[alt-photo] Re: "sustainable market for film"

[Ryuji Suzuki]

From: Judy Seigel <jseigel at panix.com>
Subject: [alt-photo] Re: "sustainable market for film"
Date: Tue, 23 Mar 2010 23:15:47 -0400 (EDT)

> I think the comment about "sustainable market" for film may
> miss the point. As long as the folks (note, please, polite
> term for relics, or fossils, or --- ----s) who learned
> photography with film and still use it, remain active, the
> "market" for film may well be "sustainable" in some form or
> other.

In order for the industry to be sustainable, it requires more
than the existence of market. There has to be stable,
efficient and readily available distribution and retail
channels. If film were a high profit margin product (like
cocaine) there would be supply chains, but we are talking
about $3 roll of film, from which the store and distributor
keep half, and they aren't making enough profit.

Unlike artists, distributors and retailers won't get grants or
prize money, and they don't have art collectors or any other
form of sugar daddy. What they have is capitalism. Whether
it's good or not is another point, but I am personally
concerned that that will be the weakest point in the silver
based photographic industry right now.

--
Ryuji Suzuki
"Don't play what's there, play what's not there." (Miles Davis)