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Dr. Horrible Gives People A Reason To Buy The DVD
from the such-a-concept dept
One of the issues we regularly discuss around here when it comes to business models is the fact that anyone producing content needs to give consumers a real reason to actually buy something scarce. If it's just the same thing they can get elsewhere for free, there's not much incentive. It looks like Joss Whedon has taken at least some of that to heart. Earlier this year, Whedon got a lot of attention for the release of Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, an online three-part video musical. While it seemed like some of the attention paid to it was overblown (oh my! TV people can make videos on the internet just like regular people!), that shouldn't take away from the fact that the video, itself was really, really good.
From the beginning, the plan was always to then sell a DVD of the video, but some questioned if that would make sense, since the video was available for free online. Originally, the announced plan had been to only show the video online for free for a few short weeks, and then make people pay to see it -- but it looks like Whedon changed his mind on that one, as the video has stayed available. However, as Tom writes in to point out, it looks like Whedon and the others involved in the production have realized how to give people a reason to buy the DVD: by providing a ton of useful extras that even those who watched the original obsessively will find worthwhile to pay for. It includes behind the scenes stuff, and apparently a commentary track that is as amusing as the original video itself (and, apparently, includes new musical numbers). It's good to see folks realizing that to get people to buy stuff it helps to add value, not try to diminish it.
