the AA, ZF, and... you!

[davemerrill]

yes, Alcoholics Anonymous! No, wait, Artists Alley. I got a PM on the AWA board this weekend from somebody concerned about the tone being taken in a gigantic thread about the recent convention's artists alley. The thread has since been locked and vanished into the Negative Zone, but before it got gone I dug through it some to see if it warranted my attention. And it really didn't; what was done is what I would have done. They are quick on the trigger on the AWA message board.

And really, as I explained to the person who PM'ed me, I don't know enough about AA culture to make any honest decisions about anything relating to it, other than "knock off being a dick". The artists alley has turned into its own culture that has moved way away from where it was the last time I held down a table there.

I mean, during my time in AA, (I'm talking 1992-2002, intermittent) the tables were ten or fifteen tables slapped down wherever there was space - outside the dealers room, in front of registration, generally in unsecured high-traffic areas. Artists were mixed in with convention publicity tables, small press publishers selling zines, minicomics publishers selling their minis, and anybody else who could talk the convention into giving them a table. I fit into all those categories. There weren't a lot of rules and if you brought a bunch of junk from home that you wanted to get rid of and sold it, nobody got on your case.

The AA now is a completely different beast. It is full of professional looking booths with signage and giant prints and displays. The level of quality in the artwork has taken a giant leap forward (right alongside the giant leap in things like Photoshop, haw haw) and most artists have achieved a certain level of slick, appealing, van-art kitsch that would not be out of place in any suburban youth culture store. The craft quotient has risen and there's an increase in hats, shirts, costume jewellery, candy, and other hand-made items. The days when it was just a bunch of people sketching and selling zines is over, dead, and buried.

Now all you need to do is to check out the rules portion of any anime con's website to see how much the Artists Alley culture has changed. It's serious business now. In particular is the rule about how only a certain percentage of work on your table can be fan art. Right now at AWA the ratio is 80-20 - only 20% of work on your table can be fan art of copyrighted characters.

Now, I can completely understand the rationale for this rule: anime cons are becoming increasingly connected to the copyright holders and want to limit infringement. But I think there's another reason for this rule, and it's that when you're holding down a table full of drawings of your own original characters and not making any sales, and you're watching the table next to yours sell piece after piece of fanart of Pokemon, Sailor Moon, Naruto, Card Captors, Tenchi characters, you start to get annoyed and jealous and pissed off. You're doing your original work that you spent time and work on, are emotionally invested in, and it's being ignored in favor of an appeal to the lowest common denominator. I've been there and I understand those emotions completely.

I can't help but think that the fanart ratio rule is in place because of those feelings. It's an attempt to level the playing field, to reshape the market into something with higher aspirations than a room filled with bare-titty Dirty Pair airbrush T-shirts. And in principle that's a good thing.

None of the artists are really complaining about that rule. The artists spend a lot of time accusing other artists of breaking the rule (which is most of what made the AWA thread go on for 8 pages), but for the most part the artists are OK with it.

What the artists AREN'T okay with are poor sales. And if you know anybody who ever has any kind of table at a convention, they are NEVER happy with their sales. The AA has all sorts of reasons their sales are down - the room's too big, the room's hard to find, the table layouts are weird, those other assholes are selling too much fan art. And this is another reason that thread went on 8 pages.

Some of the artists were talking about how they are trying to make a living out of selling art at Artists Alleys. Now there's some wishful thinking. It's not impossible to make a living selling prints at shows - but you need to hit all the arts and crafts festivals in all the fairgrounds and city parks in America, you need to make the same circuit the folk artists and the landscape painters and the caricaturists do. Not anime cons.

Nobody addressed the fact that America is still in a recession and that people have a lot less folding money to spend on artwork. Nobody was pointing out that the AA this year was 20,000 square feet of full color glossy booths selling full color glossy fan art at full color glossy prices, to customers whose wallets had already survived the SHFS on Friday and the giant dealers room right next door.

