Social Majors

Digital services firm Trivone buys Godat Media

2013-11-22T16:32:00.001-08:00

"The acquisition will enable us provide a full service offering in the digital space, ranging from content, design, application development, social media management to associated services, including inbound and outbound marketing," Trivone said in a statement here.

With a global client footprint across 20 countries, the Bangalore-based Godot provides digital content solutions, including development and distribution to help businesses build a strong online presence and engage their customers.

"We have long felt the need to complement our content offerings with associated services such as design technology and social media. As a technology-enabled content services platform, Godot strategically fits into our offerings," Trivone promoter L. Subramanyan said in the statement.

Godot, which pioneered the 'content as a service' concept in the US to serve its customers with its marketing solution, plans to offer additional content-based services worldwide.

"As we were looking to expand our footprint inorganically, we are excited to be a part of Trivone, which is an aggressive services organisation," Godot co-founder and chief executive Vishal Dutta said.

With capabilities to build digital media properties and offer managed services, Trivone is positioning to provide world-class content with Godot's domain expertise to customers of both entities in India and overseas.

"We believe that with our combined strengths, we will be able provide a gamut of digital content services," Subramanyan added.

As a market leader in providing content across online, mobile and social media platforms, Trivone manages seven digital media properties ranging from consumer tech, autos, movies, sports, small business, IT channel to CXO community.

Reference: http://www.newstrackindia.com/newsdetails/2013/11/22/340--Digital-services-firm-Trivone-buys-Godat-Media-.html

InComm Digital Solutions Partners with Ibotta, 125th Business-to-Business Distribution Partner

2013-11-21T16:56:00.001-08:00

InComm Digital Solutions today announced a partnership with its 125thbusiness-to-business distribution partner, Ibotta, Inc. Ibotta is a free mobile application that allows consumers to earn cash for learning about and buying products in offline stores.

InComm Digital Solutions offers partners a robust management toolset and a large portfolio of prepaid products, including closed-loop gift cards, wireless products, financial services products and content/gaming cards. Companies partnering with InComm Digital Solutions, such as Ibotta, can leverage hundreds of prepaid products to power ground-breaking programs.

From shopping rewards programs and gifting apps to survey companies and TV loyalty programs, InComm Digital Solutions works with companies in a variety of industries that creatively incorporate stored value into their programs. Additionally, InComm supports digital online malls for the world's largest retailers and delivers solutions for large banking institutions, offering point conversion programs and commerce for their consumers through web browsers and mobile wallets.

"We're excited to partner with InComm Digital Solutions to help deliver our eGift card reward program," said Bryan Leach, CEO of Ibotta. "Connecting to the InComm Digital Solutions platform was easy and gives us access to a large catalog of prepaid products. Since our product is a mobile technology, our users expect rewards to be seamlessly integrated within our app; digital gift cards allow consumers to be rewarded instantly and offer the convenience of redemption straight from a mobile device."

"Innovative technology is the cornerstone of our business, so I'm thrilled we're in a position to partner with programs like Ibotta that continually redefine the ways consumers interact with prepaid products," said David Nelsen, GM of InComm Digital Solutions. "These companies push us to continue improving our services, ensuring we maintain a robust platform and impressive catalog of brands and products."

Reference: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/incomm-digital-solutions-partners-with-ibotta-125th-business-to-business-distribution-partner-232660091.html

Gateway Newstands Expands Distribution of Free Publications and Digital Platforms

2013-11-18T16:41:00.001-08:00

Gateway Newstands, the largest operator of newsstands in North America with more than 500 stores, today announced plans to expand its distribution of free publications and digital platforms at point of sale across its Canadian network.

The rollout will be initiated through the company's new division - Gateway Direct Media.

"We are delighted to continue with the 9 year tradition previously managed outside our company with the distribution of free publications to Gateway locations," said Arlene Shepard, Vice President Press Management at Gateway Newstands. "Our current and expanding client base will continue to access our high traffic TTC and GO transit locations with expansion to the best malls and office towers in early 2014."

The expansion will also include digital signage as the new platform.

"We know that digital signage is expanding, and that advertisers are finding this media incredibly effective in marketing to consumers," said Noah Aychental, Gateway's Vice-President of Marketing and Promotions. "Our newsstands serve millions of people every day. Through Gateway Direct Media, advertisers can capitalize on this high-traffic, key priority market."

Gateway also announced Gateway Direct Media and Dovetail Media Group have established a joint venture, to represent both Canadian and U.S. projects. Carol Peddie, Former Vice President & Group Publisher of Star Media Group and Irene Patterson, Former Associate Publisher Metro (Toronto & London editions), combine for over 30 years of industry experience and will lead Dovetail Media Group. Arlene Shepard, Vice President Press Management at Gateway Newsstands, has more than 30 years experience in the publishing industry, will represent Gateway Media Direct in this joint venture.

About Gateway Newstands

Gateway Newstands is the largest operator of newsstands in North America, with more than 500 stores in transit - including subways, bus stations, train stations, other transit venues, office towers, shopping centres, hospitals, and other institutional venues. Where we are located, we pride ourselves on being a trusted and reliable partner.

Reference: http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/1261543/gateway-newstands-expands-distribution-of-free-publications-and-digital-platforms

Google Wins Dismissal of Suit Over Digital Books Project

2013-11-14T15:47:00.002-08:00

Google Inc.’s (GOOG) project to digitally copy millions of books for online searches doesn’t violate copyright law, a federal judge ruled, dismissing an eight-year-old lawsuit against the largest search-engine company.

Google Books provides a public benefit and is a fair use of copyrighted material, Judge Denny Chin in Manhattan ruled today. The project, which has scanned more than 20 million books so far, doesn’t harm authors or inventors of original works, Chin said.

“Google Books provides significant public benefits,” Chin wrote. “It advances the progress of the arts and sciences, while maintaining respectful consideration for the rights of authors and other creative individuals, and without adversely impacting the rights of copyright holders.”

Chin’s decision comes more than two years after he rejected a proposed $125 million settlement in the case filed by The Authors Guild, which represents writers. The group sued in 2005 alleging that Google, owner of the world’s most popular search engine, infringed copyrights by scanning and indexing books without writers’ permission.

Paul Aiken, the Authors Guild’s executive director, said in a statement today that the ruling is a “fundamental challenge” to copyrights and that his group plans to appeal.
Fair Use

“Google made unauthorized digital editions of nearly all of the world’s valuable copyright-protected literature and profits from displaying those works,” Aiken said. “In our view, such mass digitization and exploitation far exceeds the bounds of the fair use defense.”

If upheld on appeal, the decision may help Google retain its leadership in Internet searching, which has allowed it to become the world’s largest online advertiser. Google has more than 70 percent of the ad revenue tied to online searches in the U.S., according to researcher EMarketer Inc.

“This is a huge victory for Google, which had previously tried to resolve legal issues regardingGoogle Books by class action settlement,” Mark P. McKenna, a law professor specializing in intellectual property at the University of Notre Dame, said in an e-mail today. “This decision vindicates Google’s project entirely on fair use grounds, making unnecessary the elaborate structure the parties had proposed for compensation.”
Important Tool

Google Books digitizes books and transforms expressive text into a comprehensive word index that helps researchers and others find books, Chin, an appeals judge sitting in U.S. District Court, said in his opinion.

