More than three years ago, I butted heads with many content providers over my first "Content Blowout" and had message boards blazing with drama for weeks on end. They thought I was crazy for pricing content packages so low, and that I was ruining the content biz – but after all of the battles and accusations, a simple truth was revealed. I had changed the content biz and created an opportunity for content providers to make larger sales and for webmasters to buy bulk content package deals at a great price.
Over the past two years, my content licensing business has transformed based on the changes in the marketplace regarding user and surfer demand for fresh, professionally produced video; that, of course, and the advent of increased worldwide broadband usage.
Now I'm catering to a different type of client. My focus is selling 2006 and 2005 DVD titles that have never been available on the web from well-known studios at what some webmasters consider higher prices.
But that's the thing!
It's funny that somehow these webmasters are convinced that this unsaturated, high-quality studio-produced DVD content should be priced at $99-$149. This isn't older content that has been sold over the years featured on hundreds of websites. This content has never been available on the web before. Some titles cost the studios $30,000-$50,000 to produce or more.
It's cool that some companies can sell older DVD content for that cheap. I absolutely know there's value in that (and filler content too, of course). Not everyone wants high-end DVDs (or can afford to spend top dollar), but the fact that certain webmasters are conditioned to think that the value of a DVD – any DVD – is $99-$149.
I know that I'm pretty fortunate to have long-term clients who see a higher value in content I'm providing. As I've said many times before, exclusive agreements with the studios we feature is our way of differentiating our DVD-licensing company from other content providers and giving webmasters an edge in the marketplace.
Jonathan Silverstein owns and operates www.thecontentstore.com as well as www.contentblowout.com.
