Dan Buckley is talking to CBR about Marvel’s Digital Comics Unlimited program, and what it means for the rest of Marvel’s internet presence:
One of the benefits of this launch is that it provides many of our fans with the opportunity to “legally” read our comics. We sincerely hope that this service offering will curb these “illegal” downloading activities. The music industry’s reactions to the illegal downloading did help us with us the formation of our business strategy, but it was not the driving factor behind our business model… We will be reviewing and evaluating “illegal” downloading activities on a case by case basis.
Also interesting: A hint that original material, along the lines of Zuda, isn’t an impossibility in the future… Go read.
November 21st, 2007 at 12:08 pm
“We will be reviewing and evaluating “illegal” downloading activities on a case by case basis.”
Translation: “We will begin dragging your illegal downloading asses into court, ala the music industry.”
November 21st, 2007 at 12:24 pm
If they offer the stuff legally and for a fair price (re: same as newstand) and in a timely fashion (which may be the problem with this particular plan), they should start enforcement. I know way too many people nowadays who are torrenting all their comics, not paying a dime. In an industry as small as this one, that’s not good at all.
November 21st, 2007 at 12:37 pm
“The music industry’s reactions to the illegal downloading did help us with us the formation of our business strategy…”
And the music industry has never been healthier!!!
November 21st, 2007 at 1:53 pm
Yo Ho, Yo Ho…
November 22nd, 2007 at 12:35 am
Fortunately for us, the comics industry is run largely by creators who feel indebted to the readers. “Corporate” and “indie” creators are less polarized in comics, too. I think the comics industry is in better shape to survive with it’s current model mostly intact than music.
I haven’t checked out the new legit online offerings yet (I love my LCS), but it would be cool to have lists from current pros of their favorite back issues. If/when we get access to all of the back catalog of each publisher, I’d like to be able to read Jeph Loeb’s favorite Superman story.
November 22nd, 2007 at 1:07 pm
I suppose it would be nice if you actually downloaded the comics, but from what I know, you don’t; you’re just paying a subscription to be able to access them on the Marvel site.
November 22nd, 2007 at 10:24 pm
Why are the words legally and illegal in quotes? Is it not really illegal or something? Weird.
November 23rd, 2007 at 11:02 am
a fair price (re: same as newstand)
HA HA HA HA oh wait you were serious.
November 23rd, 2007 at 2:24 pm
“HA HA HA HA oh wait you were serious.”
Exactly. You can download an album on iTunes and pay pretty much the same as you would for getting an actual copy. Without the costs of producing and distributing a product, you are essentially getting charged MORE for getting music online. Same thing would go for comics.
Or the even worse deal which is to pay money every month without getting ANYTHING in return, a la Marvel’s new system. What happens when DC, Image, and all the rest get into the game. Will you have to pay directly to each to access their content? Will you be paying out ten bucks to every company just to read their back catalogs?
A terrible system if you ask me, only seeming like a good idea in lack of a better one at the moment. But in the meantime, why not just threaten and bully the downloaders out there who’ve already created a better model based purely on reader demand? *rolls eyes*
November 23rd, 2007 at 11:28 pm
I download illegal* comics. I move way too often to be able to haul floppies with me. I like having them on my laptop or reader. I can pull up whatever I want and read it wherever I want. Besides, It’s how I got into comics in the first place. Ran across an Wolverine comic online and figured I had nothing to lose.
I spend between $100 and $200 a year on trades. No, I know that’s not a huge amount compared to some of the guys who buy a dozen books a week, but it is money that I would be spending on other entertainment otherwise. And it’s money Marvel just lost. If I can’t keep up with current releases and new stuff, I’m not buying the trades. And no, 6 month lag + whenever we decide to update + limited titles does not count. Their service also does not allow downloading.
So, marvel is already down 200 a year + someone who has actively gotten friends hooked on comics. And my story is far from unique.
* They are not illegal. At worst it is copywrite infringement, not a criminal act. Civil court. Why was the “legal” in quotes too? No idea. Maybe their terms of service don’t actually give you permission to look at the content.
November 24th, 2007 at 8:16 am
“Or the even worse deal which is to pay money every month without getting ANYTHING in return, a la Marvel’s new system”
I completely disagree with this statement. You are getting something in return. You’re getting the enjoyment of reading those comics that you read in that month. That’s exactly the same system that Cable TV uses.
Think of it this way. I’ve probably never read any of my comics more than a few times. Even the ones I’ve had since I was a kid and love, I’ve probably only read them more than, say, 4 times each.
