rosegold
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Post by rosegold on Nov 6, 2020 17:06:35 GMT
Actions speak louder than words. It's a cliche thing to say, but it is 100% true. I don't care how many times Avril says she appreciates her fans when she makes no effort to connect with us, when she hardly gives anything back and acts as if everything is totally normal when everybody is upset at her. She's taking us completely for granted, and that is a big reason why her fanbase keeps shrinking with each album cycle. Most of her fans now are longtime fans who keep sticking around because Avril was one of the first artists they ever supported and it's become second nature for them to check for Avril updates and hope one day she gets her shit together (which multiple people here have admitted recently to be the case for them), or casual listeners who are not necessarily hardcore fans, but remember Avril fondly out of nostalgia and would attend a concert because of that. She's not actually gaining any new fans -- not substantially, at least.
And honestly, I don't see that ever changing when she can't even SHOW real appreciation for the fanbase she still has. In recent years, I've personally felt like I completely lost any connection I might have once had with Avril as a person. Maybe it's because she's become an uninteresting person tbh, I'm not sure, but she never has anything new to say. You watch her interviews and it's always the same robotic answers again and again. Whenever people ask her to expand on a certain topic she freezes and goes back to her rehearsed lines, and often times looks extremely bored/annoyed doing so. It just makes it very hard to actually get a chance to connect with her, which is super important when you support an artist. She could try to make up for that by remembering she has fans who are eager to get to hear from her and actually use her social media platforms to engage with fans in an authentic way -- not because she's being "forced" to, but because she genuinely wants to form a connection and give back... but nope. Shawn Mendes recently made a story addressing his fans directly just saying he was thinking about them and hoping everyone was keeping safe and focusing on their mental health -- it was just a short and very simple video on his stories, but it was Shawn, the artist, sitting in his car, taking time out of his regular day to talk directly to fans, to show them he's thinking about them, to engage... it wasn't his label/agent sitting beside him giving him topics to hit for some formal "DONATE MONEY NOW plz" event, you know? Little things like that make a big difference and help see the artist as a real person who actually cares.
I'm probably rambling at this point, but the bottom line for me is that I simply don't care anymore if Avril says she's passionate about music and loves her fans when she does NOTHING to actually show it. Imagine repeating in every interview that battling Lyme and having to step away from the spotlight showed you how much you love what you do and reignited your passion for music, and then in the same era saying out loud that learning new songs is a pain in the ass lmao. Imagine saying you really appreciate all the fans who have stuck around and waited patiently for a new album, only to then charge them a ridiculous amount of money to watch 4 (F-O-U-R) half-assed performances of the same songs you always play. Imagine having all the time in the world to work comfortably from home at your own pace, and STILL do SO little for the people who gave you everything you have without for one second realizing it. It's just baffling at this point.
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katy
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Post by katy on Nov 6, 2020 17:40:17 GMT
Actions speak louder than words. It's a cliche thing to say, but it is 100% true. I don't care how many times Avril says she appreciates her fans when she makes no effort to connect with us, when she hardly gives anything back and acts as if everything is totally normal when everybody is upset at her. She's taking us completely for granted, and that is a big reason why her fanbase keeps shrinking with each album cycle. Most of her fans now are longtime fans who keep sticking around because Avril was one of the first artists they ever supported and it's become second nature for them to check for Avril updates and hope one day she gets her shit together (which multiple people here have admitted recently to be the case for them), or casual listeners who are not necessarily hardcore fans, but remember Avril fondly out of nostalgia and would attend a concert because of that. She's not actually gaining any new fans -- not substantially, at least. And honestly, I don't see that ever changing when she can't even SHOW real appreciation for the fanbase she still has. In recent years, I've personally felt like I completely lost any connection I might have once had with Avril as a person. Maybe it's because she's become an uninteresting person tbh, I'm not sure, but she never has anything new to say. You watch her interviews and it's always the same robotic answers again and again. Whenever