Normally we wouldn’t cover the release of a new comedy special. Netflix, for example, posts new specials almost weekly now, but Louis C.K. is a bit of a favourite around here, and not just because he’s incredibly funny. It’s because he gets how to distribute content online.
The comedian now has a new comedy special — Live at the Comedy Store — up on his website for just $US5. The web release sees Louis C.K. continue with his theory that if you make content cheap and readily available to the masses, it will sell itself.
After his visit to Australia a few years ago, the comedian found that piracy was rife Down Under because of poor content availability.
After his initial $5 experiment, Louis CK released more shows at his “drastically low price”, including Live at the Beacon, Live at Carnegie Hall and The Crowd Work Tour featuring several other comedians. Purchasers are free to share the DRM-less files.
It was a beautiful experiment in pricing and availability as the cure for piracy, and now he’s finally figured out why the so-called worst nation for piracy in the world resorts to downloading content illegally.
Speaking on the Opie and Anthony Show on US satellite radio network Sirius XM a while ago, Louis CK recalled spending some time in Australia. Despite the fact that hs hit show Louie doesn’t air here, Aussies were still telling him how much they loved it.
They were admitting to the show’s star and creator that they were pirating his material.
That led CK to the conclusion that everyone in Australia pirates content because there’s no other way to get it here.
The whole country pirates there. [In the US] weirdos pirate things, but in Australia, moms and dads pirate video, because we’re not letting them buy it. We’re keeping it from them,” he said.
“Everybody in the world is like ‘take my fucking credit card’ and just let me have the thing, and I’ll pay. But if you’re going to be a pain in the ass, fuck you! I can steal all of it!”
“So the whole country rips TV,” he added.
Now you don’t have to rip Louis’ latest special: you can just buy it for cheap on his website. [Via Verge]