I am blogging about Spreadable Media's chapter 6, Courting Supporters For Independent Media by Henry Jenkins. On the first page it has a quote by Nina Paley that says, “Conventional wisdom urges me to demand payment for every use of the film but then how would people without money get to see it? How widely would the film be disseminated if it were limited by permission and fees?” I begin to wonder what I would do if I had made a cd or written a book. How would I distribute and promote my product? Some may strongly believe that you should charge for your products so you can make a source of income. I believe that it is case dependent. Many times, artists have to pay their dues and work their way up. Often times you may have to not charge so more people will be more inclined to try your new product that has no credibility.

     Although there is not just “one” model to follow, many artists now-a-days have to find different ways to stand out and be different from the millions of albums that are circulating through culture. One example of being unique is the band Radiohead

      In 2007 they released a new album digitally that was free to download. This gave their fans the option to donate money and pay what they felt the cd was worth. This shows extreme trust in their fan base yet also exemplifies that they are not amateurs any more. They have a large enough fan base that allows them to try different ways of promoting and distributing. As technology is advancing, you have to get past what is amateur. The book says, “The greatest advantage, rests in the genres who have strong fans.”

     One other practical example is the Final Four Big Dance Concert Series that presented concerts from Friday, April 5^th to Sunday evening, April 7^th. Artists from Zac Brown Band, Ludacris and Sting were all present at Centennial Park to host free concerts.

     Now thinking about valuable research, I think that when products are allowed to be free, research can be done to see which cultures and locations are tapping into their products. This a good way to launch an artist out of the amateur stage because by offering a free product, they can see exactly where they are wanted and could potentially flourish. Also, not only can they reach targeted audiences but also more diverse audiences as well.

     I never knew, but comics are also in the mix for being digitally distributed. Their goal of being independent distributors is to reach audiences that can be potential customers. Not only can comics be distributed but also music, movies, books and television.

       Amazon and Netflix are perfect examples that show evidence that the public has access to more diverse media than ever before. In 2008, the average record store had about 15,000 albums while Amazon had over 250,000 albums available. Amazon also had over 80,000 DVD titles while Blockbuster had 1,500. With Amazon allowing this much diversity to be available it allows the public to have the chance to a faster set up speed and a better cost rate. People will not have to pay to have their product “produced” and wait for Wal-Mart and Target to put it on the rack.

       Curated material is also interesting. Take Google and Apple for example. Google allows a diversity of apps to be published on their app store while Apple constrains and selects only what they think is acceptable. Many may think the “gatekeeping” that Apple does is not acceptable. Many people like to sift through and make their own opinion instead of being fed someone else’s idea of “acceptable.