people ask her to expand on a certain topic she freezes and goes back to her rehearsed lines, and often times looks extremely bored/annoyed doing so. It just makes it very hard to actually get a chance to connect with her, which is super important when you support an artist. She could try to make up for that by remembering she has fans who are eager to get to hear from her and actually use her social media platforms to engage with fans in an authentic way -- not because she's being "forced" to, but because she genuinely wants to form a connection and give back... but nope. Shawn Mendes recently made a story addressing his fans directly just saying he was thinking about them and hoping everyone was keeping safe and focusing on their mental health -- it was just a short and very simple video on his stories, but it was Shawn, the artist, sitting in his car, taking time out of his regular day to talk directly to fans, to show them he's thinking about them, to engage... it wasn't his label/agent sitting beside him giving him topics to hit for some formal "DONATE MONEY NOW plz" event, you know? Little things like that make a big difference and help see the artist as a real person who actually cares. I'm probably rambling at this point, but the bottom line for me is that I simply don't care anymore if Avril says she's passionate about music and loves her fans when she does NOTHING to actually show it. Imagine repeating in every interview that battling Lyme and having to step away from the spotlight showed you how much you love what you do and reignited your passion for music, and then in the same era saying out loud that learning new songs is a pain in the ass lmao. Imagine saying you really appreciate all the fans who have stuck around and waited patiently for a new album, only to then charge them a ridiculous amount of money to watch 4 (F-O-U-R) half-assed performances of the same songs you always play. Imagine having all the time in the world to work comfortably from home at your own pace, and STILL do SO little for the people who gave you everything you have without for one second realizing it. It's just baffling at this point. I can’t do it on my phone but imagine my reply is a GIF of somebody clapping because this is spot on
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Uncle Bob
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Post by Uncle Bob on Nov 6, 2020 18:11:14 GMT
I've never felt a connection with Avril, as a person. It's just a simple performer/fan relationship. I paid for six CDs, one concert DVD and two concert tickets. Transaction complete. She owes me nothing. I still enjoy five of the six CDs and the DVD. Sadly, I had to give away the concert tickets, due to a death in the family. So, I don't have those memories. I'll be a fan until I die, even if she quits the business tomorrow. No regrets. On the other hand, I've enjoyed an interesting and unusual connection, with her online community. For that, I thank you all.
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rosegold
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Post by rosegold on Nov 6, 2020 18:32:53 GMT
^ I'm glad that works for you. For me, it was definitely a mixture of her music with what Avril stood for, her sense of individuality and her style. She seemed a lot more relatable and down to earth than her pop peers. Watching her first DVD really cemented that connection for me, I used to rewatch it all the time because it felt like watching a high school friend hanging out with her friends and living out her dreams in a way. I have other artists I like solely for the music so I get what you're saying, but Avril was always a package deal for me. Moreover, her music alone these days just isn't good enough for me to suffice -- so without the passion and the effort to evolve and to connect with fans, I personally can't get behind her as an artist.
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BogoGog24
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Post by BogoGog24 on Nov 6, 2020 19:49:13 GMT
Hate to say it but connecting with fans is kind of part of the deal in the music biz. Had she not had that bratty teen attitude in her first era, I don’t think the music alone would have been enough to make her as famous as she was. How do you think Taylor got so popular early on in her career too? She was always very about connecting with fans via any way she could and she’s still a top artist today, 15 years into her career. She’s always rewarded her fans so they have felt the need to continue supporting her back.
Avrils not obligated to connect with the fans but she shouldn’t be surprised that she can’t sell albums or concert tickets like she used to. Don’t ask fans to spend $150 just to give them a prerecorded Q&A. Either interact with the fans for real or don’t at all. The point everyone was making is not that she is obligated to connect with us but rather that she is very wishy washy about it and her actions speak differently than what she claims to think and feel. Ex: Says she loves doing FB/IG live but never does more than one a year. Why not do them more often if she claims to enjoy doing them? It doesn’t add up.