The project has become an important tool for libraries because it makes millions of books searchable by words and phrases, he said.

“Google Books does not supersede or supplant books because it is not a tool to be used to read books,” the judge wrote. “Instead, it adds value to the original.”

Google doesn’t sell the scans it makes of books or sell the snippets of books it displays although the company does benefit from users drawn to the site, Chin wrote. Writers also benefit because the scanning project could enhance the sales of books, he wrote.
Getting Noticed

“Google Books provides a way for authors’ works to become noticed, much like traditional in-store book displays,” according to the opinion. “Many authors have noted that online browsing in general and Google Books in particular helps readers find their work, thus increasing their audiences.”

Google, based in Mountain View, California, in October 2012 reached an agreement with five publishers to end their objections to the digital scanning. The accord allows U.S. publishers to choose whether to make their books and articles available for scanning or have them removed.

The publishers are McGraw-Hill Cos., Pearson Education Inc., Penguin Group USA Inc., John Wiley & Sons Inc. (JW/A) and Simon & Schuster Inc., which is owned by CBS Inc.

“This has been a long road, and we are absolutely delighted with today’s judgment,” Google said in an e-mailed statement. “As we have long said, Google Books is in compliance with copyright law and acts like a card catalog for the digital age, giving users the ability to find books to buy or borrow.”

While Google Books is a small part of the company’s services, today’s decision helps Google stay in the forefront of search technology, said Danny Sullivan, founding editor of SearchEngineLand.com.

“I don’t think anybody would want to go back to a card catalog system that some will remember,” Sullivan said. “Google Books allows us to search books in the same way we can search across the entire Web and who wouldn’t think that that’s a benefit for everyone?”

Reference: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-11-14/google-wins-summary-judgment-in-digital-books-copyright-case.html

Team 17 and Digital Distribution

2013-11-13T14:33:00.000-08:00

Over a decade ago, Team17 digitally distributed its first PC game. The same year also saw the launch of its first mobile game and the live beta launch of its first online-only game – in South Korea of all places.

At the time, this generated probably less than one per cent of the business’ yearly revenue. Fast forward to the current day and over 90 per cent of Team17’s games revenue for 2013 will be generated by digital distribution via mobile, PC and consoles.

Developers, like Team17, that took that early leap-of-faith into the digital space have radically changed the way they make games and run their business. Team17 has grown from being an indie developer, transforming its business into that of a digital publisher. Sales, marketing, legal, finance, operations, QA, localisation and community support are just a few additions that have been made in the last five years.

The whole process has left Team17 ahead of the curve, allowing the business to open up its expertise in digital publishing and to work with fellow indie studios that are new to the space.

The Digital Shift

Here’s just a few of the high-level changes digital distribution brings:
Who needs focus groups when we can now make our games with the community involved? In fact, we can involve them before the game is even being made.
Funding has never been so easy. It’s now possible to release an early version and monetise from the start of the project.
PR finally means what it should: ‘public relations’, not just ‘press relations’.
Who cares about day one sales? Now it’s about lifecycle management and, yes, I can see worst case for my daily sales by region.
Gold Master: what’s that? All I hear is Minimum Viable Product – I hate this term, by the way. Games are a service, no matter what platforms you release on.
Price write-downs and sale-or-return. Anyone who’s published into retail knows these are the dreaded phrases when uttered by retail buyers. Now we promote our games by country or globally for the day, weekend, week and so on, at the flick of a switch. I know only about half of the platforms can do this, but the others will catch up.
We know we’re going to get paid and in almost all cases it’s monthly. This is a biggy – I think every dev has a few horror stories. No waiting until 45 days after the quarter’s end, 60 days after the end of the month or when your third-party can actually pay you.
Increase your fanbase. On Worms alone, we’ve seen the core age range drop in the last few years due to the game being introduced to a new audience. Digital distribution simply offers more promotion opportunities than traditional retail.

A new era of distribution

A few years ago the industry talked about the sales levels of triple-A, A, B and C grade games. Today, I believe there’s triple-A (retail and digital distribution) and “everything else” (digital distribution only). If you’re in the “everything else” camp and not digitally distributing your games, you’re more than likely struggling as a business, never mind making a profit. I can’t begin to tell you just how important it is for the survival of many development and publishing firms that they get into and understand the digital space.

Digital distribution has ensured more games than ever are being made. Team17 would not have remade Alien Breed or Superfog without the existence of digital distribution, and I certainly wouldn’t have greenlit the third-party games or new IPs we’re working on.

I recently asked Sony’s Shahid Ahmad just how many of the game deals he’s done in the last few years would he have done if there was only retail. His response was telling: just one.

Competition is fierce for visibility across all digital platforms and it’s never guaranteed. Getting digital publishing right takes hard work and lots of time. It took the failure of a non-Worms game that cost a seven figure sum to make us realise we had to change how we approached everything, building our own publishing firm in the process.

The really good news is we now have many platform choices with lots of different business models. The spirit shared between the indie developers and publishers is something I’m incredibly proud to be part of.

Be it mobile, PC or console, we work to help each other and care about each other’s success, often cross-promoting in some capacity – whether through social media or in-game.

Reference: http://www.develop-online.net/opinions/team17-how-digital-distribution-turned-us-into-a-publisher-again/0185883

Digital Distribution in Gaming

2013-11-12T14:48:00.000-08:00

With the increased accessibility of high-speed internet and consequential rise of digital distribution within the last console cycle, odds are good that this an upward trend we will see continuing through the release of Sony's and Microsoft's next-gen hardware.

Analytics firm IHS projects that digital will account for up to 34 percent of games spend on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One by 2017. It sees this as a natural continuation of digital's growth through the lifespan of the PS3 and Xbox 360, shooting from 7 percent in 2008 to its current, considerable share of the market.

"it's clear that next-gen consoles will be more aggressively aligned to digital distribution and services than previous cycles," says IHS games director Piers Harding-Rolls. With the growing popularity of 'day and date' digital releases coinciding with packaged retail launches, Harding-Rolls says, "By 2017 new releases could be enjoying up to 18 percent digital sales depending on geography."

There are five key factors behind the growing adoption of digital distribution, according to the report.

Content and services: The increased availability of day-one digital releases for console games, as well as the prevalence of DLC, in-game purchases and free client software through which to deliver these, will continue to drive adoption of digital. "While digital distribution of full games will drive the transition as it has in the PC sector, experimentation with new content and service models... will help accelerate the switch to digital consumption," says the IHS report.

Pricing: "The nature of the 'closed' console platforms means that competition on pricing is inevitably less developed, but this is slowly changing," says Harding-Rolls. With digital marketplaces now beginning to price games aggressively against packaged retail, it seems natural this will be an ongoing and growing trend, leading to lower list prices for consumers.

Accessibility: "Especially relevant for high-end games, the ability to access content rapidly or even instantly would accelerate digital adoption significantly," says the report, citing in particular the PlayStation 4's ability to stream PlayStation 3 titles. "How these are built and rolled out will impact digital distribution adoption."

