So why is the cast listed alphabetically now? I'm curious, did one or more of the voice actors start complaining about billing, so they decided to list them alphabetically so there wouldn't be any reason for complaints or something?

As for 9 Story, I wouldn't bet that they're strapped for cash, but rather, they're just trying to make sure they have to do as little work as possible: when it comes to animation, most animation companies do CGI or computer animation because it's quicker, easier, and cheaper, so they're going to take that route over producing anything of quality.