Pete's Solo Shows and the $10 tier

[rteetz]

Brand awareness friend. Brand awareness. Everything about these sites are tied together for brand awareness. They've created an ecosystem of Disney expertise that promote products and services. It's a valuable commodity and the fact they are promoting Disboards, Dreams, Candles, DVC while also launching a new newsletter and being aggressive in cultivating it. Toss in all the social media they do along with the vlogs etc you get a very nicely put together brand.

It's free content just like a show on NBC is a free show. And the boards being around before Dreams doesn't really make a difference.

I don't think I denied that.

It is a brand no doubt. My point is really no one is making you pay the $10. If you don't feel that is a fair price don't pay it. Its for extra content. The existing free content hasn't changed.

 

[tallguy001]

I joined Patreon because I want to support the work. Anything they throw in like a solo show is a bonus. I feel what they offer for free is entertaining and something I might pay for. So, this is a way to do that.

 

[hertamaniac]

Brand awareness friend. Brand awareness. Everything about these sites are tied together for brand awareness. They've created an ecosystem of Disney expertise that promote products and services. It's a valuable commodity and the fact they are promoting Disboards, Dreams, Candles, DVC while also launching a new newsletter and being aggressive in cultivating it. Toss in all the social media they do along with the vlogs etc you get a very nicely put together brand.

It's free content just like a show on NBC is a free show. And the boards being around before Dreams doesn't really make a difference.

Exactly! Candles are a small minutia of the marketing potential coming in the next 3-5 years at WDW. So if I understand correctly, it's not legacy that grows, but fluency. I agree with this on a morphemic state that Disney appears to be in.

I can't lay our plans today, as that would be projecting to potential competitors, however there are many market spaces for companies that capture different WDW niches.

 

[GAN]

I'll go ahead and agree with you. If I'm being asked to join Patreon because of the extra content, then the $10 mark is a lot for what I think is available. I mean it's nice that a lot of you don't mind giving the DIS team $120 a year for support, but it's being presented as a content stream and $10 is not a good price point. That's almost Netflix/Hulu level.

Let's take out all the emotion and be honest for a second, this isn't just a group of random people on the internet creating content that need patreon support to keep going. This is a show run and operated by people who also own and operate a fairly large Disney travel agency. It's a business, and if they want my money they have to hit the right price point (for me).

I could be wrong, but I don’t ever recall it being presented as $10 for content ...definitely not initially but maybe that’s changed? I’ve thought of it as a donation to help support the things they do which include these boards, podcasts, videos, etc. Does it pay their bills and put money in their pockets ...probably. It is a business -no doubt. Obviously, if the content or the boards you’re communicating on right now don’t bring value, then no one is pressuring anyone. If I donate money to a cause, charitable or not, I don’t tell the kid their candy bar is too small ....I give them the money.

 

[jcb]

Brand awareness friend. Brand awareness. Everything about these sites are tied together for brand awareness. They've created an ecosystem of Disney expertise that promote products and services. It's a valuable commodity and the fact they are promoting Disboards, Dreams, Candles, DVC while also launching a new newsletter and being aggressive in cultivating it. Toss in all the social media they do along with the vlogs etc you get a very nicely put together brand.

It's free content just like a show on NBC is a free show. And the boards being around before Dreams doesn't really make a difference.

There may be superficial similarities but NBC is in the business of broadcasting entertainment/content. NBC pays its producers for that content using advertiser revenue. That's not "just like" the podcast's business model.

If I'm being asked to join Patreon because of the extra content, then the $10 mark is a lot for what I think is available.

Unless you actually know what is available, I am bewildered how you can say "the $10 mark is a lot."