Discoverability: With more populous digital marketplaces, the inevitable issue of discoverability will crop up, as it has done on popular mobile platforms such as Apple's app store. On this vector, Sony and Microsoft's ability to build "effective discovery tools and recommendation engines" will deeply affect adoption rates by both customers and developers.

Monetization: While the outgoing console generation has seen DLC become a normalized fixture of games' business model, IHS foresees the adoption of mobile-styled microtransactions and hybrid retail/digital models to propel spending on next-gen consoles.

"There is no doubt that this is by far the most competitive consumer electronics climate that Sony and Microsoft have launched consoles into," concludes the IHS report. "However... the shift to digital consumption coupled with lower up-front investment in console hardware design and custom components will lay the foundation for stronger profitability for the platform holders [Sony and Microsoft] across the next generation."

Reference: http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/204427/Digital_on_track_to_comprise_34_percent_of_console_market_by_2017.php

Free Digital Distribution And 90% Royalties To Artists & Labels

2013-11-04T13:31:00.000-08:00

AMAdea Music is a UK registered company that provides an optimum solution for digital distribution of your music content.

We at AMAdea believe that we should not only work as a standard service company but help artists, labels and distributors adapt to and develop in the ever-changing music industry.

Our team consists of people who like to work in the world of music. This motivates them to give their best to make our customers happy and well taken care of.

Digital Distribution General Points:

- Free distribution, no hidden cost, no upfront cost, no annual cost
- 90% Royalties of all sales through all stores
- 97% coverage of the world, over 70 countries
- more than 500 stores
- you can manage stores where you want to go your music
- delivering to mainstream portals - iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, Emusic, Rhapsody and etc.
- delivering to all important dance portals - Beatport, Traxsource, Juno, Trackitdown and etc.

Reference: http://www.mi2n.com/press.php3?press_nb=168987

Digital Cinema Distribution Coalition’s Platform Goes Online

2013-10-30T14:45:00.001-07:00

Satellite distribution to theaters has become a reality, with the Digital Cinema Distribution Coalition (DCDC) finally launching its satellite and terrestrial digital distribution platform. The DCDC announced today that Randolph Blotky had been appointed CEO of the venture, which now serves 17,000 screens at 1,200 theatrical venues via satellite or fiber optics.

"DCDC represents the culmination of years of incredibly complex work, as well as the extraordinary contributions of so many visionary executives throughout the film and television industries. They've succeeded in creating a groundbreaking venture that, simply put, turns the digital content distribution model on its head."

Satellite distribution will significantly reduce content-delivery costs versus the current paradigm that sees feature films delivered to cinemas on USB hard drives, and DCDC said the price will continue to fall as more studios and exhibitors sign up. DCDC will provide satellite dishes and other required hardware to theaters; the primary service provider is Deluxe/EchoStar, with installation and maintenance handled by Hughes, and the platform is powered by technology from Kencast.

By the end of 2013, DCDC said, it expects to distribute a total of 31 films, with plans to expand the program to more screens in 2014. The DCDC platform will also provide promotional and pre-show material, as well as stream live events to theaters.

Founding partners in the venture are AMC Theatres, Cinemark Theatres, Regal Entertainment, Warner Bros., and Universal Pictures. Customers include The Walt Disney Company, Sony Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Paramount Pictures, Lionsgate, Southern Theatres, and National Amusements.

- See more at: http://www.studiodaily.com/2013/10/digital-cinema-distribution-coalitions-platform-goes-online/#sthash.qsi5giIM.dpuf

Reference : http://www.studiodaily.com/2013/10/digital-cinema-distribution-coalitions-platform-goes-online/#sthash.qsi5giIM.dpuf

Jeremie Varengo leave Universal Music to Create His Own Digital Distribution Venture

2013-10-18T01:55:00.001-07:00

After more than 7 years at Universal Music, working with the biggest digital music retailers and companies for delivering new content and services to consumers, Jeremie Varengo decided to quit for moving to new challenges.

Among other things, he will be focusing on his own digital music company, JTV Digital.

The “B2C” side of the service is accessible here on http://www.jtvdigital.com.

This is a digital music distribution service with very reasonable upfront fees for the indie artists and labels, a fair pay-out rate of 90% royalties and 24/7 customer support.

The aim is to offer an upper-class service compared to similar providers that exist on the market, by adding lots of features and options such as ‘Mastered for iTunes’, YouTube monetization, iTunes ringtones, etc.

Thanks to various partnerships and supported by a flexible setup, JTV Digital can also deliver digital marketing and promotion (with Dotted Music), radio plugging service, websites, publishing rights administration or music production.

Whether you are an artist, a label or a content owner, JTV Digital can build the solution you’re looking at.

Please contact:
contact(at)jtvdigital(dot)com for further details or business inquiries.

For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2013/10/prweb11237328.htm

Read more: http://www.virtual-strategy.com/2013/10/17/jeremie-varengo-quits-universal-music-and-creates-his-own-digital-distribution-company#ixzz2i3tlblvp

DC Comics and Graphic Novels Now Available of Android

2013-10-11T01:48:00.000-07:00

Comic book fans have had various ways to read their favorite titles on Android for quite a while, most notably official stores like Comixology and Dark Horse. Now they can skip the middleman (well, at least one of the middlemen) for DC Comics. The nearly 80-year-old company has finally started publishing its comics, graphic novels, and trade paperbacks directly to the Books section of the Google Play Store.

At the moment the selection of DC titles is somewhat limited, at least when compared to the tens of thousands of issues published over the years. That said, some of the biggest runs from the major superhero characters are already up, in addition to some of the bigger one-off titles like Watchmen and V For Vendetta. Graphic novels under the Vertigo label have also been published.

For those of you whose tastes skew towards Marvel, there are already a few trade paperbacks on Google Play Books, but the best option remains the Comixology app or the official Marvel Comics app. There's also the all-you-can-eat Marvel Unlimited service, but the app has been getting extremely negative reviews ever since it was released. Then again, you could always go to your local comic book shop or bookstore... if you can find one.

Reference: http://www.androidpolice.com

Kalypso Media Launches ‘Digital First’ Label - KOBALT GAMES

2013-09-27T01:48:00.001-07:00

The Kalypso Media Group has further strengthened its portfolio of digital entertainment with the creation of the new Kobalt Games label. Released under the tag line: ‘Digital. First. Quality. Gaming’ Kobalt Games will publish high quality titles for PC, XBLA, PSN, MAC and Linux at a mid-price level, with a maximum price of £24.99, €29.99, $29.99, primarily via digital distribution channels.

The first title in the Kobalt Games line-up will be ‘Blood Knights’ from the renowned developer Deck 13 Interactive, whose worldwide distribution rights were recently acquired by dtp entertainment AG. The distribution rights include all planned platforms: Windows PC, XBLA and PSN with a release scheduled for Q4 2013.

"With the founding of our new ‘Digital First’ Division, Kobalt Games, we create a clear and direct-to-consumer purchasing channel,” said Simon Hellwig, Global Managing Director of Kalypso Media.. “The Kalypso brand will continue to publish premium full-price titles such as ‘Tropico 5’ and ‘The Dark Eye – Demonicon’ which will be released simultaneously via digital distribution and boxed retail, while Kobalt will offer mid-priced, high quality titles to our audience.”

