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Originally Posted by DonQuigleone
1. Less DVDs were sold in Japan 5 years ago then in the USA (per capita), hence the higher prices. Now the Japanese DVD market has proven to be less fickle then the US, but I don't know how long it will last. It's difficult to predict the future, but my hunch is that optical disks will become more and more irrelevant. I say this based on the fact that alternatives (like downloaded soft copies, or streaming) are more convenient, cheaper to deliver and take up less space. They don't satisfy the collector urge, but then you can always replace Disks with figurines, artbooks or concept art.
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That's not the point. The main point is that in general the three major markets in East Asia all have the same characteristics in that they like having a physical record, be it floppy, CD, DVD, Blue-Ray. Digital alternatives are in fact not true alternatives in the long-run with the physical bias. The technology might change (optical disks being replaced by the next storage method), but the physical shall remain, and that will be a, if not the, major source of payback.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DonQuigleone
2. And people still buy records too. But they're an extreme minority, and not enough to build a business model around. At best it's a supplementary source of income. Depending on disc sales will limit the potential size of the Anime industry, as it fails to take account of all the consumers(like me) uninterested in buying disks, but still interested in putting money into it.
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I wouldn't say the records are the sole part, but they will always be a major part of the structure.