Louis CK Rakes in Over $1 Million from DRM-Free Comedy Special
Louis CK Rakes in Over $1 Million from DRM-Free Comedy Special
Posted 12/22/2011 at 4:00pm
| by Ryan Whitwam
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As a little update this this season’s feel-good Internet story, comedian Louis CK announced recently that his comedy special “Live at the Beacon Theater” crossed $1 million in revenue in just 12 days. Louis CK opted to sell the video for just $5 online, and included no DRM of any kind. For treating them like grown-ups, the Internet has collectively risen up to give him its money, but he's not keeping all of it.
When users buy the special, they are able to download upto three copies of an un-protected MP4 video at 720p resolution. There is also an HTML5 video stream that can be watched a few times. As for what CK is doing with the money, he explained that $250k is going to expenses, $250K will also go to bonuses for the crew that helped him make the video, and the next $280k is going to several charities. That leaves Louis CK with $220,000 for himself, which he says is plenty.
This may have started as a grand experiment, but its overwhelming success could convince more beloved Internet personalities to do something similar. Louis CK also pointed out in his statement that the video is still on sale, and if he makers more money, more of it will go to charity.
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win7fanboi
December 25, 2011 at 10:39pm
hope the trend picks up and most of the useless parasites die off. internet is a great equalizer. most of the comic talent is discovered when performing in comedy clubs, this is not a secret but for some knowledge is elusive.
Wingzero_x
December 26, 2011 at 2:07pm
Same could be said about local bands as well. Also the more we support them on the local level gives them better chances to find good representation when they go big time.
Wingzero_x
December 25, 2011 at 2:52am
Okay good for him, but one question.
Do any of you know who these comedians, musicians and actors are before they sign with these "greedy" promotors, corporations and middlemen are?
Neither do I.
jonnyohio
December 23, 2011 at 10:53am
I bought it and it was a great standup. I hope he does another one in the future. Heck I hope more comedians do the same thing...sure beats paying for and trying to find the time to go see them in a theater.
chipmunkofdoom2
December 23, 2011 at 7:47am
Good for him, but seriously, this isn't a landslide victory for anti-DRM.
He was able to do this because he did all this independently. He didn't have a studio with a bunch of money hungry execs, an overzealous marketing dept., etc, to pay once his product got out there. He had a very limited amount of expenses to cover, meaning he could charge less and there would still be a lot left over for him.
Now, while this isn't a clean cut win for no DRM, it still speaks volumes. This guy charged $5 for his movie and made a cool $220k profit after being VERY generous. What about Activision/Infinity Ward with MW3? They sold MILLIONS and MILLIONS of copies at $60 a piece the first WEEK. Even if there are tons of devs, marketing people and executives to pay, that's a TON of money. It leaves you to wonder.. if Louis CK gave away 3/4 of his earnings and still walked away with a quarter of a million for himself.. how much are those money hungry pigs walking away with at the major game studios? Food for thought.
Believe me, I'm no fan of DRM, but the reason this guy made so much is not necessarily because his product was DRM free. I would like to think it helped, but there are other forces at work.
M3g4d37h
December 23, 2011 at 10:44am
"Believe me" usually prefaces a hefty dose of fecal matter. This action worked because of the power of the interwebs -- CK is the type of comic who can sell out anywhere, because he has a fan base that follows him and supports him. This is the power of the internet, and podcasting.
While what this means to DRM may not be clear this close to the event, what is clear is that artists are fairly fed up with middlemen who do nothing but steal profits (just the latest example here: http://www.tmz.com/2011/12/22/my-sharona-bruce-gary-the-knack-lawsuit-capitol-records-itunes/#.TvS8EfJkidk ) and distribute owners' rightful roalties like Scrooge distributed Christmas bonuses to Mr. Cratchett.
In this day of being such a small and connected world, it's the model that's broken, because it enriches people who have nothing (and much less than in past history) to do with the actual creative process, and these theives will cling to their model until their cold dead fingers are pried off it.
When you're a theif, you receive contempt. This is not news, and it's time to cull this lecherous group from the equation. Good for Louie.