"With ‘Blood Knights’, we have our first title in the Kobalt Games line-up. We are sending a clear signal that we are committed to publishing high quality titles in the mid–price range, “added Stefan Marcinek, Global Managing Director of Kalypso Media

Reference: http://www.gamasutra.com

Valve brings beta of shared game libraries to digital distribution platform Steam

2013-09-26T01:23:00.001-07:00

Valve is adding a new feature to its digital distribution platform, Steam. The feature, calledSteam Family Sharing, will allow users to share games with those who share your computer but have their own Steam account. Essentially, if you want to share your Steam game library with someone you share a computer with, you can authorise the computer, which will allow others to play the game on the computer using their own Steam accounts, giving them their own achievements and Steam Cloud saves.

There are some catches, though. For example, both the owner of the Steam library and whoever it is being shared with can't access the library at the same time. The original owner will always have access to the library, though, whether it's on the shared computer or another one entirely. The person using the shared library will get the option to buy the game or quit if the original owner tries to access their Steam game library. The Family Sharing feature can be used on up to 10 devices per account.

As it currently stands, not all games are compatible with it. Since it’s in beta and there are still some kinks to work out, Steam Family Sharing only works with some games right now. Others games that use an additional third-party key, for example, can’t be shared. Borrowers will also be able to play DLC on the shared library. They can’t, however, buy new DLC for the shared games library. They will instead have to buy their own copy of the game and then buy the DLC.

Reference: http://tech2.in.com

Genius Brands Partners With Pacific Digital Distribution to Launch Baby Genius(R) Streaming Service

2013-09-25T13:55:00.002-07:00

SAN DIEGO, Sept. 25, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Genius Brands International, Inc. (OTCQB:GNUS), developer and marketer of entertainment products including the award-winning Baby Genius® line of music and edutainment products and characters, today announced it has formed a strategic partnership with Pacific Media Technologies' Pacific Digital Distribution (PDD) division to bring the entire catalog of Baby Genius® video, music and digital content to a global audience.

PDD, a digital video services company dedicated to the distribution of content to broadcast, cable, Internet and mobile video platforms, will connect consumers to Baby Genius® content through its proprietary Cloud Video On Demand WAVE platform. WAVE is an enabled content management system that includes an e-commerce model for online payment gateways and manages digital distribution to any end-points including all mobile and connected devices, and content models including VOD and subscription rentals.

The new Baby Genius® streaming service will be available to consumers beginning in October 2013 at a monthly subscription rate of $5.99 for immediate access to 125 Baby Genius® videos and 500 Baby Genius® songs. Additional digital content including Baby Genius® ebooks and Baby Genius® apps will be added to the service in 2014.

"The WAVE platform provides our customers with tremendous value and a compelling entertainment experience. Consumers are looking for inexpensive and hassle-free ways for their children to view educational and fun shows, and PDD's Wave platform meets that need head-on. Instead of shifting from service to service to enjoy individual titles, subscribers will be able to create custom playlists for hours of enjoyment almost anywhere," stated Genius Brands CEO and Chairman Klaus Moeller.

"We are excited to partner with Baby Genius® and assist with the VOD delivery of their brilliant catalog of children's educational products and media," said Bill Hynes, CEO of Pacific Media Technologies. "Our WAVE platform connects directly to today's Smart TVs and mobile devices using an Internet connection to deliver Blu-ray and DVD-quality video instantly. Baby Genius® customers can now choose from an enormous selection of shows, music, games and e-books while streaming from the cloud without the need of a DVD player."

"The launch of PDD's WAVE Video On Demand Cloud platform and Baby Genius® products demonstrates PDD's commitment to creating an opportunity that instantly delivers the entertainment consumers want directly to their Smart TVs and mobile devices," said Ruben Garcia, PDD Director of New Media.

About Genius Brands

Genius Brands International, Inc. is the developer and marketer of entertainment products including the award-winning Baby Genius® line of music and education-based products and characters. The Company is developing and marketing a growing line of Genius branded products that entertain and educate the whole family. Baby Genius®awards include: Mom's Choice Award, The National Parenting Center Seal of Approval, The Toy Insider Best Toddler Toys, Dr. Toy 100 Best Children's Products, NAPPA Honors Award, iParenting Excellent Product Award, Creative Child Preferred Choice Award, Latino DVD Awards, iParenting Media Award, Film Advisory Board Award of Excellence, Kids First! Quality Children's Media Endorsement, Parents Magazine 2002 "Video of the Year," and Best "Under 3" QSR Program 2004/2005 from Restaurant Magazine. Baby Genius® products are available at most major retailers and have international exposure in over 40 countries. For brand information please visit www.babygenius.com. For Company information please visit http://ir.stockpr.com/babygenius/overview.

About Pacific Digital Distribution

Pacific Digital Distribution (PDD), a division of Pacific Media Technologies, is a digital video services facility dedicated to customization, duplication, and distribution of short and long form content to broadcast, cable, Internet, and mobile video platforms. The Company excels in both analog and digital ad distribution for major Direct Response TV companies. PDD also provides world-class encoding, digital asset management, and content storage solutions. The Company's digital deliverables include: customized editing, repurposing content, archive preservation, and multi-platform international distribution. More information about the Company can be found at www.pmtmedia.tv.

Forward-looking statements

This release contains forward-looking statements made by or on behalf of Genius Brands International Inc. All statements that address operating performance that the Company expects will occur in the future, including statements relating to operating results for fiscal 2013 and beyond, revenue growth, future profitability or statements expressing general optimism about future operating results, are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on management's current views and we cannot assure that anticipated results will be achieved. These statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including, among other things, uncertainties relating to the Company's success in judging consumer preferences, financing the Company's operations, entering into strategic partnerships, engaging management, seasonal and period-to-period fluctuations in sales, failure to increase market share or sales, inability to service outstanding debt obligations, dependence on a limited number of customers, increased production costs or delays in production of new products, intense competition within the industry, inability to protect intellectual property in the international market for our products, changes in market condition and other risks and uncertainties indicated from time to time in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) available via the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and are encouraged to consider the risk factors that could affect actual results. The Company disclaims any intent to update forward-looking statements.

Reference: www.globalnewswire.com

IndieGameStand Launches Full-Service Digital Store

2013-09-25T01:12:00.000-07:00

The IndieGameStand launched a year ago as a twist on the ever-popular "pay what you want" game bundles: Every four days it offers a new indie game for whatever price you want to pay. It's one game at a time, but kind of like the weather in Winnipeg, if you don't like what's up for grabs now, just wait a few days for something else to come along. It's enjoyed considerable success, bringing in more than $215,000 for indie developers and nearly $20,000 for various charities, and proven popular enough that the IGS team decided to roll out a full-time digital storefront.

"The idea for the store really came to us after we kept hearing from developers about how easy our backend is to use. Developers can literally set up their game in minutes and get listed in our store the same day they set everything up. We certainly see this as a huge advantage since we don't waste developers' time," IndieGameStand co-founder Mike Gnade explained. "Another thing that separates our store is that it is extremely flexible. Our platform can support a game in alpha or one that just got greenlit by letting the developer easily upload Steam keys which are then automatically distributed to IndieGameStand customers."