 

[ALWEASEL]

I am a $10 dollar patreon subscriber.
I originally started because i wanted to support a show and boards.
They do put out a good amount of content for free and on patreon.
Youtube doesn't pay as much as people think, and Craig is right YouTube takes their cut first.
I don't mind that Pete makes money off of The Dis because it was a tremendous amount of money and work to start the Boards and the podcast and such.
Right now i don't have the money to get to the parks so this is how i stay plugged in.
But God hoping i will be in Disney World in 2022.
I understand what you are saying about the pricing.That not everyone has the extra 10 dollars a month. I am part of that crowd i had to cancel some streaming channels on Amazon to get it done.
But i believe it's worth it. Sorry for the long post and WDW_Ding i hear you and understand where your coming from.
I hope you all have a great day.

 

[disneysteve]

Interesting opinions on both sides here. I do not have a horse in this race as I'm not a Patreon supporter. I feel we support the DIS in other ways like attending many of their events and being Dreams clients. I don't watch any of their videos so the bonus content for supporters really doesn't interest me. I only listen to some of the podcasts on iTunes.

All of that said, I would liken this to donating to PBS. If you've ever watched PBS when they are doing their fund raising drives, you've seen that if you give $100, you get a DVD of some show. Well that DVD is only worth $10 but you're not paying for the DVD. You're paying to support the network so that they can continue to bring you shows like the one on that DVD. As a thank you, they send you the DVD. I think Patreon is the same way. It's not a content subscription like Netflix or Hulu. It's first and foremost a donation (albeit a non-deductible one since the recipient isn't a charity) to support the work they do. Any bonus content is just a thank you akin to that DVD from PBS. Nobody sends PBS $100 just to get that DVD and chances are few if any send the DIS $120/year just to hear Pete's solo shows (although some might).

As others have said, it's a personal decision.

 

[jbish]

I was considering starting at $5/mo because I wanted to support the show/boards for all of the content that I had/continue to consume each and every week. But I decided to go straight to the $10 tier so that I could unlock some of the additional content. I justified it as being similar to other content I consume and pay for - whether it's Apple Music, Netflix, etc. Maybe The Dis doesn't produce the same amount of content as those two examples, but I can tell you I consume the same amount from all of those sources. I listen to a few of the podcasts during my commute (versus listening to Apple Music) and I'm on the boards quite a bit. I've done a lot of trip planning with the benefit of these boards. I feel like my subscription covers me for those years when I wasn't paying anything directly to them.

And, apologies if I sounds like a snob, but I'm okay with there being a little exclusivity at this level. I can't support them at the higher tiers ($25, $50, $100) - I wish I could so that I could hang out with them on park days! But I like that there's a smaller group that they are reaching out to.

 

[disneyland_is_magic]

Lol yeah I have often wished we could just do a telethon, get them what they need and then not have to talk about it for a year.
As a personal preference I dislike monthly budget subscription things and prefer just make one time donations or payments. I am glad they offer that option and have contributed in the past to fundraising efforts on a one time basis and will likely again in the future.
I am completely fine though they offer this monthly thing though, and hat tip those who support them. That’s very generous of you and I respect that.

 

[WDW_Ding]

Given that other podcasts offer more bonus content for less than $10 a month, I would be interested to hear why all of the bonus content is in the $10 tier, as opposed to a $5 (or less) tier.

 

[jcb]

Given that other podcasts offer more bonus content for less than $10 a month, I would be interested to hear why all of the bonus content is in the $10 tier, as opposed to a $5 (or less) tier.

Your first clause purports to state a fact. Do you have personal experience with "other podcasts [that] offer more bonus content for less than $10 a month?" There may be, but the examples cited so far in this thread have been far to general to support this assertion.

I have no idea why the DIS decided on $10 (and I don't think they owe any explanation) but based on my experience with the boards, the DIS would get complaints that $5 was too costly for the bonus content being provided.

 

[YesterDark]

I don't think I denied that.

It is a brand no doubt. My point is really no one is making you pay the $10. If you don't feel that is a fair price don't pay it. Its for extra content. The existing free content hasn't changed.