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rosegold
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Post by rosegold on Nov 6, 2020 20:16:34 GMT
Hate to say it but connecting with fans is kind of part of the deal in the music biz. Had she not had that bratty teen attitude in her first era, I don’t think the music alone would have been enough to make her as famous as she was. I agree with everything, but I'm bolding this part because it states facts that aren't always vocalized here. Avril didn't blow up back in the early 2000s because her music was spectacular (not saying it wasn't), she blew up because she looked different, she looked cool, she had a laid back personality and managed to make herself seem relatable and like the cool friend you wish you had -- she filled a gap in the industry at the time with way more than just her music and was able to click with audiences because of that. Being able to connect as an artist on Avril's level is as important as anything else. And that part has been severely lacking for many years. Without the connection and with music as sporadic as Avril's (and very hit and miss lately, at least for me personally), it's just really difficult to sustain a fanbase. The constant frustration on this place alone -- which just so happens to be the place where Avril's most loyal fans are -- makes it very evident that this is indeed an issue. With all the tools Avril has to quickly, easily and comfortably improve her communication with fans and actively give back for all the support over the years it's just inexcusable that she continues not to do it. Yes, she technically doesn't need to move a finger if she doesn't want to, but if that's the case don't contradict yourself in interviews talking as if you love interacting with fans and are very appreciative of them. That's just not the case, not the way she paints it. Going back to my previous post here, actions speak louder than words, and if you can't back up your words with actions they will inevitably start meaning nothing.
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BogoGog24
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Post by BogoGog24 on Nov 6, 2020 20:49:24 GMT
I’m still just saddened by how fans paid $150 for a so-called VIP experience and she did not even interact with them in real time. That’s awful and inexcusable.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 6, 2020 22:21:36 GMT
I’m still just saddened by how fans paid $150 for a so-called VIP experience and she did not even interact with them in real time. That’s awful and inexcusable. Is it time for us to finally admit we hate her and to just dismantle Bandaids?
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TomX
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Post by TomX on Nov 6, 2020 23:24:59 GMT
Yesterday I watched a livestream on Youtube of an independent artist I love. She's called Alexz Johnson (maybe one or two might remember her from a show called Instant Star back in the late 00s). It was her birthday and she decided to give us fans a small acoustic 10-song set from her home. She had previously taken song requests and played only requests from the fans, from Instant Star songs (she played a singer and released 4 albums, something like Miley did with HM), which she has never played live since the show ended in 2008, to songs from her studio albums, to a demo leaked song for the first time. And she answered like 30+ questions. All of this entirely free, I just couldn't help but sighing at how this woman strives to put out an album, is INSANELY talented, works her ass out for her fans and pours her soul and heart into every appearance she makes, and then Avril, the millionaire who can do almost whatever she wants and has the money for it, gives 0 damns about giving back to her fans and when she screws up, she just wipes away her mess leaving no trace. Comparing isn't the best thing I know, but come on. I can't think of another artist who gives so little in return but her, and it's sad. How cool! I didn't know she was still doing music. I discovered Alexz when a brazillian TV channel aired Instant Star in 2005. I instanstly (ha!) became a fan of the series. The same channel aired The Ashlee Simpson Show also in 2005. Their Avril influences got me crazy at that time. I was 12 and their albums (Autobiography and Instant Star 1&2 soundtrack) were always on my repeat during that entire year. I'll check Alexz live stream. She's so talented! Yes! And her latest album is really good. It’s an album that Epic Records shelved and she only got the right to that material 10 years later. She reproduced and re-recorded all of the tracks. It’s a great record.
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Alias
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Post by Alias on Nov 7, 2020 10:00:47 GMT
Sort of off topic but Avril appeared to work her ass off for the first 3 eras. The amount of promo she did for GL alone was insane, then she appears to drop off after that. This may be a combination of GL not working out how she imagined or just being "over" it after so many years. Obviously her personal life and Lyme disease played a large part in where she is today though. As BogoGog24 said, early success and fame meant she doesn't really have to work at anything in her life now if she doesn't want to, as she has no need to financially. Who knows, she may of even had kids by now if it had worked out with Chad.
