A bigger question that keeps coming up though is maybe the club shouldn't be the only revenue stream. Do you guys have plans to find other revenue streams? It's not clear by the communications thus far.
Its addressed in the video, but our new three legs are Merch, Club, and Ads. Merch and Ads are on a longer timetable for effect and delivery.
sort of on a related note, i dunno what the relative audience for joanna robinson/dave chen's westworld podcast is but we know she listens to your westworld podcast as she's complimented your analysis; maybe she'd be willing to explicitly refer people your way or otherwise put in a good word.
I also think reaching out to other podcast teams would be a great idea. Big ones, or maybe even collab with some smaller ones? I know that Jay and Jack, Guilty Remnant and Living Reminders teamed up and did a Leftovers megacast at the end of both seasons, which got uploaded into all 3 feeds. So that's a great way to discover other podcasts that may have similar topics/styles. I don't know if it would bring a huge amount of new listeners, but it's a fairly easy way to help each other spread the word.
I also think reaching out to other podcast teams would be a great idea. Big ones, or maybe even collab with some smaller ones? I know that Jay and Jack, Guilty Remnant and Living Reminders teamed up and did a Leftovers megacast at the end of both seasons, which got uploaded into all 3 feeds. So that's a great way to discover other podcasts that may have similar topics/styles. I don't know if it would bring a huge amount of new listeners, but it's a fairly easy way to help each other spread the word.
That's a really good idea. I'm a big fantasy football player and I listen to 3 independent podcasts and each of the guys has the other do 'guest' spots on each other's podcast. It allows the audience hear a different take and also makes them aware of other podcasts
I still think that some of the content should be available to club members only like the spoiler casts and live casts - this will encourage people to join. Then slowly over time increase the premium content and lessen a tad the free content.
I also think having for each show podcast a contest to encourage people to do itunes reviews, post on twitter or Instagram and share on facebook that particular show with a raffle at the end and some bald move swag (like a Jon Snow shirt) is a good thing. It pushes your listeners to promote for you.
Then a once a year baldmove a thon like now.
Of course more advertising.
You guys are the cheapest subscription around. Other casts charge $10/month minimum and you guys are the best. I feel for you guys and know that it is hard to be full time podcasters.
I want you guys to survive and that's why I renewed at the upfront higher rate $48 and donated $50 as well.
I like that you guys are independent. I listen to a few casts that are part of podcast networks, but I am not sure if that would help financially.
I also agree maybe getting together and doing a joint rap up cast or panel with other people covering Westworld or TWD would be fun.
I also think it is great that you guys are doing Cons.
Another thing that the social media world loves is live tweeting during big shows. Maybe you guys could rotate or maybe you guys could get bald move club members who you trust to help out.
That said, 5 bucks is still a phenomenal value. As an example, audible.com is 15 bucks a month for one audiobook each month. An audiobook is on average about 20 hours of audio content. Watching westworld and watching dead alone are more than that. Now, every person has to make a decision for themselves. But I think it is important to remember that even if you decide not to resubscribe, you can still donate and contribute in other ways.
The comparisons to other subscription based services (audible here, and a few of the examples used in the video) don't really hold up because in those cases you're paying for the full service being offered. In the Bald Move case, the bulk of the services being offered are available for free and the membership is for value-added premium services.
If you look at everything that's on offer and judge that $48 is a fair price to pay, I'd agree. But the premium membership isn't for everything, it's for the added features that are over and above what is freely available to everyone. So the memberships isn't for Watching Westworld, Watching Dead etc. it's for extended movie reviews, the live watches, ad-free etc.
Being in Canada (which is no one's fault but my own!) that $48 membership is actually a $65 membership. Am I getting $65 worth of value when looking just at the premium features? IMO, no...BUT I'm willing to pay it to support the overall cause, to help guarantee that the free stuff that I like so much will still be produced. For me to justify the price, I have to re-frame it like that for it to make sense.
Repeating something that I said earlier, I think that long term growth and sustainability would be better served by focusing on converting more listeners into members rather than drastically increasing the price of memberships - but I understand the reality of the present day situation that the guys find themselves in...the best plans for long term growth don't mean anything if they can't survive the next few months, so they have to do what they have to do.
I think once they're back on stable ground, they'll be able to make more changes - they should be making higher margins off their merch (by lowering production costs) for example.
