Independent Video ("That") For Sale on the iTunes Store

[CHROMEDOME]

You can buy Forum Snowboards new video "THAT", 411 skateboard video magazine and some other snowboarding videos on iTunes now. This is a smart move for most action sports companies because almost every skate video is on Google Video right now and if they can sell it for 2 bucks instead of 25 at some shop then its better for them.

[pdpfilms]

Originally Posted by CHROMEDOME

You can buy Forum Snowboards new video "THAT", 411 skateboard video magazine and some other snowboarding videos on iTunes now. This is a smart move for most action sports companies because almost every skate video is on Google Video right now and if they can sell it for 2 bucks instead of 25 at some shop then its better for them.

Any of the 411 distributed ski flicks?

[MacRumors]

Variety reports on a new entity on the iTunes Store. Apple started selling "That" (iTunes Link) a 39 minute snowboarding direct-to-DVD action video by Forum Snowboards. According to the article this "is the first time iTunes has sold video content that didn't come from an established network, studio or distributor."

After 10 months of negotiations, Forum Snowboards accepted the $1.99 lower price point of the iTunes TV section, where the video is found.

"People are not buying DVDs the way they used to, and it's becoming increasingly easy to get (illegal) versions of our content online, so we're thrilled to be able to pioneer an agreement like this with iTunes," said Mike Nusenow, general manager of the Program, Forum's parent company.

While this only represents a single indie video, it opens up the doors for Apple to distribute other independent authors through iTunes. Also interesting (though speculative) is with Apple's new trademark agreement with Apple Corps, it could also open up the possibility for Apple to distribute independent music -- bypassing traditional record labels altogether.

[monke]

Finally. This could spark many other independent films in the iTunes Store.

This is just the beginning.

[Cult Follower]

Originally Posted by monke

Finally. This could spark many other independent films in the iTunes Store.

This is just the beginning.

I agree with you entirely, eventually more and more independent films and other studios will be adding their content. Movies will follow the same trend as TV shows.

[CommodityFetish]

By all means, bypass the labels!!! It's about time. This would be by far the biggest thing since... downloaded music? nay, dare I say, recorded music itself (!) If they didn't get this out of their deal with apple corps, I will be very dissappointed.

[thejadedmonkey]

Maybe, if Apple gets it their way, it won't matter if the RIAA insists on DRM, because no one will buy their stuff!

I wish. but if I read the article correct, and it's only $1.99, I'm buying it. just so show support!

[FelixGV]

That's great! Because they're not getting ripped off by a label, and because extreme sports videos are nice. I wish the iTS will also start selling skateboard videos. The price is very attractive as well.

The only thing that s*cks is that it's not availible on the canadian store. Anybody knows an easy way, for a canadian, to get an american credit card so I could have an american iTS account??

Anyway, after Apple is done destroying the greedy labels, I hope they will stop their country-divisions monkey business. If there are any good sides to globalization, one of them would be sharing stuff from all over the world with everyone... let us get a piece of that!

[Danksi]

Originally Posted by thejadedmonkey

I wish. but if I read the article correct, and it's only $1.99, I'm buying it. just so show support!

... the lower price point may just be the ticket to success. As the article suggests, why go to the hassle of downloading the DVD or Movie content, when you can now easily get hold of it for a couple of $'s.

[EngBrian]

More videos to choose from is always good. Of course living in Canada means we have no videos to choose from at all...but I digress

[MattyMac]

Just downlaoded...I snowboard so its a given!

Sick video too and greeaaaaatt price!

[NicP]

I cant seem to find this in the Aus store, disappointing because I would have bought it

[ClimbingTheLog]

Originally Posted by thejadedmonkey

Maybe, if Apple gets it their way, it won't matter if the RIAA insists on DRM, because no one will buy their stuff!

Is this one DRM-free? My guess would be no. I'd love to be wrong.

Originally Posted by thejadedmonkey

I wish. but if I read the article correct, and it's only $1.99, I'm buying it. just so show support!

for DRM? No thanks.

[CHROMEDOME]

Originally Posted by ClimbingTheLog

Is this one DRM-free? My guess would be no. I'd love to be wrong.



for DRM? No thanks.

You gotta realize that the whole reason Forum put this video on itunes is becuase no one buys the DVD's anymore, they are taking a HUGE hit in the prices because I can go to the shop right now and drop 25 bucks on this DVD. These videos are very very popular but they don't have any of the muscle of the major studios so its a lot harder to put pressure on google to take the videos off youtube or googlevideo.

[phytonix]

exactly.
Independent with DRM? No thanks.
Hello emusic!

[Eric5h5]

Originally Posted by FelixGV

Anyway, after Apple is done destroying the greedy labels, I hope they will stop their country-divisions monkey business.

That has little to do with Apple. It would be much easier for them just to have one unified store that sold everything everywhere, and no doubt they would do that if they could. You could try telling your country to stop the monkey business of not being the U.S. , and having different laws and restrictions and trade agreements and stuff....

--Eric

[mrkramer]

Originally Posted by ClimbingTheLog

Is this one DRM-free? My guess would be no. I'd love to be wrong.

I hope that it is but I don't think that it will be since they want the experience to be the same for everything on the store, so I doubt that we will see DRM free music or videos even from independent labels until Apple can make everything DRM free.

[marioman38]

I'll buy this just to support them... Glad its $1.99... There'd be disapointing sales for a $9.99 40min direct to dvd sports video...

[DaveTheGrey]

Does anyone already know Tunecore?

The big 4 will go down. I can feel it.

Dave

[BobbyDigital]

Originally Posted by Dave187

Does anyone already know Tunecore?

The big 4 will go down. I can feel it.

My band put our stuff on iTunes through Tunecore. Its a great service and i think we get 70 cents per download, which is really not bad at all. We almost made more money on iTunes than with selling physical CDs. The overhead for packaging and such is alot of money for a band to front without a label, so services like this are very helpful to independent artists. I recently quit to pursue film scoring and the band broke up, but you can check it out here:

Heirs on iTunes

or our old myspace: http://www.myspace.com/heirs

/shameless promo

[Uragon]

Originally Posted by thejadedmonkey

Maybe, if Apple gets it their way, it won't matter if the RIAA insists on DRM, because no one will buy their stuff!

I wish. but if I read the article correct, and it's only $1.99, I'm buying it. just so show support!

I'm with you here....

[surferfromuk]

Well you've got to assume Steve understands the movie business as well as the music business since he managed to become the largest shareholder of Disney and the largest online retailer of music...

(I still await the day I log on to see Apple have bought EMI - it's surely inevitable)

[jiggigibbie]

From the tunecore faq.

Can I also get videos into any of the stores/services?

Unfortunately, the stores/services TuneCore has partnered with are still sorting out their systems to accept the delivery of indie films/videos. iTunes in particular is sorting out the delivery mechanism for independent video/film and will be able to offer the service as soon as they are ready to go.

Rest assured, the moment it becomes possible, TuneCore will be there to help our clients distribute video. Stay tuned!

Sounds cool.

[sushi]

Personally a skier, but DL'ed the video. Nice!

[bluebomberman]

Originally Posted by Macrumors

Also interesting (though speculative) is with Apple's new trademark agreement with Apple Corps, it could also open up the possibility for Apple to distribute independent music -- bypassing traditional record labels altogether.

Hold on there. Apple should definitely not become an independent music label. Bad, bad, idea. They're a tech company. They shouldn't strive to become as bloated and schizophrenic as Sony.

As for indie music on iTunes, well, that's been going on for a long time.