The idea of the Dr. Horrible DVD makes me so happy I could almost pee. Joss got all Web 3.0 with this project by trying to prove that he could succeed where other artists lifted their skirts and got sodomized by internet pirates (yarrrgh!) and politely ask people not to pirate his work. I haven’t yet found any numbers on how much money he’s made by selling the series on iTunes, but since the Army of Nerdiness hasn’t rebelled yet I’d assume they’re all forking over their $6 for it.
All of this is stuff anyone who’s seen Dr. Horrible already knows, or could find a better explanation of from the creator on the site. What’s interesting now is that in developing the DVD, he’s gone old school.
We do the weird stuff.
The ELE is taking submissions, with acceptance amounting to inclusion in the DVD. A freaking contest! User generated content! Part of the Dr. Horrible premise was to do it cheap, and they are. Ok, I’m being cynical, and I ought not to be. I just saw [title of show] yesterday, and it’s apparent that the world has probably never been more ready to for more meta-musical. I’ve been burned by so-called DVD extras that were total crap, so I may be a little protective of a concept that had its strength in being so precise.
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First, I have to point out that it’s very hard to write at the moment because the people across the street have a motion-activated cackling witch. There is comic irony in how motion sensors are probably primarily used in home security systems, and this one will be the most likely cause of considerable property damage. By me.
Earlier, I was thinking out loud about Joss Weidon’s Dr. Horrible. It continues to tickle all of my marketing ticklie bits because, well, they’re selling something that’s free. Can a product be so good that you can sell it to people who can get it for nothing with equal ease and quality? Apparently!
Today, Radiohead released its numbers for its “pay what you want” experiment, In Rainbows. With many caveats- they’re a huge band, Radiohead’s listeners are likely more conscious of the debate around recording labels, buying the album was a way to take part in the experiment, etc. – it worked. They made more on the album during it’s online-only period (where one could download it for free OR one could pay), than they have earned to date for all sales their previous album, Hail to the Thief. And there were more BitTorrent downloads than purchases. The business model is facinating, but I’m not yet an expert on business models. It’s just a rare, remarkable thing that someone created a product that was so good, people actually wanted it.
While I ponder upon this a little more, you can read all the details on Mashable.