In my view, it's up to us to get them through this rough patch and get them to a place where they're more comfortable. I suspect when that happens, they'll review and change a few of the things that they've laid out in the video. I'm willing to go along for that ride. I think some people who are considering bailing might want to consider this perspective before making any final decisions.
Well, baldmove won't be available if people don't sign up, so it is an apt comparison.
@A_Ron_Hubbard Yeah absolutely, he's a podcaster that also started with his own capital, albeit at a much higher scale of everything, I really can't possibly imagine him not being sympathetic to your situation. I don't think the problem would be them agreeing to have you on for a few minutes, I think the problem is getting their attention in the first place, I'm not sure how to successfully do that without being a nag. This is the contact page:
It seems a bit vague to me? "Contact" through social media/Twitter is a joke, I can't imagine that ever being seen/responded to. So maybe the best bets are Matt Fondiler under PR and Mike August under Live Show/Event Bookings & Business Development? At least they have actual e-mail address and are at least tangentially relevant. And I guess tweeting the social media PR guy can't hurt?
Make those contacts and have them help keep your Bald Move corsair schooner afloat!
@londoncalling Ha yessir you're absolutely right, I just did that quickly in my head and got 200 which seemed about right so I didn't verify it. I don't even know if my base 200k is accuate, just kinda spitballing to convey the potential effect of my idea more than hard numbers.
i dunno what the relative audience for joanna robinson/dave chen's westworld podcast is but
Dave Chen and Chris Hardwick teamed up to do a podcast about how Bald Move is violating the Amazon Terms of Service. That was beyond the pale. They even performed a parody called "Pennies from Bezos" set to the tune of "Tears in Heaven".
Listen, Chen... "Cheetohs" doesn't rhyme with "Bezos", FYI. And A_Ron even revealed he's dropped 20 lbs, so you must've been planning that for months.
That said, 5 bucks is still a phenomenal value. As an example, audible.com is 15 bucks a month for one audiobook each month. An audiobook is on average about 20 hours of audio content. Watching westworld and watching dead alone are more than that. Now, every person has to make a decision for themselves. But I think it is important to remember that even if you decide not to resubscribe, you can still donate and contribute in other ways.
The comparisons to other subscription based services (audible here, and a few of the examples used in the video) don't really hold up because in those cases you're paying for the full service being offered. In the Bald Move case, the bulk of the services being offered are available for free and the membership is for value-added premium services.
If you look at everything that's on offer and judge that $48 is a fair price to pay, I'd agree. But the premium membership isn't for everything, it's for the added features that are over and above what is freely available to everyone. So the memberships isn't for Watching Westworld, Watching Dead etc. it's for extended movie reviews, the live watches, ad-free etc.
Being in Canada (which is no one's fault but my own!) that $48 membership is actually a $65 membership. Am I getting $65 worth of value when looking just at the premium features? IMO, no...BUT I'm willing to pay it to support the overall cause, to help guarantee that the free stuff that I like so much will still be produced. For me to justify the price, I have to re-frame it like that for it to make sense.
Repeating something that I said earlier, I think that long term growth and sustainability would be better served by focusing on converting more listeners into members rather than drastically increasing the price of memberships - but I understand the reality of the present day situation that the guys find themselves in...the best plans for long term growth don't mean anything if they can't survive the next few months, so they have to do what they have to do.
I think once they're back on stable ground, they'll be able to make more changes - they should be making higher margins off their merch (by lowering production costs) for example.
In my view, it's up to us to get them through this rough patch and get them to a place where they're more comfortable. I suspect when that happens, they'll review and change a few of the things that they've laid out in the video. I'm willing to go along for that ride. I think some people who are considering bailing might want to consider this perspective before making any final decisions.
Well, baldmove won't be available if people don't sign up, so it is an apt comparison.
That was my (admittedly meandering!) point - I think the current measures will work to address the present day situation ie it will keep Bald Move going. Long term though - I suspect that $48 will prohibit future growth. What I'm trying to say is that for people who think that the premium features aren't worth $48, don't look at it like that...ask yourself if $48 is worth it to you to save Bald Move.
i dunno what the relative audience for joanna robinson/dave chen's westworld podcast is but
Dave Chen and Chris Hardwick teamed up to do a podcast about how Bald Move is violating the Amazon Terms of Service. That was beyond the pale. They even performed a parody called "Pennies from Bezos" set to the tune of "Teardrops from Heaven".
