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Thanks for taking the time to present some information not often heard in these debates. But in my opinion the big content distributors should be fighting to c

by tux1968 15y ago

Thanks for taking the time to present some information not often heard in these debates. But in my opinion the big content distributors should be fighting to change the agreements and laws that shackle them -- not crippling the internet to accommodate them. Louis C.K. has already made the case for us. You do not need to change _anything_ to get people to pay a reasonable amount for quality content. They will pay even when they can get it for free. He has already made a few million charging $5 for a non-DRM, easily pirated copy of his comedy special. It shows the way forward: make it convenient, make it good value for money... and we will come.

earbitscom 15y ago
Louis CK only barely innovated on what many artists already do. The reason he was successful and they are usually not is because he already has millions of fans and has friends on television talk shows who brought him on to promote the product. He also painted a picture that this was the new way to distribute content, which "pandered" (not meant to imply something negative) to the community who wants to prove that there is a way to make money by doing things differently. I personally paid for the product as a result, and still have yet to get around to watching it. Many thousands of great bands are on Bandcamp with name your own price music for sale that is super easy to download, and most make next to nothing on the service. It was mostly the marketing that Louis CK did well that made him successful, and he has resources that 99% of people don't have. To address the point of distributors changing the laws that shackle them, if you've ever tried to make changes against a union, let alone half a dozen unions, you'll know why that's not possible. They can make almost no headway against unions as powerful as the Screen Actor's Guild, and they cannot hire A List actors without using SAG workers. In fact, maybe the best approach to killing the problems with Hollywood (not the industry itself), is to create a platform for studios to hire non-union film professionals, to source music fully owned by the original artist, which comes with boiler plate licensing and employment agreements that are designed for the digital world, with proper 21st century royalties, etc, and that provides a turnkey distribution platform that can put your movie on nearly any country's most popular movie viewing website on the same day.
jonhendry 15y ago
Louis CK's video is pretty much the simplest possible case. A guy telling his own jokes is very simple, legally. But that kind of production only takes you so far. It tells us nothing about the feasibility of using the same model for a film noir, or a special effects blockbuster with recognizable stars.

by tux1968 15y ago

earbitscom 15y ago

Louis CK only barely innovated on what many artists already do. The reason he was successful and they are usually not is because he already has millions of fans and has friends on television talk shows who brought him on to promote the product. He also painted a picture that this was the new way to distribute content, which "pandered" (not meant to imply something negative) to the community who wants to prove that there is a way to make money by doing things differently. I personally paid for the product as a result, and still have yet to get around to watching it. Many thousands of great bands are on Bandcamp with name your own price music for sale that is super easy to download, and most make next to nothing on the service. It was mostly the marketing that Louis CK did well that made him successful, and he has resources that 99% of people don't have. To address the point of distributors changing the laws that shackle them, if you've ever tried to make changes against a union, let alone half a dozen unions, you'll know why that's not possible. They can make almost no headway against unions as powerful as the Screen Actor's Guild, and they cannot hire A List actors without using SAG workers. In fact, maybe the best approach to killing the problems with Hollywood (not the industry itself), is to create a platform for studios to hire non-union film professionals, to source music fully owned by the original artist, which comes with boiler plate licensing and employment agreements that are designed for the digital world, with proper 21st century royalties, etc, and that provides a turnkey distribution platform that can put your movie on nearly any country's most popular movie viewing website on the same day.

jonhendry 15y ago

Louis CK's video is pretty much the simplest possible case. A guy telling his own jokes is very simple, legally. But that kind of production only takes you so far. It tells us nothing about the feasibility of using the same model for a film noir, or a special effects blockbuster with recognizable stars.