Wingzero_x
December 24, 2011 at 9:51am
"CK is the type of comic who can sell out anywhere, because he has a fan base that follows him and supports him." And how did he get that fan base? Hmm could it have been that some where along the line in the past he was discovered by one of those "greedy" promoters that got him gigs, produced CDs among other tasks that ultimately made him rich, and gave him a fan base.
As far as your linked article; Seriously those "greedy" promoters that actually gets the person a payday in the first place are the same as a gold digging relative of an 80's has been? You do realize that a lot of these musicians, and comedians would be nowhere if they didn't have these "greedy" middlemen.
wolf17
December 23, 2011 at 4:00am
I just went and bought it, pretty funny but I just wish it would have been longer. I'll buy whatever his second edition is :D
JBaz
December 23, 2011 at 1:06am
cheaper than a would be dvd of his special and instant access? yes please. Plus I think he's funny as hell.
Wingzero_x
December 23, 2011 at 12:38am
Would you review a CPU and just say it sucks cause it don't have 8 cores like the AMD processor? No, and why because you have controls in place. You have a baseline of what should be expected.
The logic is trying to compare DRM vs no DRM in this situation is absolutly pointless and baseless. As we know start-up musicians and comedians do this all the time, of course they're not bringing in a million dollars however since their goal is to sign with somebody for a million dollars. That doesn't compare to this person that already has already signed with somebody and made a few million dollars because of which. Given that fact and that it's self produced his involvement in it is minimal. I mean just look you're giving him free advertising.
Seriously let's see him sign somebody for the performance, along with the production crew, and several pre/post production staff. Let's see him invest as much as a Hollywood studio invests in a production and see if he's all 'willy-nilly' to put it out there freely!
Really the only thing wrong with DRM is that too many companies use it in the wrong manner. Especially in the light of todays digital life style, instead of media being tied to devices it needs to be tied to accounts, and allow the user download, stream or use as they want, on whatever device they want.
ashinms
December 23, 2011 at 5:21am
holy shit dude, troll much? You've posted an aggressive response to every comment on this article, all trying to make the same point: you defend DRM. we get it already.
Wingzero_x
December 24, 2011 at 10:01am
No I defend a business having the right to make a return on their investment. But in this case I'm just pointing out that this situation really has no merit in the case of DRM vs no DRM.
I would like to see how the sales figures would have looked like if he would have the non-DRM version, a version with DRM (perhaps sold on iTunes, Amazon, etc), and even a link to a torrent on one of the P2P networks.
win7fanboi
December 23, 2011 at 8:56am
yea he is a single digit IQ guy who is not afraid to flaunt it. Every DRM that is thought up has and will continue to be cracked. every MAFIA act will urge people to pirate more. if they MPAA and RIAA continue their heavy handed approach I wouldn't be surprised if people start paying money to organization who oppose them. I know I will.
Wingzero_x
December 24, 2011 at 1:35am
Just because the talking points were beyond your comprehension doesn't by any means, mean I am stupid. Quite to the contrary.
Matter of fact I heard your brain was used in those "This is your brain on drugs" PSAs, as a stunt brain because they didn't want to harm an egg!
Seriously you're so dumb you once filled out a survey and got an "F"!
You don't brainstorm, you braindrizzle!
You once sassed your Mother and she told you "Don't get smart!" and you didn't!
You look into the mirror to see if your eyes are open!
You were going to go on vacation, but while driving to the airport you seen a sign that said airport left. So you turned around and went back home.
When they were passing out brains you said "I'll have two sunny side up, with a side of toast and bacon."
win7fanboi
December 25, 2011 at 10:27pm
seems like i hit a nerve, maybe you are one of those "middlemen" without any marketable skills and/or out of a job 'cause of bit torrent. heck judging from you per-pubescent attempts at insults you probably are a pre-teen with zits all over your face. why didn't we seen you on this thread numb nuts ? http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/riaa_our_torrenting_ip_addresses_were_used_third-party funny when holier than thou losers are proven to be thieves and thugs themselves, huh?
Wingzero_x
December 25, 2011 at 11:20pm
Not in the least bit, simpletons like you are easy enough to ignore, if I so choose. As far as me being a pre-teen with zits all over my face. Sorry I'm not one of your sick fantasies pervert. Seriously how sick is it that you want to suck my nuts till they are numb?!
