Quote:
Originally Posted by ColinHowell
I know this is still off the original topic, and this thread isn't the place to discuss it in detail, but I thought MMM would be interested (though not happily) at the following bit of news I saw on Anime News Network:
The forum discussion is interesting. The site in question is advertising-supported, and its owner is looking to sell it, supposedly hoping for something in the range of over $10 million. It sounds like the publishers really need to bring the hammer down on these guys.
|
You will understand please, Colin, why I removed the link. If people want to track it down then they will. And yes, it does sadden me, but it points to the problem of the present culture especially among the young that "everything should be free".
I don't want to go to into this as this isn't on topic (maybe I will move these posts to a new thread). But I think it is easier for the music industry to adapt than the comics industry.
Part of the problem is that because of the nature of the system, scanlations appear online before American publishers have even licensed a title. It is harder to issues CaD letters when you don't own the license. Good publishers do actively issue CaD letters to copyright violators, but it is a timely and expensive operation that not all publishers can afford to the extent they would like.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tsuwabuki
Most people are willing to pay for content. The problem is delivery. And delivery is curtailed by licensing structure which is outdated and greedy. I don't think the content lacks value; I do think copyright law and licensing agreements do.
There is no need for US companies anymore. Nothing personal. Japanese companies would make a lot more money by doing translations themselves and starting subscription services with downloadable content.
Make it as easy to pay for content as it is to steal it, and people will pay for it. Some people won't, but they are the people who wouldn't pay regardless.
For the record, I still buy dvds and blu-rays, and when I do, they rarely come with subtitles at all. I don't like paying $60-80 per disc for two episodes each, however. As long as the companies push people to pirate, the people who suffer are the people who do buy content on those stupid, shiny discs with silly DRM.
Again, little sympathy. The market has spoken. Capitalism at its finest.
|
I am going to disagree with you here. The value of the manga and anime has been reduced to $0.00. You can't compete when you are charging more than that.
Many people are willing to pay...if not then there would be no industry...but that does excuse the stealing of content. I explained that above, and the industry is starting to explore ways to beat the timing issue. However, that doesn't excuse the act of stealing. You are talking about not capitalism, but post-apocolyptic capitalism on a non-post apocolyptic world. It is the Wild West on the Internet and you have a generation of manga "fans" that do not read books, but off their computers.
Make it is easy to pay for content as it is to steal it, and people will still steal it, still. People who want to pay for manga want to buy books. People who steal read them online. Will people pay to read them online? Maybe some would. I wouldn't.
Not paying regardless is an empty argument. They are stealing content instead of doing SOMETHING else. That something else could be going to a movie, buying a video game, etc.