CBR: Delivery, Content, and the Gulf Between

[CBR News]

Exclusive for CBR, venerable comics writer and BOOM! Studios Chief Creative Officer Mark Waid clarifies his remarks from last weekend's Harvey Awards and presents his keynote speech in full.


Full article here.

[Typo Lad]

See, that comes off as pretty reasonable and balanced.

[MatthewDiCarlo]

Basically, it sums up as:

This is reality now. We can't unmake it. So, let's make it work for us.

And that is an incredibly brave and productive way to look at it. I'm really curious to hear what Mr. Waid comes up with, because it's not going to be an easy task.

[Zombie Uatu]

What Mark Waid is saying is what every creative industry in THE WORLD, music, movies, TV, video games, is scared to hear - that there's a new method of content delivery out there and it's out of our control. It's not comparable to VCRs, or casettes, or widespread literacy because for the first time no physical object is needed to contain and grant access to the product, aside from a decent internet and a reasonable computer. But it's also what every creative industry needs to hear, because he's right - someone needs to figure out a way to make widespread, free distribution work, and fast (here's a hint: do it better). If comics can be at the crest of that wave, then not only will it revolutionise the world we live in, it'll save the industry.

[darkhanamaru]

and a reasonable computer. But it's also what every creative industry needs to hear, because he's right - someone needs to figure out a way to make widespread, free distribution work, and fast (here's a hint: do it better). If comics can be at the crest of that wave, then not only will it revolutionise the world we live in, it'll save the industry.

I think the trip-up word is "free": I think what is going to happen is what a lot of speculative fiction points to, payment for access. The more bandwidth you use, the more cycles, the richer experience you want, the more you pay. I think the tiered payment plans on mobile networks are the first wave of this. Artists won't be paid 'cause they own a copyright but will be compensated by how often certain contents gets accessed and used but will not prevent someone else from accessing that idea. Execution will become more important than the idea per se.

just some ideas i have been throwing about.

[JimmyDee]

OK, so now I'm not understanding the outrage responses to Mark's speech. Is it just that this is so much clearer than what was said in the speech? That's what Mark says in this story itself, but that being said I wonder how many people in that audience and who hear about this second second hand attributed their OWN beliefs and interpretations to what Mark said, thus blurring the message further? It's probably a combo, but I am very happy this was reprinted because now things are clear and we can discuss this on its merits versus the heresay way it has been discussed since Saturday.

[Loke]

As the hippie freak professor implied, free download is not a problem if we're creating stuff for the betterment of culture. But what if it's our ricebowl; how do we make someone WANT to pay for something he/she can get for free?

Folks, what would make you want to pay for a digital product when you have the option not to? I can't think of any reason apart from a guilty conscience, and I'll probably get over that sooner or later.

I really want to know what Mark Waid's ideas are. Where will he be posting them? Here, or on his own site? What site would that be?

[glennsim]

I do think everything here is very clear and fair, although I admit I don't understand this phrase:

"you ought to have to give back to culture the same way you, I, and all artists draw from it."

I guess I don't see how an artist takes anything away from culture. They contribute to culture, whether they do it for payment or for free. The phrase above makes it sound like they are taking something away for a while. Just not sure I understand the intended meaning there.

[matthh]

Only a small percentage of users ever pirate music/movies/comics. Practically speaking: it takes more technical savvy that most people have. Aspirationally: most people are happy to pay for content if you give it to them in the format they want for a reasonable price.

We have this chance by embracing digital comics and making them available to subscribers. Doing this day & date will cut down a lot on the appetite for people to download illegally in the interim...
--
matthh

[glennsim]

[QUOTE=Loke;11816468]As the hippie freak professor implied, free download is not a problem if we're creating stuff for the betterment of culture. But what if it's our ricebowl; how do we make someone WANT to pay for something he/she can get for free?[QUOTE]

I'll pay for a hard copy of something that can't be destroyed by a hard drive going bad.

I'll pay for collectability. I think having 25,000 hard-copy comics is much more impressive than having 25,000 scans of comics.

I'll pay for the security of knowing that my download isn't going to have a trojan or other malware.

I'll pay for the ability to get the content without having to see porn ads.

As for guilt, you can certainly leverage that by having creators maintain a more personal connection with their readers. If you're visiting the blog of a writer every day, and have an understanding that he's not living in a mansion and driving a Lexus, you're more apt to be willing to pay for his work.

[Loke]

Only a small percentage of users ever pirate music/movies/comics. Practically speaking: it takes more technical savvy that most people have. Aspirationally: most people are happy to pay for content if you give it to them in the format they want for a reasonable price.

We have this chance by embracing digital comics and making them available to subscribers. Doing this day & date will cut down a lot on the appetite for people to download illegally in the interim...
--
matthh

Regarding the "small percentage of users", where did you get this percentage from? Or is it anecdotal?

[Certifiable1]

My issue is not with his content, but with his perspective. I find it really hard to believe that an indie comic creator who doesn't make enough living off of his comic to do it full time can absorb having 10-15 extra people steal his stuff versus pay for it, just for the sake of contributing to culture. Being established and having made a career of it might give Waid a different view on things.

One thing I'm extremely interested in, as a fan of anthologies, is whether or not they can find success digitally where they've failed in print.

[darkhanamaru]

I guess I don't see how an artist takes anything away from culture. They contribute to culture, whether they do it for payment or for free. The phrase above makes it sound like they are taking something away for a while. Just not sure I understand the intended meaning there.

Culture can be defined as "a set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution, organization or group" and by this definition is a shared experience. Copyright can remove ideas, thoughts, images from that shared pot of culture by preventing others from using them and building on them. hence, making the work less of a part of culture than simply a commodity to be consumed and thrown away or collected. That is, in my simplistic way of explaining it, what I think Waid was trying to get at.

[deantrippe]

I do think everything here is very clear and fair, although I admit I don't understand this phrase:

"you ought to have to give back to culture the same way you, I, and all artists draw from it."

I guess I don't see how an artist takes anything away from culture. They contribute to culture, whether they do it for payment or for free. The phrase above makes it sound like they are taking something away for a while. Just not sure I understand the intended meaning there.

To create anything, you must draw from the art and stories you've seen, as well as your own experiences. We wouldn't have Superman if not for the hero myths before him, for example. We stand on the shoulders of giants like Kirby and Swan as well as modern masters like Busiek and Morrison to build each new batch of awesome ideas. And that's not counting the millions of other sources and influences that inform our work. That's what that means.

[littleredhat]

I find Marvel's subscription service to be acceptable for me save one respect.

Marvel is too dependent on mini series events for its overall narrative. And you can't get those vital series through subscription.

But if they offered 9.99 digital subscriptions then I would be all over that.