Listen, Chen... "Cheetohs" doesn't rhyme with "Bezos", FYI. And A_Ron even revealed he's dropped 20 lbs, so you must've been planning that for months.
@Jim and @A_Ron_Hubbard ... you both seem like really nice guys and in my heart of hearts, I hope you succeed.
But, I'm a selfish bastard motivated by my own interests. Count me as someone who is supporting you because I see the value in what you do. You have added an amazing, extra layer to some of my favorite television. My experiences with Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, etc. have all been enhanced because of Bald Move. I'd *probably* still be watching TWD without your podcast, but sometimes I have my doubts.
The thought of you guys spending the next 30 years in a cubicle 9-5 doing work you don't enjoy bums me out... but the thought of trying to make it through even a half episode of Morgalizing - on my own - bums me out even more.
i dunno what the relative audience for joanna robinson/dave chen's westworld podcast is but
Dave Chen and Chris Hardwick teamed up to do a podcast about how Bald Move is violating the Amazon Terms of Service. That was beyond the pale. They even performed a parody called "Pennies from Bezos" set to the tune of "Teardrops from Heaven".
Listen, Chen... "Cheetohs" doesn't rhyme with "Bezos", FYI. And A_Ron even revealed he's dropped 20 lbs, so you must've been planning that for months.
That said, 5 bucks is still a phenomenal value. As an example, audible.com is 15 bucks a month for one audiobook each month. An audiobook is on average about 20 hours of audio content. Watching westworld and watching dead alone are more than that. Now, every person has to make a decision for themselves. But I think it is important to remember that even if you decide not to resubscribe, you can still donate and contribute in other ways.
The comparisons to other subscription based services (audible here, and a few of the examples used in the video) don't really hold up because in those cases you're paying for the full service being offered. In the Bald Move case, the bulk of the services being offered are available for free and the membership is for value-added premium services.
If you look at everything that's on offer and judge that $48 is a fair price to pay, I'd agree. But the premium membership isn't for everything, it's for the added features that are over and above what is freely available to everyone. So the memberships isn't for Watching Westworld, Watching Dead etc. it's for extended movie reviews, the live watches, ad-free etc.
Being in Canada (which is no one's fault but my own!) that $48 membership is actually a $65 membership. Am I getting $65 worth of value when looking just at the premium features? IMO, no...BUT I'm willing to pay it to support the overall cause, to help guarantee that the free stuff that I like so much will still be produced. For me to justify the price, I have to re-frame it like that for it to make sense.
Repeating something that I said earlier, I think that long term growth and sustainability would be better served by focusing on converting more listeners into members rather than drastically increasing the price of memberships - but I understand the reality of the present day situation that the guys find themselves in...the best plans for long term growth don't mean anything if they can't survive the next few months, so they have to do what they have to do.
I think once they're back on stable ground, they'll be able to make more changes - they should be making higher margins off their merch (by lowering production costs) for example.
In my view, it's up to us to get them through this rough patch and get them to a place where they're more comfortable. I suspect when that happens, they'll review and change a few of the things that they've laid out in the video. I'm willing to go along for that ride. I think some people who are considering bailing might want to consider this perspective before making any final decisions.
Well, baldmove won't be available if people don't sign up, so it is an apt comparison.
That was my (admittedly meandering!) point - I think the current measures will work to address the present day situation ie it will keep Bald Move going. Long term though - I suspect that $48 will prohibit future growth. What I'm trying to say is that for people who think that the premium features aren't worth $48, don't look at it like that...ask yourself if $48 is worth it to you to save Bald Move.
My point of view on this is that I am willing to make a small donation (I gave $5) to help in the present time, which has nothing at all to do with whether or not I think Bald Move is "worth" any certain dollar amount, because I value the shows and the hosts in general, and the community they built here is pretty special, but I have no idea what the value of that is in dollars. It's more to do with how much I can afford to spend on media in general;I listen to tons of podcasts and support very few of them, just like I follow a lot of artists of all stripes and support very few of them, not being a millionaire or anything. And I think if a lot of people give $5 it can really help.