And the kicker - none of the artists were pointing out that Joe Average Anime Con AA Customer thinks of the Artists Alley as a place to buy fan art. In his mind the two are inextricably linked. So we have two opposing forces coming into play - the artists want to sell their original work, but the customers want to buy fan art of their favorite characters. And as long as these two mindsets are in conflict we're going to see sparks.

And let's keep in mind that my appraisal of the situation is that of almost complete ignorance - I got to hit the AA this year for the first time in a while, and my knowledge of the issues involved comes from the anime con message board, which since the dawn of time has been the primary arena for gigantic flaming piles of drama to erupt after every single anime con artists alley ever.

So I don't really have any solutions, and I don't know enough about things to even formulate a solution, and that's what I told the person in the PM. That's right world, somebody willing to say, "I don't know."

Speaking of artwork - new ZERO FIGHTER this week!! Page 74 already. It's like I've been doing this every week or something.

Comments

[paulownia.livejournal.com]

Dave, as one person who PMd you, pretty much not looking for solutions, but some idea of how you think participants should engage each other in the discussions. I truthfully do NOT care much about the ultimate decision on the 20/80 guideline, because there are a lot of moral /ethical issues involved, as well as the answer to questioning how much responsibility do we have to doing what's right and also being part of the fandom?

That's actually a question the artists are expecting the directors to answer. (Most seemed fine with whatever direction you set as long as the vision itself for what the alley should be now and in five years is clearly articulated to the artists and the attendees.)

Regarding why I have a problem with the thread -- the biggest concern for me was that when opposing sides are presented on "hot issue of the moment", that people actually behave respectfully. Debate is fine, but using PMs and IM instant messages to approach the artists adn attendees outside of that forum discussion... don't know. I don't feel comfortable about that.

Although you're not engaged with the culture, I would love for your staff to talk to the artists about your vision for AWA, the AA as you would like it to be, and support those who wish to create a slightly more constructive atmosphere.

Year to year, there is infighting btw, but this is the worst year I've seen. In talking to the artists who have been there longer than me , I get the sense they agree.

[davemerrill.livejournal.com]

There are pretty specific rules concerning behavior on the AWA message board; I think the AA discussion went on for so long because the guys that are the strictest about policing behavior - Brian and Jerry, for the most part - perhaps weren't paying close attention to the Artists Alley. I don't have moderator privileges over that area myself, so the most I could do is tell people to quiet down. Anyway it's an area I don't check that often.

The AWA board should probably sit down with Gallatin or whoever his successor is and do as you suggest, work out what they want the AA to be and how it should reflect AWA. (I'm up in Toronto so my interaction with the AWA board is kind of limited).

I know this was probably the most heated that AA discussions have been in a while, but it seems like the only time I hear about the AA - at any convention, not just AWA - is when there's some kind of big, drama-filled hassle. A smoothly running AA doesn't make headlines, I guess.

Anyway, it got fixed, and thanks for bringing it to my attention. Maybe I can help keep things civil.

[paulownia.livejournal.com]

That's cool. Glad you read it and gave your opinion. I think it helps to hear where you're coming from, and I guess the rest of us will wait and see what the board and staff do as far as the issue of establishing a direction.

Actually, the AA was really great this year. Slow sales, but that was expected based on the trends since 2008 and a worsening economy in Atlanta. If the forum thread gave any impression that there were issues at the convention, well - that's unfortunate. The AAs is one of the best run in the country with a great staff. Too bad that stuff, along with a lot of positives got drowned out.

[shadrad.livejournal.com]

As an artist participating in AWA's AA for about 4 or 5 years now, and who was not privy to the 'debate' thread before it was locked (due to having a job and forgetting to check the boards after the con), from the descriptions/summaries I've been given, it really seemed to amount to a couple of people who are commonly known to use very vitriolic tones and arrogant language to lecture, lambast, or otherwise fill the AWA AA forums with their (obviously very important) opinions.