The IndieGameStand Store won't rely on a "popularity contest" like Steam Greenlight to determine what goes up for sale, but will instead offer a quality platform and tools to all indie developers who want to take advantage of them. He also said that the IGS team wants to support indie games exclusively and hasn't even discussed the possibility of offering more mainstream games. And while the likelihood of huge, Steam-like sales is remote, the IndieGameStand Store allows individual developers to set their own sale dates, which opens up some interesting possibilities.

"Theoretically, a bunch of indie game developers could band together and launch their own Steam-style sale without our involvement," Gnade said. "Imagine a bunch of Indie Megabooth developers banding together to offer a sale during PAX. That would be really cool and organic. It's awesome that developers (once they're approved) have the freedom to use our tools however they want. We're excited about that."

The IndieGameStand Store is live now and currently offers 94 games from 72 different developers. To mark the moment, the IGS team has chosen 14 of its favorite games for inclusion in a launch sale that will run through October 1, including Escape Goat, SpaceChem, Paranautical Activity and Vox, and there's plenty of other good stuff up for grabs too. (The Adventures of Shuggy is quite solid, if you're interested in a recommendation.) If you're looking to blow a few bucks on some quality indie action, this might not be a bad place to start.

Pandora Falls 10% as Apple ITunes Radio Draws 11 Million

2013-09-24T01:18:00.001-07:00

Pandora Media Inc. (P), the biggest Web radio service, fell 10 percent after Apple Inc. (AAPL)said it attracted more than 11 million unique listeners to its new iTunes Radio service.

Pandora, with 72 million active listeners, slid to $24.26 at the close in New York. Shares of the Oakland, California-based company have more than doubled this year.

Apple is seeking to challenge Pandora and Clear Channel Communications Inc. (CCMO)’s iHeartRadio for listeners and advertisers after adding the radio feature in updated iOS operating software for its iPhones and iPads. Customers downloaded the iOS 7 software on more than 200 million devices since its Sept. 18 release and snapped up a record 9 million new iPhone models over the weekend, Apple said today in a statement.

“Whenever Apple decides to get into a business, it has proven to be a huge disrupter,” Paul Sweeney, an analyst with Bloomberg Industries, said in an interview.

Pandora is looking to vie with radio stations for a larger slice of $15 billion in local advertising and has opened sales offices in 29 U.S. cities. Earlier this month, it named digital advertising veteran Brian McAndrews as chairman and chief executive officer. Last week it priced an expanded stock offering and has raised an estimated $378.8 million to finance growth.

The company sold 15.7 million shares at $25 each in the offering led by JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Morgan Stanley. Crosslink Capital Inc., the largest shareholder, sold 5.2 million. The sale is expected to be completed on Sept. 24, Pandora said last week.

Apple, based in Cupertino, California, rose 5 percent to $490.64.

Reference: www.bloomberg.com

Navori inks digital signage distribution deal with Ingram Micro

2013-09-23T15:16:00.001-07:00

Navori Inc. recently announced a U.S. distribution alliance with technology distributor Ingram Micro Inc. As part of the new relationship, Navori will work with Ingram Micro's ProAv and Digital Signage business unit to introduce its new digital signage products for the audiovisual marketplace.

"It seemed natural to team with Ingram Micro, who is a global leader in IT distribution," Navori President and CEO Jerome Moeri said in the announcement. "It was important to design an affordable solution that was able to meet the needs of businesses throughout the U.S."

Available now, Navori QL StiX-2400 is a digital signage player the size of a USB key that the company says is as easy to install as a DVD player.

"Navori's digital signage software plays a critical role within the digital signage marketplace, and we're pleased to add them to our growing portfolio of digital signage solutions,"Kevin Prewett, senior director of Ingram Micro's Pro AV & Digital Signage business unit, said in the announcement.

Program management is performed using a Web-based interface, and the server infrastructure is located in Atlanta, in partnership with Rackspace US Inc., and the product follows the software-as-a-service model, the announcement said.

Reference: www.digitalsignagetoday.com

Pac-12 Networks sign digital distribution deal

2013-09-20T02:15:00.001-07:00

You may remember that broad distribution of thePac-12 Network is being held up by DirecTV, which has balked at assigning bandwidth to the upstart sports network. Only the Big Ten Network has managed to make a profit running its own network, and other BCS conferences – most notably the SEC – have turned to big-time partners like ESPN to ensure distribution.

Going it alone, the Pac-12 may do battle with DirecTV for a while yet. But they have added a major piece of the distribution puzzle this week, signing on with AT&T U-verse today. There was no standing on ceremony, either. The network went live on AT&T U-verse immediately, so more homes were able to tune in today’s football games.

From the official press release:

With the deal, Pac-12 Networks now is available on four of the top six distributors in the U.S., and more than 50 television providers overall. Existing partners continue to launch Pac-12 Networks in more markets around the country including Comcast in Chicago, Time Warner Cable in the Midwest, and Cox in New England and the Washington DC area, among others.

As always, football is driving the bus on this deal, but a couple of months from now, college hoops fans on the left coast will have more opportunities to see their favorite teams lace ‘em up.

One of the most interesting aspects of the U-verse deal is the plan to make the Pac-12 Network available on mobile devices such as phones, tablets and PCs. Sneak-watching sports at work just gets easier every day.

Reference: http://collegebasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/09/07/pac-12-networks-sign-digital-distribution-deal/

Nigeria’s growing digital music distribution market valued at N16.2bn

2013-09-19T01:05:00.001-07:00

The growing online platform for digital music distribution in the country is now being valued at $100 million, about N16.2 billion, according to analysts with Spinlet, with iRoking and iTunes dominating the market.

Digital distribution outfits have sprung up in the last six years, making it possible for the spread of local music online and for investors to tap into an estimated $10 billion digital market globally

“Investors in digital music distribution are seeing huge potential for profits,” says an analyst.

The internet has become an important element of modern economic infrastructure recently, fundamentally changing how people interact, how consumers shop, and how products and services are designed, developed, marketed, and delivered. The internet has also changed how businesses operate and interact with one another.

The increase in digital trade, which has had significant impact on the United States and global economies, is offering Nigerian artistes and their music to be heard in different parts of the world. Thus, bringing about increase in revenue for artistes.

In 2012 alone, according to the United States International Trade Commission, digital music contributed $4.1 billion to the US economy.

In one of the highest-profile moves so far, Universal Music Group and Samsung Electronics announced in August the creation of The Kleek, a pan-African digital music service, which features music from Universal’s international catalogue and from local artistes like the Power Boyz in Angola, DJ Vetkuk in South Africa, and W4 in Nigeria.

Mark Redgaurd, marketing manager, Spinlet, says digital music is a major paradigm shift happening globally. Music is moving from physical purchases to digital downloads and streaming, and Nigeria is definitely part of this. According to him, market for online music has been very positive.

“We see tremendous amounts of potential in Nigeria and across Africa. The market is very nascent. As such, the market value can vary with little degree of accuracy. I don’t think anyone knows its true potential. Digital distribution has certainly made an impact and will continue to do so for the long term,” he says.

Digital music distribution has continued to spread its tentacles across the continent. In December last year, South Africans were given access to the iTunes digital music store from Apple. Around the same time, one of the leading internet streaming music services, Deezer, a French company, expanded across much of Africa.

