Vimeo's new distribution service. . .

[Chase M. Wrenn]

The problem with iTunes is that it costs so darn much to get on that system. Thousands of dollars per half-hour episode. And they tell you that they don't even want anything less than an hour! And we have six episodes!

It's crazy.

Stephen

That's not entirely accurate, and if that's been your experience, it's unfortunate. My company provides services that allow filmmakers and rights holders to get onto platforms like iTunes, Amazon, GooglePlay, etc. for relatively cheap. If you or anyone else is interested in getting your content on iTunes, shoot me a pm. I'd post a link to our site, but I don't want to "illegally advertise" on the site, so to speak.

But the fact of the matter is that we try to provide a service to independent content producers who wish to take that path.

 

[Chase M. Wrenn]

Netflix to know you exist and want your film. They generally buy out rights at a flat rate. A good distributor can demand more for their films so I hear it pays to sign on to someone to negotiate with Netflix.

From someone who works for a digital distributor, I can second that Gavin is absolutely right.

 

[Chase M. Wrenn]

What is needed is an iTunes sort of service with high-quality video that allows indies to set their own prices on their content and provides for decent piracy protections.

Why hasn't that been invented yet?

Or has it?

I have such trouble playing Vimeo videos that I can't believe that is the answer.

Stephen

There are definitely a few services in development, we'll just have to wait and see how it all turns out. Or if any existing services take on the characteristics you mention...have you looked into VHX? Not exactly a platform, but....

The issue is that people have made iTunes incredibly popular. Why? Because it is the defacto player on the majority of mobile devices. iPad. iPhone. iPod. The store is built in. The player is built in. Until the next generation of tech, or some other supplier can reach this level of market penetration, you'll be hard pressed to have the kind of services you're looking for.

Netflix is an entirely different revenue model, and these two basically consume the market share of content viewers, the people who want to purchase and download, or the people that want a subscription based library.

Amazon combines both models, but somewhat lacks the market penetration. Hulu provides ad-based and subscription based revenue, and are only alive because they offer next day air of current television to subscribers, filling in a bit of a gap between iTunes and Netflix there. These different services cover the majority of the needs from users, and that's why they're on top.

I'm actually most interested to see if Intel's new service covers all these areas, some, or none, and are only interested in web based TV? I guess we'll see...

 

[Stephen Pruitt]

PM sent Mr. Wrenn.

Stephen

 

[Chase M. Wrenn]

PM response sent!

Actually, if anybody else has questions regarding self-distribution to platforms like iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, etc., let me know and I will try to answer as best I can! Our goal is to educate filmmakers and rights holders on their options, and with more platforms and services launching what seems like every day, we can help to guide you through the process to lead to the best business decisions for you and your films...even if that means not going with us!