AA has certainly changed in the last few years, and the artists, like everyone else, are learning how to adapt. I made half the amount I made last year, and for the first time in a very, very long time, I didn't make back my full costs for the con. I didn't mind that much, I sold enough to cover most of it and got to hang out with my friends, but sales were disappointing all around-- and I blame the economy far more than elements in the control of artists, the directors of AA, or the customers.

From my perspective, the issue at hand in the PM seemed to be one about a forum-based troublemaker and inappropriate behavior exhibited on the forums by some of its members-- not an issue pertaining to AA specifically, but that should be considered like any other member on the AWA forums. If they weren't breaking any rules or exhibiting any behavior that the moderators believed worthy of mention or consequence, that's just how it goes and people will have to deal with it as they see fit.

But I think the action of PMing a director/moderator was rather a better course of action than simply sitting around and accepting harassment from other forum members :/

[davemerrill.livejournal.com]

...for the first time in a very, very long time, I didn't make back my full costs for the con. I didn't mind that much, I sold enough to cover most of it and got to hang out with my friends...

I think it's a mistake to approach the Artists Alley (or anything else at a con, really) as anything more than a potential 'break even' situation. When I see people expecting to profit hugely from their AA table, I wince. Factor in travel costs, hotel costs, food, materials, the table cost, and the time you're taking away from your day job, and usually it winds up that you're spending a lot of money for the privilege of sitting behind a table showing your art to strangers. And that can be a fun weekend, if that's what you're aiming at.

I don't know what the expectations are these days, but I can remember dealing with a (kinda notorious) guy who had driven up from FL to come to AWA and sell stuff at an AA table. Trouble was he did not have an AA table. He was begging us to let him sell things just to make gas money so he could get home. Now that's poor planning.

There was a point in 2000-2001 where we were selling zines and goofy "I Heart" stickers and buttons, and somebody was claiming we were making $1000 off this kind of thing. Out of 25 and 50 cent stickers? I don't think so. Do the math. It's fun to man the table and see your friends as they pass by, but I gots bills to pay.

[kikaiju.livejournal.com]

And even if the artists break even, the convention is spending a small fortune to rent the room it's in and the con itself is NOT making money on it. The table rentals do not cover the cost. Who cries about that? Who cares? If the con fails to make bank, there's no con and no AA and no nothing. Cons like this do not happen for free.

While I am no longer part of AWA, it was originally my suggestion to put the AA in a hall at the Galleria. We had to bite hard and take a financial hit to do it, first by sharing with the dealers for a year and then on its own. Yay it worked. The con got rid of a major crowding/safety issue, the artists got a secureable room where they could leave stuff out at night and it would still be there in the morning, and perhaps it might even be a stepping stone to what it's like to operate as a "real" dealer.

We solved a lot of problems with that move. I am all for making a profit but in this case the cost was worth it.

But having the AA is not exactly a guaranteed profitable venture for anyone, least of all AWA. If it works, great. If not, too bad. Try again next con.

[gallo-de-pelea.livejournal.com]

Joe Average Anime Con AA Customer thinks of the Artists Alley as a place to buy fan art. In his mind the two are inextricably linked. So we have two opposing forces coming into play - the artists want to sell their original work, but the customers want to buy fan art of their favorite characters.

Which is why, when I did anime cons, I had a big color picture of Axel from Kingdom Hearts (which I've never played) displayed vertically, front and center, with my own stuff around... and when you stepped up, boom, there's my original shit on the table.

Deceptive? Yes. Assholeish? Probably. But it sure as hell gets people to come look when they wouldn't have if I'd displayed all original work.

(I'm still planning on doing Ushicon next year, but not anticipating selling anything - they've bumped it down to no Japanese guests, no rave, no masquerade, no bands, and 18+ only. Sounds awesome.)