$10 buys me 3 comics. Or one trade paperback if I get a really good deal. So that TPB comes to 6 issues, and lets say over the next 20 years I read it as much as any comic I’ve ever read. That’s 24 issues worth of reading. Yes, I’ve got a physical copy of it, but being on the shelf doesn’t do anyone any good, so the 24 issues of reading are all the use of the product that I actually ever get.
That same $10 can now buy me a month on Marvel.com. In that month I can read *way* more than 24 issues. So I can easily get more issues read for that $10 than I ever would have read for $10 of physical comics.
Now it may be that you like the feel of paper in your hands and you don’t like reading off a computer screen. That’s completely fair. But to say that you aren’t getting ANYTHING in return for the monthly fee is just inaccurate.
November 24th, 2007 at 3:09 pm
Haha. Semantics can be fun right? You’re doing double-time defending this thing, Code Guy. Do you own Marvel stock or something?
You have no physical ownership from this deal, which is pretty lame. From cable you can pull copies of your entertainment through VCRs or DVRs, or if you really need to watch it a few times you can download it. Or the sites that really get it allow you to rewatch t he content for free on their sites.
While some may think it is a good deal. Some like to keep comics to refer to and have the artwork of certain artists to enjoy over and over again. It’s great to own a copy of a comic to be able to pull a few years from now if you want to revisit a writer’s story or an artist’s work. It’s also nice to have enough control of what you’ve purchased to read it anywhere you want. To some that means having a hardcopy to read at a bus stop. To other it may mean having a digital file on a portable device that doe NOT require an internet connection. It’s nice to have those choices.
It’s also nice to have those stories to pass onto a friend or to share with young relatives. I’ve seen my kids pack around comics for weeks and it warms my heart. THAT is money well-spent.
And again, you get access to Marvel’s books here, but when other publishers show up online, how valid and feasible will this inconvenient system be? Guess we’ll all see that together as it happens. And best of luck to the publishers who have enough sense to work toward the new audience, instead of treating them like the enemy.
November 24th, 2007 at 6:38 pm
It’s not semantics.
If you don’t like the cable analogy, there are plenty of others. When you pay $10 to see a movie, do you walk out with a copy of the movie? And if you pay for a ticket an amusement park and ride the rides, you don’t get to take the rides home with you. You’re not getting a physical thing in return when you buy a ticket to a concert and listen to the music. There are tons of things that we pay for but don’t get to keep.
And you know what? I’m not going to drop the cable analogy. You say you can record stuff off cable? Well, you can’t do that just by paying for cable, you also have to buy a VCR and some tapes, or a DVR that you get charaged extra for. And I’m willing to bet any amount of money that you don’t record and save most of the shows you watch for as long as you keep your comics. Same thing with the online comics. You can pay $5 a month, read 20 comics, and pick out the 5 that you want to go to the store and buy while deciding that the other 15 aren’t worth ever reading again. Plenty of people buy comics that they never read again along with the ones they read multiple times. This way they can still do both and it will cost them less money.
And why exactly are people acting like signing up means they can’t buy comics anymore? If you read three comics a month that you wouldn’t have read more than once, you come out ahead. Buy every other comic at the store, nobody is stopping you. You guys are acting like none of you ever went to a movie theatre after you found out that movies eventually come out on DVD.
I’m not saying that there’s no value in owning the actual comic. I’m just saying that it’s a gigantic exaggeration to say that people aren’t getting anything in return for their money.
November 25th, 2007 at 7:57 am
I think we just have fundamentally skewed views at this business model, Jason.
I’m making the comparison based on the already existing comic downloading community as well as part from the trials and errors of the more visable and widely discussed music filesharing efforts, both the fan and company created models.
And the service being offered now by Marvel is from the unexpected angle of entertainment “service” (like a MMORPG or social site like DeviantART, Webkinz, etc.) instead of the direct exchange of content and files which puts it mostly in its own little world at the moment. Some may speculate that this model will catch on, but I would say that based on the already existing downloading model and the dubious efforts of other subscription services that mirror this one (like aforementioned newspaper periodicals) there is a far better chance that Marvel will only see success on this awkward approach until the eventual better service comes along.
The successful model was already created by comic filesharers. It would have seemed a more obvious step of trying to make THAT system work FOR THEM rather creating their own clumsy, claustrophobic model and then launching a “war” on the other camp as seen with the recent threats on the Z-cult community.
November 25th, 2007 at 7:59 am
Treating your fanbase like the enemy instead of finding out how best to meet their demand is just bad business.