| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
|
|
Mohawk52
Joined: 16 Oct 2003
Posts: 8202
Location: England, UK
|
 Posted: Thu Nov 02, 2006 2:44 pm
|
 |
|
This was over at the Anime News Service.
| Quote: | | 11-1-06 (7:56PM EDT)---- Some Companies Slacking On License Payments
A recurring theme we picked up on while speaking with Japanese based anime rights holders in Tokyo last week involves North American companies not fullfilling their contracts or otherwise not paying for their licenses (the right to sale the English version in X market(s)) in a timely manner. Apparantly, the relatively recent phenomenon is not neccesarily limited to small companies dealing with tighter financial constraints either. The situation is so serious that several Japanese firms we spoke to now require the presence of a lawyer from the initial discussion phase between license holder and potential licensee. An unnammed representative for a major Japanese licensor told ANS that part of this could be said to be due to the blinding rate at which new shows are being made and licensed. A given licensee will have a "tab" of 5 or more licenses (acquired chronologically) for example with one licensor. As they go on to pickup the distribution rights to the 6th or 7th show they wind up still owing or falling behind on payments for show 3 or 4. And this comes down to how well the show sells in X market. Payments are sometimes cut from revenue ecrewed by a show only after it's been localized and released in the licensee market. Since many licenses are now sold when shows are still in the production phase many potential licensees can be making bets in the dark. Given recent years' pleas by American companies that fans buy anime from them rather than partaking in illegal internet downloads and fansubs, it's now supremely ironic that the original creators and sellers in Japan have told us to relay to American fans: "please tell your domestic anime company to pay for its right to sale anime to you". |
Oh dear, this doesn't look good.
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
madscientist
Joined: 21 Sep 2006
Posts: 31
Location: Denver, CO
|
|
Posted: Thu Nov 02, 2006 3:09 pm
|
|
|
|
I find that quite ironic. I still find it sad that these North American companies cry over downloading fansubs, when fansubs have certainly introduced me to numerous shows that I then buy. The same thing is true with nearly everyone I know that enjoys anime as well. While its impossible to prove whether fansubs hurt or help the sales of licensed shows, Maybe these licensing companies should look into other ways of increasing sales, like better special features, added goodies, or simply dropping msrp prices from $30 to $20 or $15. It might be worth it to try something like that if they are hurting for sales.
Just my $.02 though.
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
emory
Joined: 28 Jan 2004
Posts: 615
|
|
Posted: Thu Nov 02, 2006 3:40 pm
|
|
|
|
How about the Japanese companies bring their license fees back to more reasonable levels. What could get you a 26 episode series back in 2000 will now get you 2 episodes.
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
Zalis116
Moderator
Joined: 31 Mar 2005
Posts: 6900
Location: Kazune City
|
|
Posted: Thu Nov 02, 2006 4:27 pm
|
|
|
| emory wrote: | | How about the Japanese companies bring their license fees back to more reasonable levels. What could get you a 26 episode series back in 2000 will now get you 2 episodes. |
I agree, it's not the licensees' fault or the fansubbers' fault that the licensors sent the fees sky-high. With lower license fees, it was more possible to take a risk on something that had been widely fansubbed, but now the companies are holding back and the Japanese producers won't make any licensing money. It's pretty stupid to me, but I've heard that's the Japanese way of doing things 
ANS needs to invest in a dictionary:
| Quote: | | Payments are sometimes cut from revenue ecrewed by a show only after it's been localized and released in the licensee market. |
"Accrued," perhaps?
| madscientist wrote: | | I still find it sad that these North American companies cry over downloading fansubs, when fansubs have certainly introduced me to numerous shows that I then buy. |
So do I, considering that they say "Cheapskate fans use fansubs as a substitute for commercial releases," when there are files out there with the exact same translation as the DVDs and the English audio track that ~%80 of anime fans supposedly watch.