But long term I haven't decided if I will renew at the higher rate, I paid my $12 yearly fee in June or July so I have time to think it over, and there will also be time to see how things play out. I think Bald Move is a quality creative company; I just have a slightly more moderate approach to investing in a quality creative company because for better or for worse, a lot of them don't succeed and I don't take a faith-based approach on anything. If I see evidence that they are working toward diversifying income streams and converting followers to dollars I would feel motivated to invest in a project-based Kickstarter-style campaign or continuing my membership at the higher level (I'm also kind of hoping for some kind of outcome that makes membership less than $48, while I think $48 is a fair price it's still $48).
This is not to say anyone who's donating more or upgrading or anything is making a mistake, just to put a voice to a more moderate approach. It's still a caring approach; it's just a complicated situation.
I want to be clear that I'm supporting the guys and will remain. Re-reading some of my posts I realize that they might sound negative, but they aren't meant to be. I'm 100% on board.
Having just said that...
I think that it might have been a misstep to lay out a new foundational plan in a time of crisis. It might have been better to come up with measures that addressed the immediate existential threat that Bald Move faces, and then come up with a new plan to move forward with once they were on firmer ground. Even though that's not the plan, if I had the guess I suspect this will happen organically.
I realize that this is an imperfect example, but...if they were selling chocolate bars for $1 and suddenly said "conditions have changed, if we don't charge $4 for our chocolate bars we're going to go out of business" they'd got a lot of people who already love their chocolate bars saying "sure, no problem - in fact, here's $10 for one of your chocolate bars". It's a good way to raise money from your existing loyal costumers, but it's hard to image bringing a $4 chocolate bar to new customers and have them get on board.
I obviously don't speak for the guys and they have every right to tell me to shut the hell up (I won't take offense!)...I've been through similar things before and I suspect that if we get them through this rough patch, the conditions that forced this change will also change and there will be a re-evaluation at that point. So rather than looking at what the long term outlook appears to be (ie a future of $4 chocolate bars) I'm encouraging people who are on the fence to get on board now, help the guys get on solid ground and then see what the future holds.
For me personally, $48 (which is $65 Canadian for me) isn't something I can commit to long term. However, today I can say "Here's my $65, not just for what I will get going forward but as a thank-you to everything you've already done and because I want you to succeed". If things don't change by the next time I have to re-up, I'll evaluate things again at that time - but in the here and now, I'm in.
Why didn't you approach this as a Patreon based "Save Baldmove" movement? It seems like you have now created a huge obstacle for yourselves to gain new members. You are hitting up current loyal fans with a drastic change in price and challenging them to evaluate your worth to them, I assume you know that you will lose members by increasing the price but you have estimated that difference will still be in your favor. But now, you will have less members and a sizable monetary barrier to creating new ones. I feel like it is too much money for me and I feel concerned for my favorite podcasts longevity now that possible new members coming into the fold is less likely. This sucks.
I have been a loyal fan for years. I would happily pay three times the new price. Actually, that's exactly what I've been doing since Club Bald Move started! I had Subbable @ $10/month, plus Patreon at $5/month, so when CBM started, I dumped all $15/month in to that. I'm sad to see the pay-what-you-want option gone, as I will now be paying LESS for CBM on the regular. It does however open up another opportunity for me though. I'll continue to budget the $15/month, and save the leftover money towards a commission (long term). At the current rate, I'll be getting a commission every 23 months...
Suggestions: A. Make it possible to "bank" payments towards a commission. B. Make it possible to sponsor/gift a CBM membership. C. CBM Firehose-feed with ads. (In addition to the ad-free. I like having all the podcasts in one feed including premium feeds, but also want to know how else to support the movement.)
Can you please clarify something? Being on the monthly subscription prior to the change over, will it simply not renew on it's renewal date? That's the impression that I got from the video and the thread, but I just wanted to be clear.
Reach out to your fellow podcaster friends like Project Fandom, No Ship, The Walking Deadcast etc. and ask them if you guys can give them a PSA (public service announcement to save Bald Move) or if they are not comfortable with that, to just say a few words about your situation and support independent podcasters and if you can give no matter what etc.
This is a community and we need to help each other and every bit counts.
FYI I found you guys thru the Walking DeadCast and I found Project Fandom and No Ship Network thru you guys.
Remember that odd rumor that David Sedaris loves the walking dead and listens to Bald Move while doing yard work and laundry? When he finds out this week while raking the leaves I foresee a big financial windfall.