As far as that thread, because it really has nothing to do with this at all! Fact is even with DRM this could have been released at $5 and would still have the same success. This makes no case of DRM vs no DRM at all.
Oh, and IP addresses are not that hard to fake!
win7fanboi
December 26, 2011 at 11:16am
again i will ignore your sickness induced word vomit (maybe resulting from mommy/daddy issues) and argue the facts.
Other than hallucinating about how things would have turned out if he had released his dvd with DRM what else can your crystal ball(meth) predict?
I have no doubt there would have been sharing involved since it was DRM free, except when decent people get see something worthy of their hard earned $, they are usually good about rewarding the talent so they can keep him in business. this has been going on for a while, lot of the indie gaming studios let you get the game for what you think is fair. people have enough free entertainment (games, videos on hulu, social media, etc) to last multiple life times. if you are ready to spend 5$ you can get fairly new games like batman arkum asylum which provide many hours of entertainment. except greedy movie studios want you to pay for the movie when you watch it in theaters, when you want to watch the same movie on your dvd player, then when they release a blu-ray version, and if you don't have time to watch it at home or you want to watch it on your ultrabook that doesn't have a optical drive they don't want you to copy the movie.
please wait while i play the violin when the MPAA complaints about piracy.
Btw, the hypocrisy award goes to RIAA for oh so easily dismissing the IP address match as, how did you put it :" Oh, and IP addresses are not that hard to fake! ". Except that is all the proof they have when they go on a wild goose chase to hunt down those 'pirates'.
Engelsstaub
December 23, 2011 at 1:51pm
I recall a comment of yours, in the recent past, where you said America needs more moderates.
Not sure how you define moderate, but IMO you always seem to come down on polar sides of everything. Why do you need to insult his IQ? He's trying to engage commenters in a civil discussion about the pros and cons of DRM and, per usual, you've nothing but insults to show for your "moderate" positions. I hate DRM probably as much as you do, but I can still hear another point of view without calling someone stupid for a differing opinion. Don't just get mad...think about it and then respond if you must. I know you're not really an unreasonable person. You can be thoughtful and intelligent.
@ashinms: everyone is a troll here if they dare to share unpopular opinions or alternative viewpoints.
win7fanboi
December 25, 2011 at 10:20pm
when one person goes around replying and regurgitating same bs opinion about how he loves DRM, he will be called a troll and he will be insulted because he is bringing down the quality of the discussion. yes we already know how he feels 15 fucking posts ago.
"unpopular belief" need to be heard but in a democracy won't result to anything. i know you have been in his shoes when you tried to call out a blogger on this site as anti-apple (or something like that, can't remember exactly) and people were pretty brutal about letting you know that this is MaximumPC. You feel the need to speak up for him, good for you.
Gezzer
December 22, 2011 at 9:25pm
Yeah. I say a YYYEEEAAAHHHHH!!
Gots to like it when we the people get to prove those greedy SOBs wrong.
Also pretty classy of CK to say "I've got what I need so the rest goes to charity". Bet you never hear of Sony or BMG saying that. No their all worried about protecting their revenue stream for the next 10 years.
Suck it MPAA and RIAA.
Wingzero_x
December 23, 2011 at 1:08am
Seriously?! Let's just say he has $20k tied up in this self produced project. How does that compare to the $100million Sony invests in movie production? Hell the artist that designs the movie poster probably makes $20K!
Fact is all this shows is profits, because really he never had any controls in line to show loses. In business your loses are a very important factor, perhaps even more important than your profits. If this would have been a lose for him it wouldn't matter as all he had invested in it was his money and time. When Sony can't show a maximum profit on an investment it can get quite ugly. And mind you it has to quite a bit more than that $100 million.
Gezzer
December 23, 2011 at 11:43am
Who says Sony (which was just a random publishing company I pulled out my @ss) invests $100 million in every project? Plus if you had gone to his site like the rest of us you would of read how the ticket prices covered the production costs so there wouldn't of been any loses if this experiment hadn't worked.
