Greg Ayres and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad fansubbers
The Current buzz flowing though the anime community now comes from American Voice Actor Greg Ayres (yeah, I never heard of him either) and his desperate crusade against fansubbers. Greg Ayres is doing what any person would do when they think their jobs are at risk, attempt to protect it. So he set up this panel and he goes from con to con spreading his message to Anime fans that have not yet been taken in by the evils of Fansubbing.
I want to start off by saying that I used to exclusively buy Region 1 DVDs, before that I exclusively watched the Anime that was provided for me on TV. But technology evolves and so does the desire to get content faster, easier, and cheaper. As the rise of digital distribution began I moved from TV and DVDs to the internet; as most people did; and began to download fansubs. That’s not saying that I haven’t bought a DVD since starting to watch fansubs or that I don’t want to pay for the content. I would gladly pay for this content if they gave me the chance. They don’t offer it to me in the method and format that I want to consume it in; so I download fansubs.
I want to address some of the things that Ayres point out in AnimeAlmanacs recent interview with him from AnimeNEXT 2008.
“Fans in general are not buying DVDs. They haven’t been buying DVDs for the last three years.” He does acknowledge that poor executive decisions do attribute to poor DVD sales, such as the long time it takes to release a show, or a poor choice to go with one series over another. However, these issues are not the major reason why the industry has gone into a slump.
He points out exactly why the industry has gone into a slump, yet he refuses to acknowledge it. The American Anime Industry was being held up by Cartoon Networks Adult Swim. That was the reason that many Anime fans in my generation were introduced to the medium. But in the last few years their supply of Anime has been dropping in favor of American comedies. Now if this came from the greedy licensing companies charging too much for their content or the network or from simple lack of interest I’m not sure. But the pull back of mainstream exposure over the last few years is what I’d say is the main reason for the drop in DVD sales. The last show I saw on Adult Swim that I sat down and watched (Dubbed even!) was Read or Die. But instead of blaming the lack of exposure on network television Ayres blames the major fall in DVD sales on fansubbers. On the fans who not only have kept the industry floating over the years but are the most passionate and dedicated to the medium.
“American fans, very specifically, have a very strange sense of entitlement to anime. You’re not entitled to anything in this life, except for maybe the air you breath.”
Yes! Great point! On the moon the air isn’t even free, you pay for every breath! TANSTAFFL!
The American entertainment industry is going though a period of change. Not only is the audience skipping televisions only revenue model, commercials, using technology like TiVo. Bittorrent and streaming sites are also getting people away from the television and in front of their computers. The American entertainment industry is not getting out in front of the American people to moralize and “educate” them about the evils of watching time shifted television. (With the exception of the Music Industry and we all know how successful THAT was). The American entertainment companies have begun to adopt to the changing climate with services like the iTunes store and Hulu. In these forms it gives consumers more freedom with their content (although not nearly as much as I’d want) while the companies still maintain a firm grip on control. This is a positive first step towards the industry loosening control and realizing that more profit is to be made by making content that is cheap and easy to distribute; rather than attempting to dictate how the consumer can use the content they purchase.
Ayres claims that American Anime fans are the ones who are in a unique position to steal content. This isn’t true. The American Licensing companies are just slower to adopt to the changing world. This is not at all unique to Anime fans, but its an across the board change in mindset.
Where Scott misses the point in his interview is when he asks Ayres about the legality of importing. Scott assumed that it’s a valid answer, when in fact it’s another dance around the main issue of the Anime Industry lagging behind in technologically
But there is one major point that the two of us did not agree on, and it is the reason why I have personally downloaded fansubs for the past few years. Thanks to copy protection and the DMCA, it is illegal to watch any unlicensed show in the USA, even if one purchases it with his or her own money. This was not an issue when he was a teenager. He was able to easily import Laserdiscs without breaking any copyright law.
However, Ayres saw this as a non-issue even in today’s world
“That’s an issue that I don’t even address, because if you’re doing the footwork to getting a region-free player and you are spending money to buy [region 2 DVDs] from a legitimate source in Japan, then the money is going back to Japan and I could care less.” He tells me that for unlicensed show or shows that been canceled in America, such as Kodacha, this type of importing is the only option that you have legally watch these shows.“But it’s not legal!” I interrupt him.
“Then it’s the only ethical way to watch these shows,” he fires back. “Look, I don’t have a problem about being above-the-law. You can take a look at me and you can tell that I’ve probably broken a number of laws in my day. It’s about doing what helps this industry out.”.
This is where I have to toss up my arms and scream bullshit. When morality is brought into an argument it’s clear that the other party not only will never be swayed by reason, logic, or any other reasonable method. They are so dug into their position that they can’t see the failure of their own arguments.
Ayres claims that he is not afraid to do the “moral” thing and break the law. In order to find a way to pay for Anime, That’s noble and good, but then he wags a finger at someone like me who demands that my content be affordable, digital, and free of DRM. I’m willing to risk breaking the law in order show the industry there is a demand for digital content that is released either at the same time or shortly after the Japanese get it. In the United States, it worked. The industry adopted to piracy by offering free ad supported content. The Music industry responded to piracy by offering cheap, DRM free digital downloads. These industries saw they they needed to adopt or disappear, and they adapted.
The Anime industry need to do the same. They aren’t exempted from the change in technology because they serve a niche audience. If anything they should be ahead of the curve because their audience is more passionate, younger, and more eager to get the content they love then the average mainstream viewer. They have no excuse neglecting the use of this technology and then insulting their fans like Ayres did in Scott’s interview:
“He has already recognized that many of his biggest critics, the ones we tend to find blogging in the fansub community, are already lost causes in his campaign and makes no effort to persuade them otherwise. These folks are already so close minded about the world around them that they cannot sympathize with the industry and community behind it. He can see their introverted personality being so blatantly displayed when he goes to anime cons.
“I’m heading out to AX next week, and that’s just such a frustrating thing. It’s the big industry hubbub, and yet every corner you turn, there’s just some person with their laptop out watching some crappy fansub. It’s like, dude! You’re at the largest Expo around. You’re at the largest place anime fans can meet, and yet you’re still very anti-social and just glued to your fansub of D. Gray-man.”
Ayres is a man who is attempting to save a sinking ship. What he doesn’t realize is that a bigger, better, brand new ship is waiting for him just feet away from where he is screaming and panicking. Unless he realizes it he will ride the ship down into the ocean with the rest of the American Anime Industry.
I would like to add that I am not dissuading people from buying DVDs. I’m about to drop a good deal of money on the new reasonablely priced Slayers box sets. Buy the anime you love, buy the anime that you want to see successful, and buy the anime for the value that it gives you as a fan when it sits on your shelf. But do not buy it out of guilt. That’s a foolish way to make any purchasing decision.
