Indie video producers have been waiting for the moment when they could eliminate the middleman and market and distribute direct to their fans.
Digital media startup Pivotshare, which just closed $1 million dollars in Series A funding, offers the next step in disintermediating audio and video distribution, filling a gap in the market between free services relying on advertising and expensive online platforms.
“The media landscape is evolving and advances in technology are creating new opportunities to distribute and monetize content. Pivotshare is focused on providing a complete solution that enables anyone to maximize the value of their digital media” says Pivotshare founder Adam Mosam. “We’re excited to work with both seasoned and emerging content creators and help them launch their media businesses online.”
Pivotshare’s self-service digital streaming media platform describes itself as a “complete media business-in-a-box,” handling all aspects of infrastructure, support and payments. Offering no startup costs or monthly fees for in-depth analytics, publishers can monitor total income in real-time, know which media is the most popular, and use their own branding and design elements.
Comedians were among the first to sell their content directly to consumers, and the brief history began with Louis C.K., offering his Live At The Beacon Theatre performance for $5, DRM-free, followed by Jim Gaffigan and Aziz Ansari, TechCrunch notes.
VHX.tv, an early supporter of discovery and sharing of videos online, evolved to a platform for indie artists like Ansari to sell direct to fans -- his Dangerously Delicious video sold for $5 directly from his website. Next up, VHX released Indie Game: The Movie, online for $9.99.
Pivotshare is targeting lesser-known talent and embracing a larger cohort of producers including musicians, educators, life coaches, business strategists and just about anybody with content consumers might want to buy.
“Up until now, most content creators putting video online tried to recoup the costs through advertising, but that’s not always the best solution. In part, that’s because getting set up was too complicated,” Techcrunch reports. “But with Pivotshare, creators don’t have to worry about the vagaries of picking an online video platform, paying for a CDN, setting up a payment system, etc. All they have to do is upload a video, set their price, and Pivotshare takes care of the rest.”
Conferences and associations can leverage (and monetize) event footage by creating video reference libraries. Experts, professionals and consultants can offer instructional content direct to consumers in high-quality, lower-volume media, earning greater revenue than through advertising.
“Before, the Internet was where you went if you couldn’t get a distribution deal,” said Jamie Wilkinson, co-founder with Casey Pugh of VHX. Now “creators are realizing that they no longer need the distributors to reach an audience… Creators are coming around and realizing that people are really happy to open their wallets.”
Pivotshare, funded by Townsgate Media, an investment fund focusing on early stage technology and media companies in Orange County and the greater L.A. area, “allows multi-media producers to make bank on their videos," according to Fast Company: "the time is now to start a small revolution.”
And this revolution will not be just televised; it will be digitized and available to all.
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