And in several countries, including Nigeria, local digital music operations like iRoking have started to attract large numbers of listeners and investors. Recently, it attracted $8 millon from Tiger Global Management.

Ayeni Adekunle, CEO, Blackhouse Media, agrees there are huge opportunities in this emerging market for music distribution.

“It is possible to make the best we can of it,” says Adekunle, if stakeholders put their best foot forward. Whether it’s Spinlet or iTunes or Iroking or Notjustok, what’s certain is that digital is the future of distribution. Look at the feat Jay Z has scored, with his MCHG deal with Samsung.”

Digital music must have affected the performance of other channels of music distribution like CDs. Michael Odiong, special project manager, Premier Records, says in the last four months CD sales have dropped by 8 percent, saying that “in the last three to four months CD sales have dropped. More people are switching to digital sales. We have more music applications coming in now, giving consumer diverse offerings online.”

To him, this new trend is forcing old record label companies like Premier Records to diversifying their platform for music sales.

“We are diversifying and working with the likes of iRoking and Spinlet for digital distribution and with Konga.com for physical sales. We are trying to make sure we maximise every available online platforms for the sale of our music. We are also working with rhapsody and iTunes,” he discloses.

Digital form of music distribution has been argued to be a good alternative to physical form as most stakeholders believe it will help curb piracy.

“If you look at what Spotify is doing, and the fact that the telcos are using RBTs and CRBTs as ways of pushing music, and with iTunes opening up to the Nigerian market, you’ll see clearly that we’re quickly moving past the Alaba era. I think the system is opening up to digital distribution. We are very optimistic and all key players are adapting to follow the trend.”

Some industry analysts say digital music platform has fuelled piracy instead of decreasing it. To them, the rapid evolution of internet technologies and the ways they are used make it easy for consumers to share music through their mobile phones or laptops.

They argue that widespread access to and use of the internet has been made easier by mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, televisions, and TV set top boxes (digital video recording devices), which makes it increasingly difficult to track how music is shared and protect intellectual property.

Adekunle argues further that piracy cannot be totally eradicated, saying “no one can eradicate piracy, really. But if we make music products available to consumers at the right time, and in the right places, piracy can be reduced to the barest minimum.”

In addition, Odiong says digital online is the biggest pirates itself and record labels may go into extinction in the near future, as “the pirates are everywhere and downloading music for N100,” adding that it is killing the market.

“Yet artistes see it as the biggest means to promote themselves. They believe they can just make a song, upload it online. The money they will make from it is not so important to them. They just want to be heard. They don’t see it, but for records label it is a big problem. Record labels are going into extinction. There is no formal structure to protect them in the country. It is a major problem. More record labels are folding up. It is only the old ones that are surviving. It is the frustration that is forcing the artistes to go online.”

European Union Pledges $5.6M to its Digital Distribution Market

2013-03-18T11:26:00.000-07:00

France’s UniversCiné, Germany’s Europe’s Finest and Austria’s flimmit.com are among 13 European VoD platforms and DCD initiatives to benefit from the EU’s MEDIA Programme.

According to the European Commission, the main objective “is to support the creation and exploitation of catalogues of European works to be distributed digitally across borders to a wider audience and/or to cinema exhibitors through advanced distribution services, integrating where necessary digital security systems in order to protect online content.”

The largest sum - $981,000 (€ 750,000) – was awarded to the French VOD platform UniversCiné, which this year plans to extend its EuroVOD network of platforms to new territories such as the UK and Italy and focus on strengthening the strategic position of the project platforms in their respective markets as well as developing ‘multi-channel’ and ‘multi-device’ distribution.

Germany’s Europe’s Finest, which received $392,000 (€300,000) funding from MEDIA, currently has the largest collection of European film classics and current arthouse films for digital cinema.

There are plans to extend its catalogue and add a second pillar of activity by making the Reelport-owned service available as a platform for other distributors so that they can offer the films in digital form to the network of cinemas.

A start was made last year by launching Operation Kino films on Europe’s Finest and - together with new partner Hollywood Classics - the plan is to launch a joint venture “finest-classics” to provide a world-wide dimension to the offer.

Meanwhile, with $262,000 (€200,000) MEDIA backing, Austria’s flimmit.com now plans to evolve from a technical start-up to a full-service film distribution and marketing company to ensure that European films also benefit from economies of scale.

Other platforms supported in this funding round included the UK’s Curzon On Demand and Distrify’s transactional VoD platform MUVIES.COM, the first European SVOD service FILMOTV, and VoD platforms specifically dedicated to documentaries such as France’s medici.tv, the Netherlands’ DocsOnline, the Doc Alliance Films portal as a partnership between Visions du Réel Nyon, DOK Leipzig, Planete Doc Review Warsaw, CPH:DOX Copenhagen, IDFF Jihlava and FIDMarseille.

Rumors of Apple New Radio Shakes the Internet Radio Market...Starting with Pandora Radio

2012-09-08T06:54:00.000-07:00

Shares of Pandora Media plummeted as much as 21% on Friday after word leaked out that Apple has been in discussions with record labels to launch a competing streaming radio service.

Apple's proposed online service, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, would have the potential to disrupt both Internet and traditional radio providers.

Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple is seeking a more flexible type of music license from the record labels than the one Pandora has. It would allow Apple to select whatever song it wants to play next and tailor selections based on albums in listeners' iTunes music libraries, according two industry executives with knowledge of Apple's plans for the service.

Such features would give Apple the ability to customize its music to individuals, which traditional radio can't do, without having to ask them what they like or restrict how often a single song can be played, as Pandora must.

Pandora's stock plunged as much as 21% in trading Friday, dipping below $10 in the morning before recovering slightly. It closed at $10.47, down 16.7%.

Apple's stock, meanwhile, marched up $4.17 Friday to close at $680.44 -- a new all-time high for the company.

A Pandora spokeswoman declined to comment, and Apple did not return calls seeking comment.

Why did Wall Street have such a dramatic reaction?

"This is Apple," said Michael Pachter, an analyst with Wedbush Securities. "If Apple wants to compete with you, then you got a problem."

For years, Apple and Pandora had a symbiotic relationship. After launching its Internet radio service on Apple's iPhone in 2008, Pandora's application skyrocketed in popularity, becoming one of the most-downloaded applications for the device.

Pandora, which had struggled to reach listeners on personal computer Web browsers, saw its audience explode, enabling the company to stem its losses by selling more advertising on its service.

Apple benefited from having one of the most well-liked entertainment services on its phones and tablets without having to spend a cent to develop the product. Now, however, Apple is negotiating deals with music labels for its planned radio streaming service.

"The big open question is: Why is Apple doing this now?" Pachter said. "The answer is that they fully intend to make a lot of money from this, and the way to do it is to sell more songs. The record labels embrace this because they see Apple can integrate iTunes downloads into the radio offerings in a much more compelling way than Pandora can."

Still, Pachter said, if Apple proceeds with launching a radio service, Pandora isn't necessarily toast.

"They have a big install base, and they’re on Android," he noted. "They’re not going to just lose all their customers overnight. I’m sure they’ll keep at least three-quarters of their customers or more, if Apple follows through. It'd be more of a setback as opposed to total devastation, but they’ll recover."

