Evolve or die. The exact same problem is facing the music, videogame, and movie industry, only these industries are finally starting to do something about it. Being asked to support them, an organisation formed to take my money, is not only a slightly sickening prospect, but the message it sends is that they don't need to adapt because their customers want to throw money at them anyway. At best you're bailing a sinking ship
It would be great if there was a successful model for selling anime in the UK, with money going back into the industry. However, you'll not change many peoples mind that the link between illegal downloading and anime's failure in the UK is not causal. It is true that there is no successful financial model for selling anime in the UK, and that illegal anime is the only other option. This is not the same as saying that people don't buy boxsets because they can get the same content for free. My personal belief is that the whole idea of this causality is industry propaganda designed to protect anime providers (and other media delivery providers) from admitting that their media delivery service is archaic, and beneficial for neither the artists nor the consumers. Besides a large amount of anime I see on the shelves at retail stores I would not want to buy anyway even if it was cheap why? because it was saturated with rubbish mediocre titles.
Just a note to say that I have and always will buy things that I have seen via non legit channels IF I REALLY LIKE THEM. And it really does annoy me when the industery comes out and says ITS FANSUBS instead of looking at there own deficencys.
Im not saying al this cuz i "hate" the industery im saying it because they need to sort there own problems out and evolve. And I belive we are starting to see that.
One other note, I didnt see Bandai complain when fansubs made Haruhri a cult hit. In fact there is a post somewere of the fansub of Haruri. Ill dig it up tommorow to tired right now.
