State of the Industry

The State of the Industry

The following was written by a convention owner. Please forward it to ALL fans of Anime.

The Otaku has a poll up on it's website right now asking how Anime Fans think the American Anime Industry is doing; the status of business. This immediately follows a report by the Anime News Network stating that anime DVD sales are down 20% for 2007. The overwhelming response to theOtaku's poll is the industry is just fine.

I am honestly surprised at how little otaku know about what is going on in the industry.

The Anime Industry.. not just in the US, is dying. There is a Japanese company doing Lucky Charms commercials to pay their bills. FUNimation is hurting but should make it after major surgery. ADV... I just hope we are not attending ADV's wake this fall.

Anime is more popular than ever, as can be seen by Warner redoing Speed Racer. Unfortunately, we, as fans, are killing the industry... and all you hear are excuses. Anime cost a LOT more to produce than an album, and they get less per DVD than Record Labels do per CD. Illegal downloading threatened to destroy the Record Industry. Open your eyes, and see what it is doing to the Anime Industry. Prices for anime cannot drop until it becomes more financially viable to sell it. One Thousand DVDs sold is a hit with anime. Fifty Thousand downloads of the same anime cost the Industry millions, and Fans pay by getting higher prices, and fewer anime choices.

Why have I brought this up? As I said, the industry is dying, and we - the fans - are holding the knife. It is time we stepped up and fixed the problem. The Illegal downloading has got to STOP. Don't assume that because you pay, it is ok. Many sites have stolen the anime they are distributing. FUNimation has anime available on ITunes. ADV has anime available for viewing on their website. Other anime companies also have options available.

Anime Clubs: Please, stop showing illegally downloaded anime. You are are first line of defense.

Anime Cons: Most cons have already joined the fight. Illegal anime is not shown in many viewing rooms. This is a good start. Now we need to get it out of the Dealer's Rooms and Artists Alleys. If you have a hard time distinguishing what is legitimate and what is bootlegged /Stolen, contact the studios. They have people trained in exactly this. You may get an extra guest out of it. At the very least, you will get the appreciation of an industry we all love.

I realize I am just one person. I cannot do this alone. The Industry cannot survive unless all fans join together. I suggest to ALL anime fans, if Greg Ayres is going to your local con, request (and attend) his Bootleg Panel. Some cons are starting to host "State of the Industry"... this is another great one to attend. Anime fans need to stay informed.


Joshua Andrade
Board of Directors, Atsuicon

We are the only ones to blame when Anime is no more.

The Otaku
www.theotaku.com
http://theotaku.com/news/view/oop:_does_this_count_as_big_business?/3454/

Anime News Network
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-02-13/icv2-north-american-anime-dvds-were-down-20-percent+in-2007

make Dvds cheaper

I'm with ya, DJ. I can't say I've never downloaded fansubs or whatnot, but it has been an extremely long time since I have, and I've made it a point to purchase those series that I've enjoyed. Same with music, too.

I think people don't realize the value of bulk production. If 1000 buy a DVD that 50000 others just download, then it's not viable for the producer to have 50000 made of the next. This is too bad, since it will cost MUCH less per DVD to produce 50000 than 1000, which would translate to lower prices for the consumers. Also, selling 50000 DVDs would indicate a strong demand, which would result in more titles being brought over to the USA for us to enjoy.

I realize I'm pretty much just saying what the article said, but I've also tried to expound on the reason's why the article makes good points.

A good resource is www.rentanime.com . It works like netflix, but is ALL anime, and lets people see a lot more anime for their dollar. And if you decide you like one enough to keep it, you can purchase that copy at a discount price. Just an option to counter the excuse: "I want to try it before I buy it."

Nice, Tony and I will have to check that site out...that is the only reason we joined any other service was mainly for the anime...

And I also agree...We do download anime and music cause we often can't afford it, but anything we like we definitely plan to buy as soon as we can...

As for manga, I will only read bought manga, I HATE trying to read it on the computer...dunno why, it just bugs me to death...so if I can't buy it, I don't read it pretty much...and I am waaaaaaay more into manga anyway...

Splendid.