A couple of weeks back, we talked about Louis CK’s Live at the Beacon Theater online experiment. Basically Louis CK produced a full stand-up show in New York City and then offered it to the masses as a DRM-free download on his site for the nominal price of $5. Let’s go back a second, A DRM-FREE DOWNLOAD FOR JUST 5 BUCKS!
This wasn’t some YouTube quality, shortened version of the rather pricey live show; Louis CK delivered for his fans with a high quality, HBO special length show to download for a mere fraction of the cost. It was a big gamble that CK took – putting out a product that cost thousands of dollars to produce and then distribute independently without tying it down with DRM. The hope being that by offering it at a reasonable price, people would not just buy it but refuse to pirate the special.
He was right! (Internet you made me proud.)
Not only has Louis CK: Live at the Beacon Theater been a tremendous success, it has proved that most people do not want to pirate goods if the product is 1. reasonably priced, 2. easily available, 3. good. With all the hot air being spewed as Congress debates SOPA and PROTECTIP/PIPA; CK has countered the RIAA/MPAA’s long held argument that the internet makes it easy to pirate content and ultimately hurt sales. As of December 21st, Louis CK has netted over $1 Million just $5 at a time and without any strings attached.
If you haven’t already done so, you should really download special. It’s the usual brilliant stand-up you can expect from Louis CK but bigger than that it’s a big “Fuck You” to the RIAA and MPAA.
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