Why Podcasting? Apple TV and digital self-distribution.

January 20, 2008 | 2 Comments posted | Filed under AppleTV, Distribution, Everett Rogers, MacWorld Expo 2008

Aspiring filmmakers take note. If you are not intimately familiar with the various digital distribution channels such as YouTube, RSS feeds, WordPress blogs, Social Networking sites and Podcasting, you need to become so quickly, and discover how to bend them to your will.

The independent digital-distribution landscape is quickly evolving from a hobbyist community of techno-geeks into a viable suit-and-tie business platform. This has happened in less than the 3-years of existence of the internet media know as the Podcast. Quite a speedy transition, even when compared to the the rapid rise of the VCR, which took 10 years to reach a “critical mass.”

Everett Rogers, communications scholar and coiner of the phrase “early adapter”, defined VCR critical mass in a 1988 article. The point needed to create rapid adoption of the machine was reached when “the infrastructure of video stores, tape rentals and blank tapes was in place, and … a certain number of satisfied users were talking to one another.”

All the above criteria and more have been met in one-third the time in the arena of podcasting. The critical mass moment has arguably passed for self-published digital distribution. Here are just a few quick points to consider:

The iTunes Music store will feature your content right beside offerings from major film and television studios. The playing field could not be more level.
The public is downloading well over 100,000,000 shows per month.
This instant, worldwide distribution is available to anyone with some motivation, at little to no cost.

Almost all this content is free to the viewing public, but this does not mean that authors and content creators are doing all this out of the kindness of their hearts. There is serious money to be made here.

Current monetization models involve sponsorship, insert advertising or product placement, and new models are being experimented with every day. While most content creators attempting monetization are making little more than beer money, some serious independent producers are earning a living with their content.

The percentage of producers who have quit their day job is minuscule, but growing. I will talk more about financial models developing in this space in a future article, but my point is that now is the time for content developers like you to dive in and start experimenting.

One of the barriers to entry with podcast consumption has been the level of complexity in obtaining the content. Although relatively simple to computer-savvy consumers, the multi-step process could be compared to the early days of programming a video tape recorder.

In the ’70s, and well through the ’90s, it was commonplace to see a flashing 12:00AM on the front of most VCRs. Few viewers took the time to learn how to set the clock, much less programme the device to record a season of Three’s Company.

Fast-forward to 1999 when Tivo made time-shifting television a no-brainier. But wide-spread adoption of the DVR was still a half-decade away. Tivo’s first profitable quarter wasn’t until mid 2005.

In 2008 we are on the verge of a similar and accelerated version of the same. Although iTunes could be a bit friendlier when it comes to searching for shows, it is still the best (and worst) thing to have ever happen to podcasting. The proliferation of portable media devices has also helped. Filmmakers should be aware that all current iPod models can now play video. But the biggest boost may have come from Apple last week at the Macworld Expo in San Francisco.

Apple TV, their semi-successful set-top box, was revamped with some important new consumer friendly features:

Movie rentals (SD and HD)
Lower price
No computer required

That last point is the key for widespread adoption. The previous version required syncing with a computer running iTunes. It worked, but was strictly for the early-adopter crowd. Now that AppleTV is a self-contained, easy to use, media machine, this is a space to watch closely.

But haven’t pay-per-view movies, digital downloads and podcasts been available before, in lots of other devices? Sure, but not in as comprehensive of a package. Not with the user interface, marketing power and aura of tech sheen that Apple brings to the table. It will be an interesting study to watch how Steve Jobs and company sell this hardware and consumer experience to the public when it officially ships a few weeks from now.

Our mission here at Filmmaker One is not only to help you through your movie making journey, but also help you understand what to do with it once it’s in the proverbial can.

Filmmakers - attention must be paid. This is part of your future.

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