The self-distribution business is not expensive to start or maintain. In fact, the major cost for is the making of the movie or album. The on-going cost is time and effort. The actual money spent to launch DIY is comparatively minor. A basic website and e-commerce package costs less than five hundred dollars per year. Blogs, forums, groups and social networking accounts are either free or have minimal annual fees. It is even possible to bypass the cost of manufacturing DVDs and CDs by using digital downloading or “on-demand” manufacturing programs such as those offered by my company, Neoflix. We even offer an “Angel” program for filmmakers where if they prefer to have replicated retail-ready DVDs, we help them pre-sell orders to offset the cost of manufacturing.
The point is there isn’t a high financial barrier to start DIY distribution. There is, however, a philosophical one. It’s the “business” side of the movie business that many filmmakers dislike. Some artists disdain the idea of selling and managing business transactions. Many filmmakers we’ve spoken with, you get a sense that they do not place too much energy or time to think about the business side. I have spoken with many potential clients who would prefer to sign with a distributor. Nevertheless, we’re seeing an attitude shift largely due to the inability of the traditional distribution model to service the ever-increasing number of independents. Only about a quarter of Neoflix clients have some distribution deal with companies like Baker & Taylor, Genius, Bull Frog, etc. However, they also negotiated to keep the online distribution rights so they may sell copies from their own website. The remaining two-third of our clients who are not on a distributor’s catalog–either because they could not find an interested distributor or because the deal they offered was unattractive—are trying to market and sell the film by their own effort.
Like any business, a successful DIY distribution requires perseverance and continuous effort to build a customer base and keep them loyal over time. We have plenty of clients who are realistic about the self-distribution process, and I am glad for them. With the many challenges ahead, do-it-yourselfers only shoot themselves in the foot if they start-out with unrealistic expectations. It’s crucial they don’t unnecessarily deflate themselves when progress does not come as fast as they hoped. DIY is a marathon, not a sprint. There will be stretches when you’re going strong, and there are stretches when you want to stop. As long as clients view this as a long-term commitment, they won’t want to quit just because of disappointing short-term results.
DIY is still in its infancy. There is no one agreed-upon process that defines a DIY effort. The vendor base, available services, and technology are all in various stages of maturity. This just mean that DIY-fers need to get a bit more creative and expend a more energy to find solutions. Through this column, I hope to shed light on the process by sharing information about what our clients are doing to build their businesses, as well as offer tips and insights on different approaches and services available in the market.
-JC
