[Info] Max Matsuura's blog: Ayu's first album memory

This piece of blog entry is taken from Max Matsuura's official blog that was posted on 5th February 2009. Max Matsuura was sharing with us that how much he had struggled in the past to sell Ayu's very first album "A song for XX" in public. I think we should just thank him for finding out the girl named Ayumi Hamasaki whom we know as the most amazing person in Japan music industry today.
 

Here's the original entry:

ayuのファーストアルバムの思い出

Picture taken from Max Matsuura's official blog

1998年12月24日、25日僕は一日中渋谷にいた。

その日は1999年1月1日の浜崎あゆみのファーストアルバムが店頭に並ぶ日だった。

渋谷にあゆのスタッフジャンバーをきせたキャンペーンガールを総動員し、

スタンプシートを配布し指定した渋谷のレコード店を全店訪れてスタンプをもらうと

あゆのファーストライヴに招待する抽選の権利をもらえるというイベントや

ハチ公前の3つの大ビジョンすべてを浜崎あゆみのPVとアルバム告知を流すということもやった。

それでもいてもたってもいられない僕は友達から借りたものすごい

オーディオの付いたワンボックスにあゆのポスターを貼りまくり、

アルバムの音を全開にして渋谷の町を自分で運転して走りまくった。

ハチ公前に戻るとキリスト教の布教の街宣車がいて

あゆのビジョンから流れてくる歌が聞こえないので、

思い切りお願いしてどいてもらった。

(それでその人と友達になってしまったという後日談もある)

しばらくすると政党の演説が始まったのでこれも事情を話し

どうにかここではない場所でやってほしいと必死に頼んだ。

信じがたいことに自分の熱意が届いたのかどいてくれた。


さかのぼること一ヶ月、僕は当時あゆのサイトでやっていたあゆチャットというところで

仲良くなった若者たちを自分の家に招待して、

出来上がったばかりの浜崎のアルバムを試聴してもらい意見を聞いた。

みんなを集めてカラオケ屋に行ったこともある。

とにかくやれることは何でもやった。

そこで仲良くなった数人の若者は今、エイベックスで働いている。

業界では絶対売れないといわれていた

浜崎あゆみというアーティストを売るためにどれだけ努力したか、

あの頃の熱い思いをいつまでも忘れずにいたい。

English translation:
(Sorry that my english isn't good)

That day, 1st January 1999, Ayumi Hamasaki's first album in Store
At the time, we encouraged the girls to promote the album by wearing Ayu's staff uniforms at Shibuya's music stores to spread the stamp forms, if you got the stamp forms in certain music stores, then you had the right to win the lottery for attending Ayu's first live show.

And in front of Hachikou statue as well, Ayu's album's PV and CM were shown in 3 big monitors. I was the one who couldn't stay calm, I even borrowed a friend's car which had the sound system and wandering around Shibuya. 
In the streets that were near to Hachikou Statue, a Christian Missionary car stopped, because that car obscured the sound that came out from those monitors, i directly asked them to move their cars (Then, i became friends with that person, that matter, we decided to talk in another day)

In a while later, the Sermon was started, I even asked them, "Please move to the other place", I pleased them desperately. 
I didn't dare to believe myself and maybe my sincerity had made them touched, then they were gone. 

We pushed back the time for a month, at the time, I made an AYU CHAT in Ayu's website, I called some of the young people whom I had good relationship with to my house, let them hear Ayumi Hamasaki's album which was just finished produced, then asked their opinions, and then we were gathering for karaoke. The thing was, anything that i could do, i had done it. 
 
Those young people at the time, are now working in avex. 
In music industry, an artist namely Ayumi Hamasaki was ever said that she couldn't be success, and us who had tried to promote her, had already done effortly, I will not ever forget the memory of enthusiasm at the time forever. 

Credit: k21sh3n @ Ayufreak (Chinese-Indonesian translation)
Source: Rainbow @ Ayuchina.com (Japanese-Chinese translation)
Original Source: Max Matsuura's official blog (Original blog entry) 
Indonesian-english translation by Ayu's Story