Preview

Published by Stacey Anne under dvds, new releases

The official site has updated with a generous collection of clips promoting Ayu’s latest DVD PREMIUM COUNTDOWN LIVE 2008-2009.

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Apr 15 2009

Premium Countdown Live DVD Cover

Published by Stacey Anne under dvds

Ayu’s offical website has unveiled the cover of the upcoming PREMIUM COUNTDOWN LIVE 2008-2009 A DVD.

premium countdown live

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Apr 14 2009

2009 Tour Takes Your Questions

Published by Stacey Anne under concerts

Ayu is now taking questions for her latest tour. Just fill out this form and there’s a chance she’ll answer your burning question during the 2009 Arena Tour encore!

Please note that Avex would like to keep questions fun (one example they give is “what would you do if you found a cockroach?”–I think this was from the (miss)understood tour).

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Apr 09 2009

Note Regarding Ayu’s Availability on iTunes

Published by Stacey Anne under international releases

As some of you have undoubtedly noticed, all Avex artists (Ayumi Hamasaki, Namie Amuro, etc) have mysteriously disappeared from all iTunes stores outside of Japan. This is especially curious when some artists (like BoA and Monkey Majik) had Avex-distributed albums added to their US pages in the last two weeks, and the removal includes all "international" Avex singles like Anna Tsuchiya’s special Resident Evil theme and EXILE’s English song for Street Fighter 4. They were removed from the store on the eve of iTunes’ official, store-wide conversion to DRM-free content, and this more than likely is not a coincidence. However, no official statement has been issued by Avex’s corporate site.

I was reluctant to officially announce this change on my sites in hopes that everything would be straightened out by the end of the week (or two). In the meantime, it may behoove of you to request Ayu and other Avex artists on the iTunes Request Form.

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