Profitability of Online Distribution?

[Nightfall]

Lemur,

Considering I paid almost 8 dollars for a movie that I could have gotten free over the net, you tell me which is the bigger rip.

 

[Bacris]

I definitely think the trend of paying for online content is becoming more accepted. Consider the "Community Supporter" accounts, not just here at ENWorld, but at other sites, where you get "perks" for putting in a monthly or yearly fee?

Sites like iTunes, Vongo, hell, even Yahoo! Music, are becoming more common because it's becoming more accepted. Society is pretty slow to come around to these concepts and, although the regulars on sites such as this have been here for years, consider even ten years ago and just how common cellular / mobile phones were compared to today. Sure, they have new gadgets and gizmos and sleeker looks, but the technology for reliable mobile phone coverage was there - what was lacking was consumer buy-in.

Online products are moving up in the same fashion. The D20 publishing bubble might have burst due to the inundation of publishers finally reaching critical mass, but the medium of online distribution for RPG content is definitely becoming more viable as people become more accepting of paying for and receiving content via the Internet.

And yes, digital content is far, far easier to work with, update, and distribute than printed material.

 

[Nightfall]

Jeremy,

You better not be saying that you want to work for WotC now...Or I'll hurt you!

 

[Bacris]

LOL, um, no. Although I wouldn't turn down freelance work for them if the opportunity arose, I don't think I'd want to work on RPGs full-time, it'd interfere with my true passion of computer systems It would take a crowbar and a sledgehammer or a VERY hefty pay increase to get me to leave my current job

 

[Nightfall]

Jeremy,

Freelancing is fine. I just don't want you to be a corporate shill man. *Not saying that the freelancers ARE just saying the management people are...something not nice.*

Go for it and I promise to keep buying Dreamscarred.

 

[Frostmarrow]

*thinks it's just the New Coke attitude of WotC management*

Anyone care to explain the constant coke-references when it comes to WoTC?

 

[Nightfall]

Frosty,

Joel of the "new" Ravenloft fan site can explain it better than I can. But basically the guy in charge of WotC is the SAME guy that ran Coke Cola when they did "New Coke."

 

[Jürgen Hubert]

Pyramid seems to do well enough with its business model. No doubt WotC could do even better - they have a larger target audience, after all...

 

[Nightfall]

Jurgen,

You'd think that...but I assure you, history says otherwise.

 

[Frostmarrow]

Frosty,

Joel of the "new" Ravenloft fan site can explain it better than I can. But basically the guy in charge of WotC is the SAME guy that ran Coke Cola when they did "New Coke."

Thanks!

So, this means WoTC will re-release Dungeon and Dragon after the EI fails, if history is to repeat itself.