It all started with illegal anime downloads. As internet technology developed to allow online video sharing, fans of Japanese anime did much the same thing that music fans had done a few years earlier, which was to start sharing videos of anime episodes with each other, or post them on fan sites for others to watch. It just took a few people to buy an anime DVD, and hardly anybody else really had to, because episodes could be posted for anyone to watch online for free. Anime distribution companies began worrying about their bottom line.
Things came to a head over these illegal downloads of anime files early in 2008. Two of the biggest companies, Bandai Entertainment and FUNimation Entertainment announced that they planned to take the same hard, heavy-handed line the music industry had done, suing almost everybody who moved. Many in the industry were uneasy, worrying that by essentially attacking their own fans, the creators and distributors of Japanese animation could cut their own throats. Surely there had to be a more moderate approach.
The first hint of that approach came when GDH/Gonzo, another big anime creator and distributor, began dealing with illegal anime downloads rather differently. They didn’t fight the trend; they joined it by buying a stake in a fan website called Crunchyroll. Gonzo began donating series so that fans could watch anime episodes free. However, the free video streams were of lesser quality than the same episodes in a form that fans could download to own for a small price. In this way, fans could get some of what they had wanted all along, but the anime distributor could also benefit. And this was done without anyone needing to launch law suits against anyone else.
It is to FUNimation’s credit that they either followed Gonzo’s lead, or at least developed a similar plan to deal with illegal anime downloads. The company hasn’t entirely abandoned its prosecutorial ways, but it did set up its own video portal, positively loaded with free streaming anime. It streams vast chunks of its anime library for free, while fans can take advantage of a download-to-own option, one episode at a time. This approach has worked very well to make the company’s fans happy, while providing publicity and extra revenue as well. Gonzo may have had it right from the beginning: “If you can’t beat them, join them.”
Home improvement for Alistair Haynes is not just a job but a work of art. One of the simplest tip she shared with her readers is to use coasters for drinks to protect their tables. It is her passion and she is very good at it. She knows what she is doing and she is ready to show you her talent. Contact her in her personal website and be helped now.
DBZTR 9 : Bandai MG Figurerise SS Son Goku Model Kit Review
