There have been - and Justin alludes to this - attempts to change the business model on both ends of the ocean. Japanese companies are starting to do "internet broadcasts" of new anime that are encoded to protect against copying. However, these broadcasts are limited to Japan only at the moment - a fact that irks many people on these shores.
The Japanese industry is trying to relegate a new method of doing business - one based on global demand for anime - with a local one based on a hardcore otaku audience. As Justin mentions (and I can concur, having been involved with manga circles in Japan personally), Japanese otaku are vastly different from their American brethren and are interested in a far different type of product than most international audiences.
The issue right now is relegating the two and eliminating piracy on both shores in a way that doesn't cut into anyone's fanbase - not to mention their bottom line. My theory (which I'll ask Justin about if I get the chance) is that the reason an actual model wasn't suggested in the editorial is that no one can really agree on one, and quite frankly, any such model is probably going to have to be born from and advocated for by the Japanese companies. While American companies and consumers hold a fair share of the revenue out there, companies like Bandai still have the keys. Furthermore, the issue of relegating multiple broadcast agreements with the major Japanese TV networks - TBS, Fuji TV, NHK, ABC, NTV and TVK - and their international counterparts can be rather complicated, especially considering that many Japanese networks contribute directly to the operating costs of a series even before it's aired.
A solution isn't impossible - but I think a reasoned discussion of these things is long overdue, and that's the kind of thing that Justin was trying to get started with his editorial. Fortunately, he's succeeded.
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The Japanese industry is trying to relegate a new method of doing business - one based on global demand for anime - with a local one based on a hardcore otaku audience. As Justin mentions (and I can concur, having been involved with manga circles in Japan personally), Japanese otaku are vastly different from their American brethren and are interested in a far different type of product than most international audiences.
The issue right now is relegating the two and eliminating piracy on both shores in a way that doesn't cut into anyone's fanbase - not to mention their bottom line. My theory (which I'll ask Justin about if I get the chance) is that the reason an actual model wasn't suggested in the editorial is that no one can really agree on one, and quite frankly, any such model is probably going to have to be born from and advocated for by the Japanese companies. While American companies and consumers hold a fair share of the revenue out there, companies like Bandai still have the keys. Furthermore, the issue of relegating multiple broadcast agreements with the major Japanese TV networks - TBS, Fuji TV, NHK, ABC, NTV and TVK - and their international counterparts can be rather complicated, especially considering that many Japanese networks contribute directly to the operating costs of a series even before it's aired.
A solution isn't impossible - but I think a reasoned discussion of these things is long overdue, and that's the kind of thing that Justin was trying to get started with his editorial. Fortunately, he's succeeded.