CBR: Pirates get the jump on Justice League #1

[handler313]

http://robot6.comicbookresources.com...tice-league-1/

Not surprising I guess, but disappointing to say the least. There is no doubt this was a shop worker who did it (it was uploaded almost an hour before the midnight release so fans didn't have it yet) and considering DC set up the midnight event for them, and held off the digital release until 2pm Eastern today (which bugs me as a digital buyer ) to help out the direct market I find this type of crap annoying. As a former shop worker I actually find it insulting. As I said it is not shocking in any way, but still obnoxious. (I am also not a fan of CBR putting it out there on their front page...but that is another thread topic for another time)

I do agree with what they say though, this should be the sign that if you are going to do the digital initiative you have to do it right. Giving the pirates a 14 hour window to get it out there like this is amateurish. I get the reason, and I am all for reaching out and still supporting the brick and mortar stores since you went first day digital but this just shows it isnt worth it. I am not painting with a broad brush saying all stores are pirates, I am saying from a business standpoint you have to do what will garner the most sales, and giving that kind of lead time for pirates is just taking away sales.

I am not sure how to combat it, I mean usually shops have their comics a day early anyways (we always got ours Tuesday Night when I worked) but it might mean putting the digital release out early in the morning, maybe even midnight. I don't know but at this point if you give an inch, you are gonna lose a mile. Don't half ass this, go for the gold otherwise why should I care to buy it when I know I can get it free the same way earlier in the day?

[chrisbenes]

see this is why digital IMO won't work...To many sources to illegally download the items.

[Matches]

see this is why digital IMO won't work...To many sources to illegally download the items.

chrisbenes

Kind of a leap from "there are illegal scans of books available" to "digital won't work", don't you think? After all, there are illegal scans of all the new books that *aren't* yet being released digitally, too. It's not like Justice League #1 is a unique case.

[handler313]

Plus there are millions of ways to get music illegally but people still buy songs and albums on Amazon and Itunes.

I have never read a torrented comic, is the quality any good? I am not asking because i plan to download one, but I wonder if there is a quality drop since they are scanned in. That might be a factor down the road. 9it was with music)

[Matches]

Plus there are millions of ways to get music illegally but people still buy songs and albums on Amazon and Itunes.

handler313

Yup. Illegal scans aren't going away - some people will always choose the "free" option - but some (myself included) prefer the legal, non-thieving option, even if comes with a price tag.

[BART ALLEN]

Yup. Illegal scans aren't going away - some people will always choose the "free" option - but some (myself included) prefer the legal, non-thieving option, even if comes with a price tag.

Matches

Kind of the online equal to the person who reads the book in the store

[chrisbenes]

Plus there are millions of ways to get music illegally but people still buy songs and albums on Amazon and Itunes. I have never read a torrented comic, is the quality any good? I am not asking because i plan to download one, but I wonder if there is a quality drop since they are scanned in. That might be a factor down the road. 9it was with music)

handler313

but a song cost $0.99 and you only need it once. Comics cost much more and are monthly investments. Thus IMO causing more illegal downloads because people would need to spend more money.

[Amentep]

but a song cost $0.99 and you only need it once. Comics cost much more and are monthly investments. Thus IMO causing more illegal downloads because people would need to spend more money.

chrisbenes

Although, arguably, people who illegally download material MAY be inclined to purchase collections of stories they like if they liked it enough to want a permanent copy.

In the end, though, the people who'll get it for free aren't really the target audience; DC needs to make sure people who might be inclined to purchase the downloads know about it and where to get it (although I still think price is an issue).

[lantern2745]

Plus there are millions of ways to get music illegally but people still buy songs and albums on Amazon and Itunes. I have never read a torrented comic, is the quality any good? I am not asking because i plan to download one, but I wonder if there is a quality drop since they are scanned in. That might be a factor down the road. 9it was with music)

handler313

I did once. With the final issue of Generation Lost, Diamond screwed up (or UPS, but that's not relevant) and it didn't get to my LCS.
I waited for the next week, and still nothing. So I started looking for it online, as I was buying it anyway.
I found it real fast, but it took me forever to get the reader installed and then another forever to figure out that I had to rename the file I wanted to view as a dot RAR or some such silliness.
The "picture quality" was much better than I'd expected.
Would I pirate again? Not unless the situation was the same.
Incidentally, it took a full month to get my hard copy.

