ADV Removes Titles from Website
This link, over the past few days, caused mass panic in the internet community. People believed something was terribly wrong with ADV, and since they weren't acting fast enough to release a statement, it was decided they must be going under (and are too ashamed/afraid to admit it). You can't really blame anyone for worrying, since a big anime company in the US, Geneon, recently died out last year. The anime industry here is having a lot of financial trouble, and this is true for Japan, too. In October of last year, the Japanese asked America to stop illegal net releases of anime (HERE) as they considered it very damaging and was no doubt mostly to blame for all the problems.
I have been a fan of anime since 1997 - back then, you had to know somebody just to know where to get certain things. Fansubs were on VHS and you had to wait a week or longer to get them in the mail from special distributors (I should know, I was one for awhile). Even when you got them, the tapes could be 3rd generation recording or worse, with muffled audio and fuzzy video. The market was far from oversaturated - you bought almost anything because there was so little you could get.
These are ideas people have come up with that I have found, on satisfying alternatives/solutions. A few are mine.
For Japan:
1. Many people watch fansubs because they want to be a part of what's airing NOW in Japan. They are tired of waiting months or years for any North American license, and if it IS licensed, it could be half a year or more before it's even on store shelves. By then, the hype and excitement has likely fazed out. To counter this in a good way, Japanese companies should:
A. Release FREE (or cheap - say $1-2), subtitled versions of episodes online a few days or a week after it's original airdate.
B. Put subtitles on the Region 2 DVDs. This may not help much, but anyone looking to support a show, but can't find justification in spending $60 for 2 episodes they can't understand 99% of, will be tempted. There are a handful of shows I would buy with gusto if they did this.
C. Release series in the US (or in another country) themselves. Cutting out the middle man (licenser) may cut back on costs and fees, so the end result could be cheaper.
D. Understand that they can't ask for outrageous amounts of money for rights for their shows. Back in the early 2000s, when companies were snatching up whatever they could get, this became big. But now, if they don't get off their high horses, nobody will want what they've got. They won't get the money they need, the profit they need, to help fund other things.
If they don't "get with the times" and adjust to a new market there will be serious trouble.
For America:
1. Focus on releasing season sets and thinpaks. These days a lot of fans wait for those, not only because it's cheaper and takes up less space, but you can get everything all at once, and know the company won't suddenly cancel on you halfway through. Of course, with season sets, this can still happen.
2. Don't be quick to cancel series! Buyers are reluctant to purchase singles, and this is one of the reasons. If they don't think you'll give them everything, why should they bother if their collection will end up incomplete? Even if it's not your top seller, you should do what you can to get to the end. I myself have been burned a few times with this.
3. Get your shows on TV. Put ads in appropriate magazines. Market market market.
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