DRM-Free Content Earns Comedian Louis CK Over US$1 Million
After 12 days of putting his new comedy special from the Beacon Theater online with no DRM, American comedian Louis CK announces that the experiment has earned him over US$1 million.
(Source: louisck.net)
Stop the presses! It turns out that people actually want to pay for content as opposed to pirating it for free. Louis CK has announced that his little experiment with online distribution has been an unprecedented success.
The figures and PayPal screenshot released show that the American comedian has earned over US$1 million, in about 12 days from releasing his performance at the Beacon Theater as a digital download. Since he undertook the endeavor himself, he was able to offer the content for just US$5. In addition, he decided to keep the content free of any DRM in hopes that the low price would deter piracy.
The performance became available as a torrent almost instantly after it was released, but Louis CK's bank balance shows that it was not a major hit to his earnings. Perhaps larger content providers and corporations should take notice. Louis CK has shown that putting a human face on content and ensuring that the material is as cheap and easy to access as possible can combat piracy much better than DRM.
Source: Louis CK via Tech Dirt and Engadget
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