A conversation most of us are familiar with now is how the internet and constant connectivity via cell phones, public or municipal wi-fi, facebook, twitter, blogs, etc. have changed the way we get our information, and upped the ante on parties and elected officials in efforts to engage voters. In Taking on the System, Dailykos founder Markos Moulitsas writes about the circumvention of traditional “gatekeepers” of news and information going on, and the populist infusion this brings to political dialog and campaigns.
Equally as interesting is a similar shift happening in another aspect of our lives: the entertainment industry. Or the distribution of entertainment media, to be more exact.
The most intriguing efforts I have been watching lately is a project founded by musician Peter Gabriel (Sledge…Hammer! Yeah, that guy) called The Filter. The original intent of the project was to create an iTunes based distribution and musical taste matching service to help world musicians, normally cut off from the distribution power of larger labels and promotion groups, to get their music heard. To use the service, you begin by rating bands, albums, and songs with a thumbs up or down rating. As The Filter “learns” your musical tastes (and also film and online preferences), it begins recommending content for you, usually the product of a band you’ve never heard of and arguably never would have, which you can then purchase via iTunes. The end goal being 1) getting new bands or those without access to a large recording industry due to geographic location, and 2) bypassing another type of “gatekeeper” — in this case a gatekeeper of entertainment rather than information.
A lot of argument exists for this type of distribution being little more than a fad which will fade with time. Others are pointing to the moderate success of some more well known bands like Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails in offering online only, or even “no charge” downloading of their music. They are cutting out the middle man, and now even promoting their own tours with the increased “listener to artist direct” revenue without record contracts or large distribution costs.
And it’s not just the music industry undergoing such experiments. This week, I was forwarded a press release (posted below) from an organization attempting a similar project with movie production and distribution called WebMovieNow.com. A project of indie filmmaker Evan Crooke and Nelson Madison Films, the goals of WebMovieNow are similar to Gabriel’s “Filter”: give up-and-coming, or underfunded filmmakers an audience for their productions using a “pay-per-view” or download-to-own digital distribution method. This, combined with increasing access to “studio quality” software and film production materials for home PC users (a topic that came up often at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, even), definitely spells change.
The big question for me is not whether or not this is the future of how we get our entertainment — it’s proven already to be the future of how we get our news and information — but how long before it becomes a standard, and how much of a fight will the “gatekeepers” put up. If we’re inching closer to the day a filmmaker or musician can create something, throw it on a web page, and the audience pays them directly to get the product, are record giants and and huge production studios going the way of the newspaper? And with growing popularity of services like Hulu.com and other “on demand” network websites, is TV next?
The WebMovieNow.com Press Release:
WebMovieNow.Com And Nelson Madison Films Form Strategic Alliance
Newly Launched Online Movie Rental Destination To Offer
Nelson Madison Films 40-Title Catalog
For Immediate Release:
Los Angeles (March 27,2009) – WebMovieNow.com (www.webmovienow.com), an Osiris Entertainment company, has formed an alliance with Nelson Madison Films that makes the studio’s catalog of more than 40 titles available for the newly-launched online movie rental destination. In addition to bringing its own titles to WebMovieNow.com, Nelson Madison Films distribution arm Indie Rights will also serve as an aggregator of film releases from other independent distributors for the movie rental Website.
Indie Rights titles to be showcased on WebMovieNow.com will include the critically acclaimed and award-winning social documentary Skid Row, featuring Grammy award-winning artist Pras Michel who slept on the streets of Los Angeles for nine days to help raise awareness of the country’s growing homeless crisis. The film played the festival circuit, where it was featured at the Pan African Film and Art Festival in Los Angeles and was screened in Denver during the Democratic National Convention courtesy of Harkins Theaters.
“We are confident that exposure of the film through WebMovieNow.com will help bring the film and it’s subject matter the attention it deserves,” said Linda Nelson, CEO of Indie Rights.
Formed in 2003 by film producer Linda Nelson and producer-director Michael Madison, Nelson Madison Films is a producer and distributor of theatrical motion pictures for the global marketplace. Among the company’s productions is the large format film, NSYNC Bigger Than Live, documenting the pop music mega group, NSYNC, which made its premiere in Los Angeles and screened at more than fifty IMAX and giant screen theaters worldwide. The company’s next film project is the action adventure Delivered.
“Linda Nelson and Michael Madison are talented film professionals who have built an industry-wide reputation as an innovate and savvy company. I am delighted to join with this outstanding creative team for the quality titles they bring to WebMovieNow.com, as well as for the extensive relationships they have within the independent film community as we work together to build our Website’s offerings,” said Evan Crooke, CEO of WebMovieNow.com.
“WebMovieNow.com has emerged as an exciting online movie rental destination offering consumers diversity, quality and convenience. We look forward to bringing our catalog of films to this unique service, and to introducing WebMovieNow to independent film distributors as a new outlet for their product,” said Linda Nelson.
WebMovieNow.com/Nelson Madison Films
About Osiris Entertainment
Based in Woodland Hills, California, Osiris Entertainment encompasses three distinct divisions, including Paragon Pictures Inc., dedicated to the production, co-production, and acquisition of quality filmed entertainment; WebMovieNow, which is an online digital film platform for the company; and WebMusicNow, which is an online music destination for the company.
The company was created in 2008 by noted filmmaker, Evan Crooke, who established the company to serve the independent film and music community.
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The Internet scares the crap out of anyone who has built their business around distributing any kind of intangible data product. Now producers of content no longer need to ink deals with distributors (newspapers, record labels, movie studios, cable TV operators, etc.) in order to get their content to readers or viewers. Even when they do, the traditional gatekeepers aren’t the ones in that market; it’s now dominated by WordPress, YouTube, Flickr, and dozens of other “me too” sites. The old guard can’t figure out if they want to embrace or fight the new wave. RIAA lawyers already demonstrated the hubris of trying to fight, but giving up fat profit margins is a bitter pill to swallow.
Now that you don’t need to impress a studio exec or newspaper editor to publish your content, everyone is a content producer and no middleman is being paid for it. Anyone who has made their business in restricting the flow of information via playing gatekeeper is looking at unemployment within the next decade.
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It’s like the whole time the entertainment industry thought they were selling music and movies, but all they were really selling was ACCESS to being able movies or or music at home.
Now that home distribution is free some people are going to lose their jobs since the internet makes them useless.
It’s been Weimar Berlin for too long in Hollywood and now there will be a reckoning, is how I see it.