Sep 2, 2023 2 min read

The Billion Dollar Intersection of Anime, Music, and Video Games at San Japan 2023

At the intersection of anime, music, video games, and personal branding lies an amalgam of culture and commerce that is far more than the sum of its parts. San Japan 2023, a melting pot of such influences, provides an opportune stage to delve into the trajectory of these converging mediums.

Cross-Pollination of Media Ecosystems

The conversation with Arthell Isom, CEO of D'Art Shtajio, reveals how today's media is in a state of flux, oscillating between traditional categories. With collaborations ranging from Jay-Z to Naruto, Isom is operating at a nexus where anime isn't just a subset of the entertainment industry; it's a genre experiencing synergistic growth through intersectionality with music and film.

Scaling the Immeasurable: Industry Valuations

Music, a $26 billion industry, seems dwarfed when juxtaposed with film’s $77 billion. However, both pale when compared to the gaming industry’s colossal $221 billion valuation. Surprisingly, anime scales past music with a $28 billion value. Such statistics not only put into perspective the fiscal muscle behind each sector but also underline the untapped cross-promotional potential.

The Content Loop: Virality and Views

The 'Ice Spice' video on Spotify exemplifies this concept. Here, music and anime don’t just co-exist; they amplify each other. The same video garnered 20 million views, a testament to the 'cross-pollination' effect, wherein fandoms intersect, and the boundary lines of individual mediums blur into obscurity.

The Long Tail of Anime and Music

One Piece, an anime with 1,000-plus episodes, and the fragmented world of hip-hop may seem worlds apart. Yet, both require a significant investment of time and emotional bandwidth. This long-tail approach to content creation, when converged, generates new access points for cross-fandom discovery.

The NIL Frontier: Branding in the New Age

The discourse shifts noticeably when Dante Carver comes into the frame. The Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) paradigm has recently had a profound impact on sports, but Carver's career demonstrates how personal branding transcends industries. From action figures to video games, the commodification of personal brand is not a fleeting trend but a burgeoning marketplace.

Platforms like OnlyFans underscore the complex relationship between medium and message. In Japan, it’s a platform for cosplayers, while elsewhere it suffers from a more salacious reputation. The evolution of social media into a powerful monetization tool reflects a broader trend of creators reclaiming narrative control but also grapples with the inherited stigmas.

WTF?

San Japan 2023 encapsulates the zeitgeist of this multi-medium confluence. It’s a snapshot of a future where traditional lines between industries are not just crossed but erased. It’s a future where 'What’s The Future?' isn’t just a tagline but a genuine inquiry into an ever-changing landscape of entertainment and personal branding.

In the aggregation of these changes, the question isn't merely "What's the future?" but rather "How fast can we adapt?" Because in this fast-paced amalgamation of cultures and industries, adaptation isn’t just beneficial; it’s essential.

For those interested in diving deeper into the future of technology and its implications, my WTF Journal serves as a repository of thoughts and questions that can guide your exploration. After all, the future is not something to predict; it's something to be understood.