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I am unsure about everything I say.

political economy, theology, philosophy, and interweb miscellany, ethics, peacemaking, liberation and/or incredulity toward metanarratives, comedy, music, games, food and beverages; life as a chronic expatriate in working-class Belfast, currently an undergrad in Politics, Philosophy and Economics.

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1. Louis C.K. Went Out On A Limb, And It Actually Worked

   rocketboom:

   

   
   Sure, stand-up comedian Louis C.K. couldn’t stop the pirates, but the pirates also couldn’t stop him from making $500,000 with his $5 direct download experiment.

   When Mr. C.K. announced earlier this week that he was going to sell $5 direct downloads of his of his  show “Live at the Beacon Theater” without the help of a 3rd party distributor and without copyright or digital rights management (DRM) protection, he was taking risks. To abate the threat of piracy, Louis plead his case in a letter to the masses. 

   The Good News: thousands of people paid. In a statement yesterday, Louis revealed some of the numbers. Sales of “Live at the Beacon Theater” covered production costs, and netted Louis about $200K in profits. Not a bad outcome. Maybe there is some good left in the world after all.

   The Bad News: the file did inevitably make its way to bit torrent sites. This uploader at least seemed to feel bad about doing it, however.

   The Takeaway: Consumers want content cheap that is easy to get. Independent direct-to-fan releases take “the man” out of the equation, and without “the man” who’s left for pirates to stick it to? Louis? No need, $5 is cheap. But for those who do spread the file, its likely new audiences will discover Louis’ work leading to more potential sales down the line.

   I like this a lot. It’s one data point, but it lends credence to the thought that going around the industry and connecting the artist directly to the audience can help people be their best selves. Speaking for myself, I will always be more compelled (at least emotively) to support something I enjoy with cash if there’s a face instead of an institution asking for it. That said, it seems like it’s a lot more work for the artist.

   (Source: videojumper)

5 months ago  Notes (29)
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       And finally, I love

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   15. This was featured in #Politics
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       I like this a lot. It’s one data point,...it lends credence to

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       I may not agree with everything...experiment is absolutely incredible. I went ahead

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