[chrisbenes]

Kind of a leap from "there are illegal scans of books available" to "digital won't work", don't you think? After all, there are illegal scans of all the new books that *aren't* yet being released digitally, too. It's not like Justice League #1 is a unique case.

Matches

I just personally think that the more you roll digital comics out the more it will be pirated.

[handler313]

Well the more you roll any content out the more illegal downloads will be pirated. Jonah from CBR talked quite a bit at CCI about how he would watch the torrentz each Wednesday and Thursday and tens of thousands of seeders were getting these comics. It is en masse now, there is no way around it.

DC doesnt need to stop it, or even put a noticeable dent in it for the digital initiative to work. Every sale online is found money right now. It isnt as win/win as back issues are (in which case every issue someone buys prints money for DC) but it is close.

The only thing that is holding DC back is their desire to not upset the hobby shops. Once they let go of that then the real fun can begin

[Mr. Wrong]

The only thing that is holding DC back is their desire to not upset the hobby shops. Once they let go of that then the real fun can begin

handler313

I'm a free market capitalist kinda guy, so I can't actually argue that DC should do things that hurt its own sales in order to prop up the retailers. But I can say that if comics went 100% digital, I'm out for good.
There is also something to be said for a reasonable amount of loyalty on DC's part to the businesses that have sold their product at the retail level for all of these years. I know, I know, DC is part of a corporation (read "corporation" as if it were being said in a wavering, spooky voice to get the right effect), but I applaud their efforts to try to avoid completely shafting the LCSs. There may be a balance that can be struck that is best for all parties in the long term.
Plus, some of us actually like leaving the house once in a while, and some of us actually like holding a real, physical product in our hands.

I realize that last line is wide open for all kinds of euphimism jokes. I look forward to them.

Oh, and I'm not arguing at you handler, or insinuating that you never leave your house or any such snarkiness. Just typing out my insignificant little thoughts inspired by your post.

[LastSun]

Any digital content is going to be pirated. The question is, will DC see an increase or decrease in revenue based on making their products available for download?

Jeffrey Neary

I just personally think that the more you roll digital comics out the more it will be pirated.

chrisbenes

How would it really increase piracy? The scanned copies are usually up same day or within a day or 2.

How much would having legitimate digital copies available speed up/increase the torrents?

[DarkeSword]

The only problem I really see with digital is the pricing parity with physical books. 2.99 is a lot of money to pay for 20 digital pages. I realize the prices drop in a month down to 1.99, but that's still a big barrier for a lot of people.

I know DC has to appease the LCSes, but I think people who read comic books are pretty stubborn and will be hesitant to switch over to digital anyway, even if the books are cheaper. But at the same time, digital can really expand the readership.

Such a weird balancing act; I don't envy DC's position.

[Timekeeper]

see this is why digital IMO won't work...To many sources to illegally download the items.

chrisbenes

Other people have already pointed this out, but in my opinion this is why digital does work. There is no additional cost if DC sells a single digital copy of any given issue or if DC sells one thousand digital copies of a single issue. Providing a legal, paid online alternative will not put an end to piracy by any means, but it's extra money that the company might otherwise not be bringing in. It's just like iTunes -- there are plenty of places online to download songs and albums illegally, sometimes months before their official retail or digital releases. But they are still bringing in money, even if it isn't a huge portion of the market.

The only thing truly standing in DC's way is the same pricing system for both physical and digital. I'd much rather pay full price and have a tangible, physical copy of a comic. Hell, for that matter I'll stick to what I always do -- buy comics in trades.

[Jeffrey Neary]

Any digital content is going to be pirated. The question is, will DC see an increase or decrease in revenue based on making their products available for download?