$8,777.87 already, what? Josh you may be a prophet. This is nuts ya'll!
Awesome news! I just switched my account to the new $48 annual. Unfortunately it's was only like $6.50 bc my membership isn't up until 1/7 but I felt it was the right thing to do and you guys will have another $48 from me when it auto re-news in a couple months. I'll probably buy a couple shares of a commission too. I'm leaning Casablanca bc of the fact that you bought Jim the movie and he's STILL never seen it. Forcing Jim to watch and talk about that movie sounds fun to me.
there have to be some people who are doing podcasts and are willing to pay for some exposure. cant you put out the word that bald move would let someones elses podcasts be promoted and published under the bald move channel name?
also, i've been doing my part in this time of uncertainty. i donated 20 bucks in your name to the march of dimes today. they said every donation helps so, you're welcome.
Comments
That was my (admittedly meandering!) point - I think the current measures will work to address the present day situation ie it will keep Bald Move going. Long term though - I suspect that $48 will prohibit future growth. What I'm trying to say is that for people who think that the premium features aren't worth $48, don't look at it like that...ask yourself if $48 is worth it to you to save Bald Move.
@Jim and @A_Ron_Hubbard ... you both seem like really nice guys and in my heart of hearts, I hope you succeed.
But, I'm a selfish bastard motivated by my own interests. Count me as someone who is supporting you because I see the value in what you do. You have added an amazing, extra layer to some of my favorite television. My experiences with Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, etc. have all been enhanced because of Bald Move. I'd *probably* still be watching TWD without your podcast, but sometimes I have my doubts.
The thought of you guys spending the next 30 years in a cubicle 9-5 doing work you don't enjoy bums me out... but the thought of trying to make it through even a half episode of Morgalizing - on my own - bums me out even more.
I want to be clear that I'm supporting the guys and will remain. Re-reading some of my posts I realize that they might sound negative, but they aren't meant to be. I'm 100% on board.
Having just said that...
I think that it might have been a misstep to lay out a new foundational plan in a time of crisis. It might have been better to come up with measures that addressed the immediate existential threat that Bald Move faces, and then come up with a new plan to move forward with once they were on firmer ground. Even though that's not the plan, if I had the guess I suspect this will happen organically.
I realize that this is an imperfect example, but...if they were selling chocolate bars for $1 and suddenly said "conditions have changed, if we don't charge $4 for our chocolate bars we're going to go out of business" they'd got a lot of people who already love their chocolate bars saying "sure, no problem - in fact, here's $10 for one of your chocolate bars". It's a good way to raise money from your existing loyal costumers, but it's hard to image bringing a $4 chocolate bar to new customers and have them get on board.
I obviously don't speak for the guys and they have every right to tell me to shut the hell up (I won't take offense!)...I've been through similar things before and I suspect that if we get them through this rough patch, the conditions that forced this change will also change and there will be a re-evaluation at that point. So rather than looking at what the long term outlook appears to be (ie a future of $4 chocolate bars) I'm encouraging people who are on the fence to get on board now, help the guys get on solid ground and then see what the future holds.
For me personally, $48 (which is $65 Canadian for me) isn't something I can commit to long term. However, today I can say "Here's my $65, not just for what I will get going forward but as a thank-you to everything you've already done and because I want you to succeed". If things don't change by the next time I have to re-up, I'll evaluate things again at that time - but in the here and now, I'm in.
Suggestions:
A. Make it possible to "bank" payments towards a commission.
B. Make it possible to sponsor/gift a CBM membership.
C. CBM Firehose-feed with ads. (In addition to the ad-free. I like having all the podcasts in one feed including premium feeds, but also want to know how else to support the movement.)
Can you please clarify something? Being on the monthly subscription prior to the change over, will it simply not renew on it's renewal date? That's the impression that I got from the video and the thread, but I just wanted to be clear.
Awesome news! I just switched my account to the new $48 annual. Unfortunately it's was only like $6.50 bc my membership isn't up until 1/7 but I felt it was the right thing to do and you guys will have another $48 from me when it auto re-news in a couple months. I'll probably buy a couple shares of a commission too. I'm leaning Casablanca bc of the fact that you bought Jim the movie and he's STILL never seen it. Forcing Jim to watch and talk about that movie sounds fun to me.