[redneckgaijin.livejournal.com]

Hm.

Now I'm glad Ushicon's dealer room was full when I asked.

I don't care about rave or concerts, and I like costumes but hate masquerade crowds... but that combination of "no" is going to keep a lot of folks away.

(Which I expect is UshiCon's plan, but I wouldn't make any money at such a show.)

[gallo-de-pelea.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I don't anticipate it being profitable at all; I'm just happy to nerd-party like it's 1996 again.

[davemerrill.livejournal.com]

I see nothing wrong with a little attention-getting bait-and-switch. It's not like you don't have the artistic chops to back it up.

Had AA stayed a kooky anything goes ziney kind of thing, I might have stuck around. I was always more of a zine-minicomics sort of person. Not so much on the pinups or the fan art. Of course these days the zine shows are lots more crafts, beadwork, knitting, and poetry chapbooks, so what are you gonna do? (webcomics, that's what!)

[redneckgaijin.livejournal.com]

Haven't read the forum threads and don't intend to.

I can say, though, that it was just as bad, and possibly worse, in the dealer room. My own sales were down 20% from 2009. I spoke with half a dozen other dealers, and got indirect word from about as many again; all down and down badly. The only person I spoke with whose sales were up from last year... was in AA.

[davemerrill.livejournal.com]

Wow, you asked dealers at an anime con how they were doing, and they were negative and pessimistic? That's SO STRANGE. Usually when I ask dealers how's business they are all WE'RE DOING GREAT! MAKIN' MONEY HAND OVER FIST!! YEAH!!

Seriously though, dealers ALWAYS complain about how poorly they did and how little money they made. ALWAYS. It could be raining fifty dollar bills and they'd be bitchin' about not having a big enough bucket. I understand they might have legitimate complaints, but after 20 years of the same doom'n'gloom scenario you want to ask them if they ever considered another line of work.

[redneckgaijin.livejournal.com]

Yes, yes, that's the stock dealer answer for, "Are you doing well?" And dealers are going to be depressing most of the time because (a) dealers tend to run on narrow margins, (b) dealers often don't know their exact sales until long after closing Sunday and would rather give conservative estimates, and (c) dealers will take any sympathy sale they can get.

But I was a dealer, not a customer, asking dealers Sunday during tear-down how the show was compared to last year. And the answer was: down from 10% to 25%, depending on the dealer.

[ladylenneth.livejournal.com]

I have to say, being new to the alley, I don't know too much of the culture either. AWA 2009 was my first alley experience, and from there I went to EXP, Momo, FreeCon, ACC, Metro, AFO, and my most recent being AWA 2010.

But I agree with you wholeheartedly on all counts.

You nailed it on the head.

[tochiro998.livejournal.com]

Just to stick my nose in, from working retail all these years plus a good amount of time on both sides of a dealer's table, I have found the following to be true.

a. one isn't carrying what people want.

b. one IS carrying what people want but it's overpriced.

c. One has what people want, is priced at what people want to pay but the location SUCKS and one isn't getting any traffic or lots of "gee I wish I had known you were here, I just blew all my money on..."

I'm sure if I could magically time machine to AWA 2010 I could walk thru the Dealer's Room and see a whole lot of (a) and (b) in action.

(and yes, the lack of importers hurts things and the Dollar/Yen rate is completely in the toilet. Doesn't affect those carrying American release manga and anime at full MSRP when they've been sitting on it unsold for 4 years, right?)

Annnnd blah blah blah. :)

[(Anonymous)]

Since doujinshi are a major part of Japanese fan culture (and, as far as I can tell, always have been) I personally do not find fan art inappropriate to anime cons; it's much more authentic to the culture than such things as burlesque or steampunk.

--Carl

[davemerrill.livejournal.com]

I totally agree; It's weird to have a rule regulating the amount of anime fan art allowed at an anime con artists alley. I mean, I see where they're coming from, from a certain point of view, but still, something is TERRIBLY WRONG HERE.