Pandora, which had a rocky time since going public last year, looked as if it may be turning the corner last quarter. Its shares jumped as much as 12% immediately after it reported that second-quarter revenue. That was up 51% from a year earlier to $101.3 million in the quarter that ended July 31.

Executives of the Oakland, Calif., company also said that third-quarter revenue probably would come in as high as $118 million -- higher than the $114 million that financial analysts had expected -- and that it would probably break even in the third quarter or even make a penny a share.

Reference: www.latimes.com

Sound Exchange Pays 204.4 Million Royalties since 2012

2012-08-27T14:51:00.001-07:00

SoundExchange announced it has distributed $204.4 million in digital royalty payments to recording artists and record labels in the first two quarters of 2012. In its second quarter, SoundExchange distributed $95.8 million, the second highest quarterly distribution in the organization's history.

SoundExchange is the non-profit performance rights organization that helps the music and creative community thrive in the digital world. The organization collects and distributes performance royalties from non-interactive digital music services on behalf of recording artists and labels for the use of their sound recordings. To date, SoundExchange has paid more than $1 billion in royalties to the creators of music.

"This quarter's distribution adds to what is shaping up to be a record breaking year for SoundExchange and reflects the continued growth of digital radio listenership and services," said Michael Huppe, president, SoundExchange. "SoundExchange is proud to be part of this growing revenue stream for the creators of music. We will continue to pursue all efforts to ensure that artist and labels are properly compensated for their critical contributions to these services."

Graphicly Switches its Business Model From Comics to Ebook Distribution

2012-04-07T04:19:00.000-07:00

This has already been a crazy year for comics news, what with Before Watchmen and a number of issues regarding how the industry treats its creators. Digital comics, however, has mostly been business as usual... until now. Graphicly, one of the top digital comics distributors, announced to ComicsAlliance that they are changing their business plan. As of this week, they're moving away from selling digital comics in the Graphicly app in order to focus on their Digital Distribution Platform, which puts comics -- and other media -- onto the iBookstore, Kindle store, Nook store, Facebook, and more. This is a big move with several different repercussions. Read more for an interview with Graphicly CEO and founder Micah Baldwin and a few quick thoughts.

Here's eight things that you need to know about the announcement:

1. Graphicly is going to stop selling digital comics and remove the Graphicly app from the iTunes and Android stores.

2. If you've purchased comics from Graphicly, you will always be able to re-download those comics, as long as you keep the Graphicly app on your device or visit the website.

3. The Graphicly apps will not be available for reinstallation.

4. Your books will not be converted to the new format.

5. What books are available on the various bookstores will be up to the publisher, not Graphicly.

6. Soon, you'll be able to access your already purchased library via HTML5 on tablets and phones.

7. The books will be available on the iBookstore, Kindle, Nook, Facebook, and more.

8. As such, Graphicly has moved from being a digital comics distributor to an ebooks distributor. They will format and push the books to the various ebookstores instead of providing an app and specifically Graphicly experience.

This is a pretty huge change, and Graphicly is the first digital comics distributor to shift their business model like this. Rather than providing a Graphicly reading experience, the comics they publish will be native to the device they're being read on. Graphic novels purchased from the Kindle store will display using the standard Kindle Fire reader, and the same holds true for iPad and Nook. This makes for a more natural reading experience, as it will be tailored to each device.

The new focus, according to Graphicly, is to enable publishers to sell books in digital bookstores, and connect with their customers in a more direct manner, rather than selling books inside their own app. You don't have to search for Graphicly and then a comic; instead, you just search for that comic in the bookstore and it shows up. It removes a layer of difficulty from the process of purchasing digital comics.

This is a situation that we all knew was coming. At some point, some digital comics distributor was going to go under, or stop working, or disappear. Graphicly's doing none of those things, but not being able to buy new comics from them is still a big deal. I'm glad to see that they're maintaining legacy support. Short of releasing the comics as DRM-free files, something I doubt any of their licensors would be down with, this is the best way to keep people happy after the change. You'll always have access to your comics, but you won't be able to get new ones. This isn't the nightmare scenario that it could be, and I'm glad to see Graphicly doing their best to keep everything above board and consumer-friendly, even as they make such a huge change in the way they do business.

Read More: http://www.comicsalliance.com/2012/04/05/graphicly-switches-from-digital-comics-distribution-to-ebooks-pr/#ixzz1rLuYrC12

Archie Comics Makes Major Digital Move

2012-02-18T10:21:00.000-08:00

Archie Comics is unveiling today a major step in digital distribution. They've teamed up with Graphicly and will now be selling comics through their Facebook fanpage.

With close to 120,000 fans, they're the largest publisher to add their Facebook fanbase to their digital sales strategy. Fans will be able to read comic book releases from Archie comics after buying them straight from their Facebook pages, but they'll be synced to all of their devices with the Graphicly app.

This is a very bold move for a major comics distributor, but also seems like a pretty obvious move, especially for Archie. They've been ahead of the curve on digital, offering comics digitally on the same day and date of their release in print, and they've got the most palatable pricing structure for their digital books. In fact, some of their apps offer unlimited access to their back catalogue.

To talk about this move, I was able to chat with the co-CEO of Archie Comics, Jon Goldwater.
Bryan Young: Archie has pursued an aggressive, successful digital distribution strategy in the last few years. Can you give me the highlights of that and tell me why you think it's been important?

Jon Goldwater: I saw firsthand what happened to the music industry when they didn't embrace digital, and I wanted to make sure that didn't happen to Archie. Unlike most direct market-centric comic companies, Archie has always been about being available. On the newsstand. In comic shops. In bookstores. So it made sense to translate that philosophy to digital, both in availability in timing. Despite what some other companies may claim, we were the first to go day-and-date digital, which means our titles are available to digital consumers the same day they hit stores. We also believe in a different pricing model for digital than print.

We were one of the first companies to aggressively put out collections and expanded product out there digitally. Our Archie Comics app, which is powered by the team at iVerse, has been downloaded close to 4 million times, and our comics are routinely among the most downloaded titles. Just last year in San Diego, we announced plans to launch the first-ever digital superhero universe with our Red Circle Comics app. The app will be a newsstand app via Apple. The shorthand we use is "Netflix for comics." Each week, a subscriber will get six pages of our flagship title, NEW CRUSADERS, plus access to our continually-growing archive of Crusaders comics dating back to the Golden Age of comics.

In addition to that, we were the first company to make Spanish-language editions of our titles available to our Spanish-speaking readers, and we've just launched a Facebook app - in partnership with our friends at Graphicly - to sell Archie comics to our Facebook fans. Currently, we have over 116,000 fans on our main Archie page, growing significantly each day.

Digital is important for a number of reasons. Mainly, we're always looking for ways to expand and grow the business. Archie is a global icon and one of the most recognizable brands anywhere. It'd be foolish to just limit ourselves to our existing distribution channels. We want Archie to be available to everyone everywhere. We want to create a one-stop shop -- an Archie"superstore" that'll serve everyone's needs. That's the goal. Digital is part of that over-arching plan.

BY: Can you explain the significance of this digital launch and why it could be seen as revolutionary?