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
Mohawk52
Joined: 16 Oct 2003
Posts: 8202
Location: England, UK
|
|
Posted: Thu Nov 02, 2006 5:19 pm
|
|
|
| Zalis116 wrote: |
| emory wrote: | | How about the Japanese companies bring their license fees back to more reasonable levels. What could get you a 26 episode series back in 2000 will now get you 2 episodes. |
I agree, it's not the licensees' fault or the fansubbers' fault that the licensors sent the fees sky-high. With lower license fees, it was more possible to take a risk on something that had been widely fansubbed, but now the companies are holding back and the Japanese producers won't make any licensing money. It's pretty stupid to me, but I've heard that's the Japanese way of doing things
|
That's the law of the Capitalist jungle though. The bigger the market the higher the license fees. One could look at it and say that because of the fansub saturation this has reduced sales because many fans have already seen it. Now many might retort by saying "But I always buy the DVD when it comes out" but the figures might prove that to be the minority instead of the majority. Not that non plas. 
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
Randall Miyashiro
Joined: 12 Jun 2003
Posts: 2451
Location: A block away from Golden Gate Park
|
|
Posted: Thu Nov 02, 2006 5:29 pm
|
|
|
|
I wonder if this is why some companies like Manga Entertainment are losing many titles, which are reverting to Bandai. Anime is a bigger market than it was in 2000, so there is no way that the companies making them will charge the same price. It seems that companies like Bandai seem to be finding it more lucrative to release their own titles than rake in the cash by charging lots of cash to a R1 company. I think this is why companies like USMC and ADV are having a hard time getting the cutting edge titles. The only US based company that seems to be releasing quality titles and product lately is Funimation. Since the US is a free market, we will see the rights cost effected by supply and demand. If sales go down prices will also go down. I for one like the asolid quality the Geneon and Bandai offer.
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
Deltakiral
Joined: 07 Oct 2004
Posts: 3338
Location: Glendora, CA (Avatar Hei from Darker than BLACK)
|
|
Posted: Thu Nov 02, 2006 5:42 pm
|
|
|
| Randall Miyashiro wrote: | | It seems that companies like Bandai seem to be finding it more lucrative to release their own titles than rake in the cash by charging lots of cash to a R1 company. |
Personally I am done buying from Bandai, after the whole Zeta Gundam Limited Boxset, where you could only get the DVD's if you buy this big box from us.....no were not going to release the show on individual dvds. And then the dubtitles, and Bandai wonders why no one buys Gundam.
But talking about the licensing on new product, it seems like the market has finally started to stay somewhat constant. If you remember back in 2000 it seems like everything that was coming out in Japan was being released, and at every convention there was so many titles being announced. The Japanese then jack up the price, and now the market here isn't what it use to be......so the prices will come down eventually once Japan sees that no one is licensing their products anymore...
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
Hitsu
Joined: 24 Aug 2006
Posts: 23
|
|
Posted: Thu Nov 02, 2006 5:46 pm
|
|
|
|
Instead of acquiring license from Japanese animator, wouldn't it be better to hire Japanese animators to create anime for North American companies? We wouldn't have to wait for an anime to get license. Also, They don't have to worry about fansubbers.
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
Mohawk52
Joined: 16 Oct 2003
Posts: 8202
Location: England, UK
|
|
Posted: Thu Nov 02, 2006 5:56 pm
|
|
|
| Hitsu wrote: | | Instead of acquiring license from Japanese animator, wouldn't it be better to hire Japanese animators to create anime for North American companies? We wouldn't have to wait for an anime to get license. Also, They don't have to worry about fansubbers. |
I got a better idea, why not make Japan the 51st State of the Union. You could make the Emperor, the Governor instead. 
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
kusanagi-sama
Joined: 22 Aug 2004
Posts: 1723
Location: Wichita Falls, TX
|
|
Posted: Thu Nov 02, 2006 6:12 pm
|
|
|
| Hitsu wrote: | | Instead of acquiring license from Japanese animator, wouldn't it be better to hire Japanese animators to create anime for North American companies? We wouldn't have to wait for an anime to get license. Also, They don't have to worry about fansubbers. |
Stuff like this is still going on, and it occured in the 80's too. G.I. Joe, He-man, TNMT, First 4 seasons of the Transformers, ect. Toei animated most of those.
