I\u2019m a big Louis CK fan and a supporter of his\u00a0embracing technology\u00a0to go direct to consumer (he previously made over $1 million in sales in just 12 days with a DRM-free download of his special).<\/p>\n
So it was interesting to get more insight into what Louis is doing in a\u00a0recent NY Times interview. The whole thing is worth a read, but this question about direct selling tickets to his fans stood out [emphasis mine]:<\/p>\n
Q. You\u2019ve spent the last several months on a tour where you sold tickets only through your Web site. How did that go?<\/p>\n
A.\u00a0Boy, did that work. It was so satisfying to get that done. The special, I didn\u2019t need to do anything. I just made it and offered it. But the tickets were really tricky.\u00a0The big ticket companies make exclusive arrangements with these rooms. They pay them just to not work with others.\u00a0<\/strong>So if a company gives you 30 grand a year to stay away from anybody else, you need it. We didn\u2019t attack their territory. We just went to places that they didn\u2019t care about.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
It\u2019s interesting to hear directly from an artist a tactic the large ticket companies are using to try and maintain their legacy monopoly on something as simple as ticket sales. Really, the middlemen shouldn\u2019t exist anymore in this market. With the current technology\u00a0easily\u00a0<\/em>available, it\u2019s ripe for disruption (also, please find me someone who loves paying arbitrary \u201cservice fees\u201d for tickets to an event).<\/p>\n
Naturally the ticketing companies\u00a0are infuriated\u00a0by this, which is of course of how disruption works.\u00a0So it\u2019s sad, but not surprising to hear in Louis\u2019 comment that the large ticketing companies (still) \u00a0pay venues for exclusivity in order to extract as much money as possible from fans.<\/p>\n
But it\u2019s great to see artists realizing they can take their own path here and free themselves from working with those they dislike while making things better for their fans. Hopefully we see more high quality artists like Louis embracing this. It sets a great\u00a0precedent\u00a0for the future and actually will, long term, benefit artists of all sizes.<\/p>\n
Digital is removing power from legacy gatekeepers of the physical world who previously supported a limited number of artists. And it\u2019s understandable. It was (and still is) easier for entertainment companies to manage, market and build up less artists with more generic appeal. But a future that\u2019s emerging is one where the market will be able to choose, and niches of all\u00a0varieties\u00a0will be able to thrive. Sure, we\u2019ll still have \u201chits\u201d but I think the point is there will be a meatier middle as well. And that\u2019s a good thing, as far too long our mass entertainment market has only supported the few (when in reality\u00a0many<\/em>\u00a0are talented).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I\u2019m a big Louis CK fan and a supporter of his\u00a0embracing technology\u00a0to go direct to consumer (he previously made over … <\/p>\n