Louis C.K Damns the Man AGAIN
0 
Louis C.K is a master in screwing over “the man.” You may remember last year when he offered fans his fourth full length comedy special “Live at the Beacon Theater” for only five bucks. Previously, his specials were produced for televisual broadcast, and then sale on physical media (DVDs, CDs, etc…). Louis wasn’t down with that, and instead he used his own resources to stream the performance to his fans for a much, much lower price. He did this in hopes of deterring piracy, and strengthen the direct relationship between the artist and his fans.
You can still purchase the performance HERE, by giving your email address, paying via Paypal or Amazon, and clicking the link they email you. Louis has a short note to those who might wish to “torrent” his work:
Look, I don’t really get the whole “torrent” thing. I don’t know enough about it to judge either way. But I’d just like you to consider this: I made these files extremely easy to use against well-informed advice. I was told that it would be easier to torrent the way I made it, but I chose to do it this way anyway, because I want it to be easy for people to watch and enjoy this video in any way they want without “corporate” restrictions.
Please bear in mind that I am not a company or a corporation. I’m just some guy. I paid for the production and posting of this video with my own money. I would like to be able to post more material to the fans in this way, which makes it cheaper for the buyer and more pleasant for me. So, please help me keep this being a good idea. I can’t stop you from torrenting; all I can do is politely ask you to pay your five little dollars, enjoy the show, and let other people find it in the same way.
Sincerely,
Louis C.K.
Three days after the release of Live at the Beacon Theater, Louis issued a statement to the public which claimed he had made back the $250,000 he spent on the film and website, in the first twelve hours of it’s release. After two weeks, Louis had made over 1.1 million dollars on the performance, from 220,000 people utilizing the website. $250,000 covered the cost of production, $250,000 was used for bonuses given to those that work with Louis, and $280,000 was donated to a bunch of different charities.
Today, Louis C.K went one step further in his “DAMN THE MAN” movement, by selling tickets for his upcoming tour exclusively through his website. He explained his decision to do this in an open letter to his fans:
“Making my shows affordable has always been my goal but two things have always worked against that. High ticket charges and ticket re-sellers marking up the prices. Some ticketing services charge more than 40% over the ticket price and, ironically, the lower I’ve made my ticket prices, the more scalpers have bought them up, so the more fans have paid for a lot of my tickets.
By selling the tickets exclusively on my site, I’ve cut the ticket charges way down and absorbed them into the ticket price. To buy a ticket, you join NOTHING. Just use your credit card and buy the damn thing. Opt in to the email list if you want, and you’ll only get emails from me.”
Tickets cost exactly $45. No service fee, no taxes, no “donation to the venue,” no NOTHING. Just $45 to attend… doesn’t matter the seat you pick, or which day of the week you go. Awesome. In under 48 hours, the tour had sold 100,000 tickets, and everybody at Ticketmaster collectively sh*t bricks.
Most of the tour dates have already sold out, although a few more shows should be getting added to the line up. Better check (and double check) for your city, and if there are still tickets available–swoop ‘em!!
Also, be sure to check out Louis C.K’s AWESOME series Louie, tonight on FX at 10:30pm!!
Louis C.K Twitter
Louis C.K Facebook
Louis C.K Website