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
omar235
Joined: 02 Apr 2006
Posts: 1572
Location: Florida, Jacksonvile
|
|
Posted: Thu Nov 02, 2006 6:41 pm
|
|
|
| Mohawk52 wrote: |
| Hitsu wrote: | | Instead of acquiring license from Japanese animator, wouldn't it be better to hire Japanese animators to create anime for North American companies? We wouldn't have to wait for an anime to get license. Also, They don't have to worry about fansubbers. |
I got a better idea, why not make Japan the 51st State of the Union. You could make the Emperor, the Governor instead. |
Thats the best idea I have heard in a long time maybe you should run for the president.
| Deltakiral wrote: | | But talking about the licensing on new product, it seems like the market has finally started to stay somewhat constant. If you remember back in 2000 it seems like everything that was coming out in Japan was being released, and at every convention there was so many titles being announced. The Japanese then jack up the price, and now the market here isn't what it use to be......so the prices will come down eventually once Japan sees that no one is licensing their products anymore...
|
On a more seriouse note, I have to agree with this. For now we need to play the waiting game, the Japanese licensors will see the trouble the American companies are having with payments and will realize that they won't be able to license as many products and soon the licensors will stop making money and then the prices will come down.
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
TcDohl
Joined: 25 Oct 2005
Posts: 82
|
|
Posted: Thu Nov 02, 2006 6:58 pm
|
|
|
|
Meh. I don't think anything will happen out of this until Japanese society gets rid of its highly anti-shitestirring attitude towards everything, which stifles everything from creative thought, social progress, and yes, even litigation. Everything will be like how the Japanese banks just let their borrowers default without any consequence because they didn't want to stir shite up, even up to now. This debt now equals 10% of Japan's GDP, probably even more.
Though I am probably in the minority, I've probably paid back more than I've taken with fansubs. I'm wall to wall in manga, and I buy some of the anime that I've seen through fansubs that I deem good enough for me to buy. But try putting this attitude on some 13 year old kid with relatively little disposable income to use on his hobby, or even worse, if that kid has the "LICENSING COMPANYS R EVIL!!!!!!1111" attitude.
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
Azathrael
Joined: 12 Sep 2005
Posts: 745
|
|
Posted: Thu Nov 02, 2006 9:08 pm
|
|
|
| emory wrote: | | How about the Japanese companies bring their license fees back to more reasonable levels. What could get you a 26 episode series back in 2000 will now get you 2 episodes. |
They can charge whatever the hell they want. If the price was unreasonable, then it's the buyer that was stupid to purchase, not the seller too unreasonable. And the economy changes all the time, it doesn't stay fixed like a rock. Not to mention that Japan has monopoly over anime like the big five(?) in the media. Welcome to the world of capitalism.
I just hope anime won't be in too much trouble if US companies stack up too much debt.
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
omar235
Joined: 02 Apr 2006
Posts: 1572
Location: Florida, Jacksonvile
|
|
Posted: Thu Nov 02, 2006 10:00 pm
|
|
|
| Azathrael wrote: | | They can charge whatever the hell they want. |
No one said they couldn't but it would be wise of them to lower the price or the American companies won't license as much and they won't get as much mula. Buying a item that has an unreasonable price isn't stupid since Japan is the only producer of anime...those Japanese are quite the business men. 
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
Jabberwock
Joined: 19 Jul 2004
Posts: 92
Location: Currently attending the University of Florida
|
|
Posted: Thu Nov 02, 2006 10:31 pm
|
|
|
| madscientist wrote: | | I find that quite ironic. I still find it sad that these North American companies cry over downloading fansubs, when fansubs have certainly introduced me to numerous shows that I then buy. The same thing is true with nearly everyone I know that enjoys anime as well. |
Funny, every single friend I have that watches anime, around 5, refuse to spend any money for R1 releases when they have already seen and gotten it for free online.
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