JG: Facebook has been a huge source of fan interaction, feedback and energy. The ability to merge that with our significant digital output is really a no-brainer. No company with our level of reach on Facebook has done this. It's in the numbers. Having the chance to make our Facebook page a place for fans to not only learn about the company's news and initiatives but also to sample our titles and build a collection right on Facebook. It's really a major move toward connecting the potential reader to the product. We make it easy and hopefully create a new, lasting part of our fanbase.

BY: So how exactly will this work? You post a link to your Facebook followers and they can buy the comic and read it right then and there? Or will it open a new window into Graphicly?

JG: It's totally embedded with Facebook. You head to the Archie Comics Facebook page, "Like" the page if you haven't already, and click on "Comics." From there, the app launches within the confines of the page and you're off! We wanted to make sure the process was simple and fast, and the Graphicly team has put together a very user-friendly experience. You can sample the first few pages of a title, and if you're interested, you're given the option to buy.

BY: Comics bought through facebook, will they be available for users in your app in perpetuity?

JG: The purchase will sync with Graphicly, so on the site and through the Graphicly apps on iOS and Android, your collection stays together.

BY: Tell me about the partnership with Graphicly, how did that come about?

JG: While we're not the first company to launch this app, we're the first comic company with a significant Facebook presence to step into this realm, and really, that's a testament to the great team at Graphicly. Our team got in touch with Graphicly about expanding our relationship and Facebook was one of their top pitches to us, in addition to a few other things we're still ironing out. It kind of hit us like a bolt of lightning.

Being able to connect directly with our immense Facebook community seemed like a great, untapped opportunity.

BY: What comics are going to be available through Facebook like this at launch?

JG: We're going all out on this. The Facebook widget will be as up-to-date as we can make it, with many if not all the titles you'd find via the Archie app and our other digital outlets. We want this to be a regular stop for fans and a way for potential new readers to sample the latest and greatestArchie has to offer.

BY: Some people might say Archie comics are old fashioned or outdated, but they've been going strong almost as long as the major DC characters and longer than the brunt of the Marvel Universe. In your words, why do you think the Archie gang has continuing appeal?

JG: Well, the fact is Archie is the most progressive comic book publisher out there. Our record speaks for itself.

Archie is for everyone. Riverdale presents an idealized but honest version of our world, and it's a warm, welcoming place that embraces everyone. When you read Archie, you want to spend more time with him, Betty and Veronica, Jughead, Kevin, etc. You can tell any kind of story -- from the introduction of Kevin, to Betty and Veronica fairy tale adventures to KISS showing up in Riverdale. It's a landscape of unlimited potential and it's really the only place where anyone can come in and be welcome. Archie Comics are truly all-ages, for all fans, from kids to grandparents.

BY: Archie has also been very bold, rightly so, I think, in addressing social issues. I'm thinking directly about bi-partisanship with your Obama/Palin crossover, or LGBT issues with your Kevin Keller books... Why is that important to you and what else can we expect out of the Archie gang in the future on this front?

JG: I've said this before, but Riverdale needs to reflect today and now. The days of Riverdale being retro and stuck in the past are gone. Archie and his friends will remain the same, but they have to interact with the modern world, otherwise we risk becoming a nostalgia publisher. We still retain our family, all-ages and clean image while dealing with today's world in an honest, funny and genuine way.

Who better to discuss what's going on in the world than Archie?

I think this sort of sales mechanism is going to have to catch on with other publishers, not just of comics, but of novels as well. Giving people the ability to buy right off the fan page is going to be a valuable step in sales.

I would love to be able to access this sort of model as an indie publisher myself.

External Reference: www.huffingtonpost.com

Double Fine's Founder Talk Distribution and Funding

2012-02-14T01:49:00.000-08:00

You’ve probably heard about the sudden potential collaboration between Minecraft creator Markus “Notch” Persson and Double Fine founder Tim Schafer for the creation of Psychonauts 2. Double Fine also hit some awesome luck with their Kickstarter campaign to fund a new point and click adventure game, which hit its goal of $400,000 in about eight hours.

In an interview with Hookshot Inc., however, he expresses that some things just don’t work out the way you’d like them to, and that’s when you have to get creative.

For instance, when Double Fine was working on Brutal Legend, the green light they got from Vivendi turned red when Vivendi and Activision merged. EA picked it up, but Activision sued Double Fine and Double Fine countersued. The strain of the legal drama hindered the game, and EA decided against a sequel. Schafer explains,

The thing is, Double Fine is all about coming up with new, unproven and really creative ideas. It’s a constant battle for us to get those ideas to go through the system, that long spanking machine of people who have to sign off on you. They’re not evil, they’re just trying to protect themselves.

But if publishers won’t support you, who will? If the Kickstarter campaign is any indication, the answer is fans. They’re not the most stable of investors, but they are probably more keyed into what kind of products your company puts out than suits who are removed from the industry. And if they like what they see, they’re going to encourage you to make more of that kind of thing, because if there’s anything legitimately frightening to a gamer, it’s the thought that large companies are going to push indie developers out of the fray.

But if you can’t get a publisher to pick up your game, how are you going to get it into the hands of your fans? There are digital distribution systems like PlayStation Network, Xbox Live Arcade, and Steam, but Schafer notes:

The indie community is now moving elsewhere; we’re figuring out how to fund and distribute games ourselves, and we’re getting more control over them. Those systems [like PSN and XBLA] as great as they are, they’re still closed. You have to jump through a lot of hoops, even for important stuff like patching and supporting your game. Those are things we really want to do, but we can’t do it on these systems. I mean, it costs $40,000 to put up a patch – we can’t afford that! Open systems like Steam, that allow us to set our own prices, that’s where it’s at, and doing it completely alone like Minecraft. That’s where people are going.

If an independent developer is barely scraping together the funds for their game, how can they put out the $40,000 needed to patch it? Not being able to address player concerns or desires through digital distribution systems is a serious hindrance to a game.

Schafer also mentioned that they are looking into mobile and free-to-play, and have been experimenting with Kinect and iOS. Current games that Double Fine has on the shelves include Happy Action Theater on XBLA; Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster for the Xbox 360; Iron Brigade on XBLA; Stacking on PSN, XBLA, and PC; and Costume Quest on PSN, XBLA, and PC.

External Reference: http://geek.pikimal.com

71% of UK startups focused on digital distribution

2012-02-07T01:14:00.000-08:00

Digital distribution is the future in the UK -- for the sake of a lot of jobs, it had better be. UK game industry trade organization TIGA issued a new census report today, revealing a heavy focus on downloadable or social games.

71% of UK game company startups between 2008 and 2011 are "focused exclusively on network gaming," the report indicates. Taking all of the UK industry in consideration (not just new companies), 67% work on digitally distributed games.

"For too long developers have laboured under the traditional 'give your IP away, never see royalties' model," said TIGA Self-Publishing Committee Patrick O'Luanaigh. "So TIGA strongly supports the trend towards online gaming and self-publishing. Online gaming can deliver greater company stability and revenue sustainability for studios. This is because studios can circumvent traditional publisher business models and build relationships directly with customers. Network gaming businesses can create original games, retain their IP and attain greater financial stability."

We suspect this boost in digital gaming involves two major factors: the rise of iOS and Android games, and the end of large UK game companies like Bizarre Creations.

External Reference: www.joystiq.com