Comedian Louis C.K. makes $1 million from self-distributed show
By Alexis • Dec 23rd, 2011 • Category: Industry News
- Photo: DonkeyHotey / Flickr
Comedian Louis C.K. has reported that the self-distribution experiment for his latest comedy special has been a rousing success, grossing $1 million in just 12 days of availability. The special – Live at the Beacon Theatre – went on sale to customers for just $5 – allowing them two full streams and mp4 downloads without any copy restrictions circumvented distributing through traditional retail platforms like iTunes, or distributing through TV networks like HBO, and it has been a huge success.
Lots of money
Announcing the progress on his website, C.K. writes: ‘So it’s been about 12 days since the thing started and yesterday we hit the crazy number. One million dollars. That’s a lot of money. Really too much money. I’ve never had a million dollars all of a sudden.’ He continues, saying: ‘I want to set an example of what you can do if you all of a sudden have a million dollars that people just gave to you directly because you told jokes.’
What to do with all that cash
Comedian Louis C.K. plans to distribute the money amongst various sources, keeping just a fraction of it for himself. $250 000 (about £160k) will cover production costs, $250 000 (£160k) will be paid to his staff in bonuses, $280 000 (about £180k) will be given to charities, while the remaining $220 000 (£140k) he will keep for himself. He has also committed to distributing more cash
Why this is important
More so than any change in modern day retail, the rise of the internet has fundamentally altered how people are able to distribute products to end users – both digital and physical. With this experiment, C.K. has managed to completely circumvent digital middlemen like iTunes and Amazon, as well as broadcasting middlemen like the television networks who would air the special and later package it on DVD. His fans have benefitted from DRM-free video, while Comedian Louis C.K. grosses more than he would have if a network financed this.
The symbolism of this experiment – much like that of Radiohead’s In Rainbows Experiment – is important, and it points to a future where performers can survive – and thrive – without media houses controlling them.
Tags for this article: itunes, amazon
