Re: [UK Anime Distributor] MVM Entertainment Discussion Thre
Lutga said:
The scary thing is, going by recent sales figures, I'd estimate the size of the UK's 'hardcore' anime fanbase at only around 500 people. This is the average of what shows usually sell within their first six months on sale at the moment. Pretty scary, right? All those thousands of people going to MCM, yet only 500 people that actually buy the majority of titles that come out. That's not just a niche, that's a niche within a niche. No-name indie bands sell more copies of their album in the first week than that.
Is that sustainable?
I doubt it. Although I'd expect there were significant sales being made outside that core group.
But those numbers speak to my old (ongoing) argument that anime requires promotion. The point somebody made upthread about the industry's promotion being channelled toward people they're already selling to - preaching to the converted - is a really good one. Advertising to people who are already buying your product isn't actually a bad idea, but it may be better to trget people who haven;t discovered your product yet.
Consider this: I was doing some research earlier over on YouTube for something I'm writing. I found a few videos there which show non-fans watching anime for the first time, or talking about what they *think* it is, and their general assumptions of the medium.
Anime has been sold in the West in quantity since the beginning of the 1990s. The market has subsisted for over a quarter of a century. But the videos I saw today show how ill-informed the public still are. How? Why?
One woman, asked what she thought anime was, replied 'I think it's all porn.'
Another guy responded 'I think those are like cartoons, but from Japan, right?'
And recently, I had to defend myself for owning anime in a discussion because of some bizarre ideas one of my acquaintances had about it.
If anime was being pushed properly, I really think we'd see a LOT less of that. WHY does the 'anime = cartoon porn' prejudice still exist? The fact is, it's still regarded by many as being weird and left of field. And something about that set-up ain't right. You can't just shrug and say 'oh well, I guess it's not for everybody...' you could address this with a considered method of advertising. Even if it's just as simple as drip-feeding it to the public on a regular basis.
You know what got me into anime when I was a kid? I saw screenshots in a video gaming magazine. Static pictures. That's all it took to make me a lifelong fan.
Lutga said:
Are all UK distributors going to have to adopt a higher pricing strategy to survive?
If that's what happens, it'll be a counter-intuitive step.
Fans who are already bitching about prices would only feel further alienated. And those who are unrepentantly pirating anime would doubtless feel further vindicated in that decision. Lower prices may not equate to more sales, but higher prices will almost certainly equate to less. And again, I think that shows why savvy promotion is vital.
But it's weird - from my involvement in comics, I can say pretty confidently that almost NO-ONE wants to spend money on advertising. There's a bizarre insistence that it doesn't work. But it DOES work. DC Comics availed themselves of TV advertising in the states a few years back with their New 52 relaunch, and it appeared to have a tangible impact on their sales. They were clever about it, and it worked. A ton of indie and self publisher guys are focusing all their efforts into the same direction as our anime distros... and guess what? The effect is negligible.
I'm also convinced that piracy is still a massive problem. But that's probably best left for other epic length essay at another time.
