All things change

Be assured that I am not closing the site because I lack bandwidth (between the time I decided to shut things down and the time I went public, I had offers from two people with access to very high bandwidth who wanted to be mirrors). Nor is it because I lack HDD space or system resources. (In fact I just bought a brand new system to house the server that has held the ADS files on it.) So why am I shutting down? I am glad to have the opportunity to tell you.

In short there are three reasons that I now feel it is right for me to stop distributing to the general public. Public distribution is not the same as private distribution and if you are interested in that, then please read the rest of this before contacting me to see how you might qualify.

1. The amount of good that is accomplished by the public distribution of anime fansubs has diminished greatly in the last 5 years.

2. The amount of potential harm that is being done to commercial American and Japanese companies by the public distribution of anime fansubs has increaased in the last 5 years so that the balance has tipped in favor of ceasing public distribution activities.

3. The internet, the medium by which the overwhelming majority the files from the ADS were distributed, has changed in the last 5 years in such a way that public distribution of any thing illegal is more difficult.

4. Bonus reason for closing.

So this is why I am quitting: less good, more harm, changed internet. Any one of these three and I might have hung with it a while longer. Two of the three was more than sufficient though. And all three at the same time is just way more than I need to realize that I, my site, and my whole distribution methodology is a dinosaur. If I want to continue to help anime, it is time to move on to something a lot better. And what AM I moving on to? Well, send me an email if you really want to know. It is exciting but different. I have a lot of mixed emotions about closing this site, but I am more and more and more certain each day that I am happy for having made the decision to do so. The site will close its doors to the public on Febuary 15th. There. I said. It was really hard, but I did it.

In the beginning of this farewell speech I promised to talk about private distribution and I will. My definition of private distribution is distribution to specific individuals to whom I am in some way indebted. For example, if you sent me some anime on CD I would feel obligated to return the favor, and I might return it 10-fold but that is my business. Obligation might come from a particularly well worded email request. I got one from a woman who was using them to educate her children. Of course I might want to help such a cause by donating some CD-R's or a few dozen gigabytes of bandwidth. All I am saying is that from now on, in order to receive fansubs from me there must be a degree of connection between me and the recipient that has never been a requirement of the Anime Download Site. I would rather end the ADS now, while it is still heathy and good than to try and turn it into a private distribution site. What it was then, it ever shall be. My private distribution site will be new and different, and it will either stand on its own, or it won't. Until I get that built, if you think that you would like to receive some free anime fansubs, feel free to send email.