One group of content producers that BENEFIT from P2P/Torrents
 

Many readers here have already debated how Torrents/P2P screws up affiliate programs and content producers. There's too many threads to count.

However, one possible group of content providers that may be beneficiaries of the Torrent/P2P boom are: small comics publishers and legit anime distributors

How do they benefit? Unlike purely digital content producers/affiliate programs, their product starts out at TANGIBLE media products which are then digitized by 'fans' (aka pirates and scumbags to many purely digital content producers) and posted online.

There's 3 factors that this small subset of content providers enjoy that BIG media companies (like Playboy and penthouse) and purely digital media companies don't enjoy:

a) smaller or "niche" circulation bases offline. These are small publishers or big publishers from another country that don't have a large media circulation in the US (eg. Japanese anime companies)
b) They focus on media products whose tangible/offline counterparts have a market of their own (for example: anime books, comic BOOKs, etc). These tangible qualities have their OWN VALUE apart from their digital versions ie., they are collector's items.
c) The scanned versions vary in quality and are often "incomplete" (due to translation issues, etc)

These same 3 factors allow these smaller media companies to generate a fanbase through a "If you like it, Buy it" distribution strategy.

No wonder, smaller comic book companies have RELENTED in having torrents of unauthorized scans of their product lines pulled off P2P networks.

Some companies, such as Slave Labor Graphics and Hack/Slash for instance, having previously requested removal of their material later relented, after seeing how Z-Cult has grown their readership and fandom.

Just one relatively SMALL EXCEPTION to the current conventional wisdom that p2p sites hurt digital content providers/distributors. However, it may hold lessons that some digital media companies can use in making User Media channels their allies towards greater profitability.

Discuss.:thumbsup

The key here is to have some OFFLINE / tangible counterpart to the digital product.

such as a torrent of a girl jerking a guy with a fleshlight...

I can actually see this working in a few different ways. First off the part you already mentioned, by growing the fan base exposing the comic to possible future collectors. A true collector is going to want to have the actual product in their hands irregardless, so they will go out and buy the comic after they read a scan and get hooked. I can also see people continuing to read the scans after they have purchased the comic, since a true collector is worried about damaging the condition of the comic, and reading a scan can allow you to collect and read the story without degrading the condition of it.

This has actually already worked on me. I was a huge fan of the Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Angel TV series, and when I heard Joss Whedon was continuing both series in comic book form, picking up from where the series finale of each ended, I was intrigued. I found a scan of the first issues of both on a warez forum and downloaded and read them, and the old collector in me came back out and I have purchased them ever since...

Umm no.

Theft is theft.
Period. Butter coating, sugar coating or what ever coating...

It's still theft.

Good case study. It might make sense for companies that fit in this very LIMITED group of content providers--ie., digital version of a MAINLY offline media product OR digital product from obscure vendor WITH offline elements (probably works best for the former, though).

I made high xx,xxx off of advertising ebooks I wrote on torrents (Nothing illegal of course).