The culture now is that you have to get permission from all the copyright holders for everything that's shown in the anime rooms. THAT it some bullshit right there, in my humble opinion.

[tochiro998.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I....you know, I doubt Tohokushinsha signed off on the showing of Yamato:Rebirth. :)

But one has to ask oneself, IS there an industry anymore? I have the impression just about everyone except Funimation has stopped sending out screener discs and comps for giveaways.

But that's something I'd like to see some numbers on, what the turnout was on various showings. I mean in general, like "packed and more trying to get in" to "it was me running the deck and this guy who never, ever left the room no matter what was playing." (and brother, I've been that guy running the deck!)

Given the trends of the AmeriOtaku(tm), I do wonder what actually gets watched besides 'big event' things like the AMVs, AnimeHell, any special showings or premiers...

[davemerrill.livejournal.com]

Funi had people checking what was being shown in each video room. If it was something they had licensed - even if their license hadn't been announced yet - they wanted AWA to quit showing it.

It's becoming easier to see how A-Kon got on their bad side.

You'd have to ask Darius what the popular titles were. I know we moved Yamato from a smaller room to the large room, and both Yamato and the title we preempted had big crowds. This is Sunday at 3pm, too. Cons get to be a certain size and EVERYTHING gets an audience.

I mean, there was a good sized audience for raw Japanese 009 Legend Of The Super Galaxy at Otakon. Go fig.

[kikaiju.livejournal.com]

Agreed. I think it's complete bullshit that AWA can't even release a video room playlist ahead of the con out of fear somebody will C&D something.

Roll it. Somebody will either make money selling the DVDs later or they won't. But they stand a chance of selling more of them if people, you know, have seen the stuff first.

[davemerrill.livejournal.com]

I told 'em to just print the schedule as is and if the companies have any problem with it, say "Oh that? That's a typo."

Could be worse though, there's an anime con in Australia that isn't going to be able to screen ANYTHING; they pissed off the one company that distributes everything in Australia. (couldn't, or wouldn't, keep the bootlegs out of their dealers room.)

[damerell.livejournal.com]

Mmm. Not to paraphrase Dave, but ultimately it'd be nice if anime cons were mostly about Japanese cartoons and not cosplay chess or whatever the hell.

In the light of that, if someone's table of highly original art is not selling as well as the table next door full of fanart of Japanese cartoons - at an event dedicated to Japanese cartoons - I don't really see what the problem is, and I'm sure as hell the solution isn't to stop people selling stuff directly related to Japanese cartoons.

[This is just about the "guy at the next table" thing. The industry getting honked off, well, that's another question.]

[tochiro998.livejournal.com]

That's kind of my take as well. I mean, this is a HARD thing in terms of the reality. It's natural for an artist to be invested in their work, that's why it's art, or so it's always seemed to me.

But the reality is, is it what the paying customers want? If no, then that's not so much a slam at the artist as it is the product.

It's not a zero sum game. If a person buys from artist (a) but not artist (b), it doesn't follow that (a) is stealing from (b), rather the choice people are making are profiting (a) more than (b). (b) must adapt or die.

Right now ARTPRIZE 2010 is in its final voting, and soon one of 10 pieces will be named the winner. There are some very vocal entrants who are screaming it's not fair because the top 10 are all within a key central area while their displays are out at more remote (and thus lower traffic) spots. I think there's likely some truth to this but I think the real issue is this year they allowed voting via cellphone texting, which means there's a LOT more 'impulse' voting going on instead of careful, thoughtful consideration.

I've seen some of that art, and honestly, it's all pretty blah. It's NICE, but it's not anything MOVING or unusual.

But see how it's the same thing? "I could have won if only I had been within the 'core area' and out out there!" Well, no, there's a LOT of art in that core area that didn't even make the top 20, so, suck it up and deal.

Blah blah.