How long till NewType ends as a paper mag and goes digital

[Dylonius Funk]

Recently Wizards Of The Coast, the fine folks behind Dungeons and Dragons and Magic The Gathering, announced plans to not renew the license to Paizo Publishing who makes the Dungeon and Dragon magazines in order to do their own online service. No real details have bene announced yet.

What does that have to do with anime you may be asking yourselves. Well nopthing by itself but it got me thinking. It seems like DVD's are in the same boat as print, declining sales and stiff competitiion against online media ( not all of it legal). It seems Wizards is planning to move some fo the content in the magazines to an online pay service. I wouldn't be surprised if anime maagzines consider doing the same thing.

I used NewType as an example since it's one of the largest magazines about anime. I'm wondering what your thoughts are on print vs PDF, online distribution, etc.

[Dicrel Seijin]

I voted 'no' to both questions.

We are a tactile species. This, I think, is the one reason we still have paper. A computer, no matter its form, will never replace opening up those pages (and getting a high from the ink fumes :P ) and leafing through it.

[Lego]

I voted 'no' to both questions.

We are a tactile species. This, I think, is the one reason we still have paper. A computer, no matter its form, will never replace opening up those pages (and getting a high from the ink fumes :P ) and leafing through it.

Newtype will survive as if no one buys it they'll just can the DVD and go to a smaller price tag. The only time I get the magazine anymore is if my dad sees it at Barnes and Noble or a Borders and wants to get me a gift.

[Suko-chan]

Two Nos.
I don't ever see NewType going "all digital"...
And if for some strange reason it did, I wouldn't be interested in it... I'd just stick with Anime Insider. :P

[itsuka]

I think there is one big issue with digital publishing - it's very hard to convince people to pay for digital information. Except for a few professional knowledge databases, most things I see online are free (with advertising bringing in the money).

If one issue of Newtype now costs $10-12 AND includes wagonloads of advertising, how would they ever cope economically to publish it digital, given that people would probably not pay subscription money for that? I wouldn't, while I will continue to pay for a paper copy, despite my frequent wishes the mag would restyle itself as an anime version of what Empire Magazine is in the movie world.

[RayeKinezono]

'No' on both counts here, as well, because I'm a tactile person. I get magazines for when I'm away from the computer. That would be pointless if I had to be chained to my computer to read it.

That's the same reason why I don't like reading manga on any format aside from the printed book.

Aside from all that, I'm paying for all this crap to fill up my hard drive, and I have no hard copy (non-digital) to back it up? No thanks.

Besides, there's some subconscious thing about actually turning the page with your own hands that helps the presentation (like the tension that builds up just before you turn the page on a major plot point in a manga). I don't know what it is though.

All I know is I've gotta have it in print, or forget it.

[GrateSaiyaman]

Oh hell yes . . . in about 10 or 15 years.

When we get 100Mb/s downloads from BPL, (a lot of hoping there for now), hard copies will be a little more scarce.

I haven't gotten NewType for about four years, I like Megami much better but I wouldn't mind dropping the $10 - $15 or so a month if I can get the same articles and illustrations at reasonable resolution over the internet.
If we're still hobbling along at 1.5 to 12Mb/s over the internet in 20 years . . . we'll still be getting NewType and Megami ala`print/hard-copy.

[Njr Scrawl]

Double no. Magazines like Newtype sell on glossy pin-ups & pics, free DVDs & other pack-ins as well as articles & news, maybe moreso.

Also as a hobby magazine, as for any entertainment publications, its for reading away from home & office, & for passing around & sharing.

Mixing adverts with articles is a modern day curse. Pop-ups & even the banners AoD uses are a pain & hindrance. ANN's themed advertising pages make the site less appealing. Then there's the hidden "menaces" like cookies, spyware & adware that comes with electronic media, whether online or on a solid media.

[Damo]

I voted 'no' to both questions.

We are a tactile species. This, I think, is the one reason we still have paper. A computer, no matter its form, will never replace opening up those pages (and getting a high from the ink fumes :P ) and leafing through it.

Seconded

Paper all the way.

[BurtKenobi]

Animerica went "digital" didn't it? It didn't survive and I found it had a bit more personality than Newtype. If a mag goes digital then it means the end - the magazine format is essentially a paper format....

J

[FigNewton]

Animerica went "digital" didn't it? It didn't survive and I found it had a bit more personality than Newtype. If a mag goes digital then it means the end - the magazine format is essentially a paper format....

J

Not really. They're now a free pamphlet like publication distributed to bookstores like Waldenbooks and Borders (maybe only those, I'm not sure, it's just the only place I remember seeing them) with preview/teaser info of the contents on the website.

I actually kinda miss the old Animerica.

[DanielJr]

Well, if done right like AnimeFringe (http://animefringe.com/magazine/2005/09/) (I really miss them), I'd probably fork over the cash for a good online magazine. A downloadable version in PDF would be nice too.

But I gotta tell ya, there's a certain appeal to printed material. The quality of the paper, you're away from the computer, you can read it outside, at work, or wherever. I don't see NewType going exclusively digital, but maybe a companion webzine would be a good idea.

[Suko-chan]

Animerica went "digital" didn't it? It didn't survive and I found it had a bit more personality than Newtype. If a mag goes digital then it means the end - the magazine format is essentially a paper format....

J

Not really. They're now a free pamphlet like publication distributed to bookstores like Waldenbooks and Borders (maybe only those, I'm not sure, it's just the only place I remember seeing them) with preview/teaser info of the contents on the website.

I actually kinda miss the old Animerica.

I've seen the free pamphlet Animericas in BestBuy.
Kinda sad to see it reduced to that... I had gotten the old ones since their first issue.

[Njr Scrawl]

I've kept my old Animericas.

Ironically, now that there is a slight resurgence in anime, & Viz itself has more anime & manga titles out, it could perhaps sell better again.

I liked the reviews & thought their content advisory icons were a good idea (boobs, bad language, sci fi etc) that other review organs should copy.

The articles models & games were cool too.

Perhaps though in this new mini-era, it would be swamped by letters of protest about manga edits & quarterly releases etc.