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pllforlife
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Post by pllforlife on Nov 7, 2020 13:52:11 GMT
Sort of off topic but Avril appeared to work her ass off for the first 3 eras. The amount of promo she did for GL alone was insane, then she appears to drop off after that. This may be a combination of GL not working out how she imagined or just being "over" it after so many years. Obviously her personal life and Lyme disease played a large part in where she is today though. As BogoGog24 said, early success and fame meant she doesn't really have to work at anything in her life now if she doesn't want to, as she has no need to financially. Who knows, she may of even had kids by now if it had worked out with Chad. The difference was the labels. She had RCA for TBDT and GL and had Irving Azoff Entertainment/Live Nation as management. They had the connections to make it happen and Avril being Avril didn’t compromise or was to difficult or didn’t strike while the iron was hot right away after TBDT. That gap in years from 2007-2011 caused the problem and let artists like Kesha, Katy, Gaga, Swift, have their rise and they kept striking with album after album while Avril just sort of fiddled with partying and Brody Jenner relationships
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Panchali
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Post by Panchali on Nov 7, 2020 13:59:36 GMT
I’m still just saddened by how fans paid $150 for a so-called VIP experience and she did not even interact with them in real time. That’s awful and inexcusable. Is it time for us to finally admit we hate her and to just dismantle Bandaids? Nah. I still love her. With me and Avril, I never wanted anything more than a few albums from her. I knew I would never get to see her live as I live in a different corner of the world, I didn’t follow on her personal life too much. I just loved listening to her songs as it was very relatable to me. Actually got to read about her attitude and watched ang of interviews way after I actually got the album. Western music wasn’t that popular in my country. MTV sometimes played some English songs and that was it.( although I lived in the gulf, I could listen to English songs only on the radio.. we only had Indian Tv connection, went to Indian school etc) Taylor Swift is very ambitious. Plus, I think the reason why she is so famous is because her song writing, relatability and reach towards her fans. If you take out her song writing ability and personality her songs are very generic, similar chord progressions and she is not strong as a singer. As a trained singer myself, I can’t listen to her songs too much. At this stage in Avril’s life.. after all that she has been through. She comes off as her casual about her career.. maybe she is surrounded by yes men as pointed out by everyone here.. or she may even be depressed. When people stop doing the things they love, it can be a sign of depression. Or simply, she has started feeling that showbiz is fickle... and is in the process of steering towards a different direction in life. I won’t be surprised if she becomes a philanthropist full time or starts singing Christian songs only. Though I agree that charging exorbitant price for something that they didn’t deliver is inexcusable. They should refund the money.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 7, 2020 14:30:23 GMT
Yes. Those are all the reasons we fans hate her now. We are thinking of starting a hate club. As for Taylor, we love her for her full on orgasmic appreciation of life and it’s heartaches. Try to watch her Speak Now tour DVD for many examples.
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BogoGog24
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Post by BogoGog24 on Nov 7, 2020 14:42:11 GMT
I don't think Avril is depressed but I think her attitude about her career has been changing since around GL/AL era and with Lyme probably even more so. She's been in the business a long time and has been through a lot with different labels, the media, etc. It is a tough business and very mentally exhausting. She got into the business because she always just wanted to sing but never liked all the other stuff that came with it. I think she's just fed up with the "business" aspect of it and since she isn't a new artist anymore, it's not like she has to continue busting her butt like she did in the beginning. She has the luxury to just put out the music she wants when she wants and tour small theaters and still have a relatively dedicated fanbase worldwide. Not many artists can say that nearly 20 years into their career.
I'd fully understand if she wants to become charity-focused at this point or not do many interviews any more, but I think she should just be more transparent about her wishes. For example, ever since 2016, Taylor has not done a lot of interviews either and rarely posts on social media anymore because of what happened with the snake drama in 2016. She is protecting her private life, she still puts out music and performs and stuff, but she made it clear she wanted to step out of the spotlight for the sake of her own mental health and have somewhat of a private life. I can see Avril doing the same, after so many years of being in this business and starting really young, I can understand if she no longer cares about the fame side of things. Especially after having Lyme, she probably realized more than ever what was really important to her and I think that's why this era has been more charity-focused than ever. But like I said, that's totally fine if that's where her focus is now, but I think she just needs to kind of pick a lane and stick to it. Being wishy washy about whether or not she wants to connect with us is not really fair to anyone.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 7, 2020 14:46:56 GMT
Well said Bo. ❤️
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