And that was what it was an experiment to see what would happen if he offered a DRM free video at a reasonable price. That's what I'm pleased about because it proved that it wasn't the DRM that was protecting profits but the high cost and draconian DRM that was creating the piracy problem that they all moan about.
For example I would love to use Netflick's streaming service to get all my entertainment. But I live in Canada and the two big cable companies are using our regulatory body the CRTC to block them from carrying most of the current releases. That's the problem in a nutshell. Make pirating such a PITA and give a good value option and the problem will be reduce by a massive factor. Keep going "It's mine, all mine, and you'll pay me threw the nose for it." and the piracy problem will only get worse.
In the long run I'm happy that the user community has proven what I've always believed. People don't pirate because the don't want to pay. They pirate because it's the best option they have.
Wingzero_x
December 25, 2011 at 3:41am
The problem with Netflix is they don't want to pay the studios for the content. If you were selling something on ebay do you take the lowest bid? So really that has more to do with boardroom politics than DRM.
See Netflix like a lot of corporations see what they have is good enough and they stick to it. All the while other competitors come along and see how they can improve upon the model. As soon as Redbox(es) started showing up, Netflix should have countered with machines of their own. With cable companies starting to offer more and more pay per view channels they should have countered by perhaps having their own pay per view channel on those cable networks. Perhaps maybe even purchasing some smaller markets. They should have seriously considered picking up Best Buy.
But I agree sometimes DRM does make it hard for users not to pirate, and in some case they aren't though they could be seen as.
Some examples you buy a game on disc, and as we've all seen sometimes the drive damages the disk. So you have an unique activation code, so why can't you just download the image, or go to Origin, Steam, Impulse, etc and activate the game there?
I lose or damage my Windows install disk why can't I download the image from Microsoft. I mean what I'm licensing in on the media correct? So why doesit matter if its on Physical media?
Whenever I purchase digital media, I'm always signed into an account, that has one of my credit cards attached. So why is the media restricted to only certain devices? Why can't I stream movies from iTunes on my Mac to my PS3? Why is it wrong to allow me to access my PSN account from my PC and download movies purchased there to watch whenever and wherever I please on what ever device I have?
Why can't I loan out my ebooks and audiobooks to my friends? Or even pass them on when I'm done? If the DRM ties them to my devices and account, would't it be easy to allow users to lend or pass on books to other. It would be very easy to put a lend option where you would put to who, and the time and during that lending period the book would be unavailable to you.
Why can't I gift the games to friends I don't play anymore on Steam?
I understand their point of restricting the number of physical copies you can make, and the number of devices, and I understand cracking down on the P2P networks.
firefox91
December 22, 2011 at 7:49pm
This is a complete win situation for everyone involved. And those not involved like the MPAA and RIAA are not getting a dime. Neither all the middle men that are needlessly used to promote and sell this kind of stuff.
Carlidan
December 23, 2011 at 3:45pm
How are you going to promote your product without a middleman? If you hire a promoter, isn't that a middleman? If you hire an assisstant, it's that person a middle man? You seem to think the artist/creator just does everything himself. Maybe he does.
Side not: MPAA and RIAA are orginazation that work with the movie and music industry. So I don't you can get rid of them as long as you have both of those industry. What you can change is the model of how they are running their business.
Carlidan
December 23, 2011 at 3:59pm
There are alot of talented millionaires and there as some untalented millionaries. :)
Wingzero_x
December 23, 2011 at 11:51pm
Yes you are correct, but I was referring to ones like Shaq, and Paris Hilton who one day just decides to record an album.
But I'm glad some got my point, these so called greedy middle men are probably just as important to the industry the artist. After all where would our music be with out great promoters like Sid Bernstein, John Peel, and Johnny Z to name a few?
Budman_NC
December 22, 2011 at 5:45pm
Thank goodness, someone finally gets it right Now, was that so damn hard? Merry Christmas all you geeks out there.
devastator_2000
December 22, 2011 at 4:51pm
Fair price + Trust in the consumer = Good things for everyone.
nbrowser
December 23, 2011 at 5:35am
Could not agree more, sometimes it takes a maverick to do something once in a while, glad those type of guys are still around with us.
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