That's not the point of thread at all. No one is saying that they deserve to see the extra content and are demanding that they lower the price. I think everyone so far is ok with not spending $10 a month and getting the existing content.

I could be wrong, but I don’t ever recall it being presented as $10 for content ...definitely not initially but maybe that’s changed? I’ve thought of it as a donation to help support the things they do which include these boards, podcasts, videos, etc. Does it pay their bills and put money in their pockets ...probably. It is a business -no doubt. Obviously, if the content or the boards you’re communicating on right now don’t bring value, then no one is pressuring anyone. If I donate money to a cause, charitable or not, I don’t tell the kid their candy bar is too small ....I give them the money.

I dunno. They bring up Patreon and Ryno talks about Pete's solo show for a few minutes then they put a price point on it. I'm in sales and marketing, and that's a sales pitch.

 

[YesterDark]

I also just want to say as well as this isn't a big deal for me and doesn't consume my every day thought. I just thought it was an interesting discussion.

I'm happy they are getting the support they want.

 

[rteetz]

That's not the point of thread at all. No one is saying that they deserve to see the extra content and are demanding that they lower the price. I think everyone so far is ok with not spending $10 a month and getting the existing content.


I dunno. They bring up Patreon and Ryno talks about Pete's solo show for a few minutes then they put a price point on it. I'm in sales and marketing, and that's a sales pitch.

If the price point and the content you get for it isn’t the point of the thread than what is?

Of course it’s a sales pitch. Why wouldn’t they promote another stream of money that have?

I guess I’m just confused on what the issue is. I would think if the tiers were an issue they would have adjusted them by now. They’ve had these set tiers for a long time now.

 

[SorcererHeidi]

Interesting conversation, and opinions, on all sides.

I definitely applaud all involved for keeping it civil.

 

[WDW_Ding]

I thought my original post gave ample evidence.

Your first clause purports to state a fact. Do you have personal experience with "other podcasts [that] offer more bonus content for less than $10 a month?" There may be, but the examples cited so far in this thread have been far to general to support this assertion.

I have no idea why the DIS decided on $10 (and I don't think they owe any explanation) but based on my experience with the boards, the DIS would get complaints that $5 was too costly for the bonus content being provided.

 

[YesterDark]

If the price point and the content you get for it isn’t the point of the thread than what is?

Of course it’s a sales pitch. Why wouldn’t they promote another stream of money that have?

I guess I’m just confused on what the issue is. I would think if the tiers were an issue they would have adjusted them by now. They’ve had these set tiers for a long time now.

Nevermind.

 

[jcb]

I thought my original post gave ample evidence.

At the risk of repeating myself, I agree that your original post cited evidence. But in a later post you then asserted that "other podcasts offer more bonus content for less than $10 a month." I challenged (or meant to challenge) that assertion.

By my count, the DIS posted 10 Patreon subscriber previews or bonus features last week (from Sunday April 7 to Saturday April 13). Six posts were videos (Pete's solo show one of these). (To be clear, I don't know if $10 a month supporters get all of these.)

Your original post cited the following evidence:

For example, Dear Hank and John is a podcast that I support on Patreon. For $5 per month, they provide bonus content every week. They have 2,693 Patreon supporters.

In addition, Road Work provides bonus content nearly every week for as little as $1 a month. They have 920 Patreon supporters.

Although I do not support them on Patreon (I'm just not a fan) the Chapo Trap House provides bonus episodes every week (in addition to other things) for $5 per month. They have 28,142 supporters on Patreon and take in over $125,000 per month!

As for Disney related podcasts:

• The Disney Dish charges $4 dollars per month and includes some bonus content.
• The Tomorrowland Society offers a monthly bonus episode at the $2 per month tier.
• Unlocking the Magic offers 2 bonus podcasts per month at their $5 per month level.

Most of the examples you cited provided bonus content "every week" or "nearly every week." Others "include some bonus content", "a monthly bonus" or "2 bonus podcasts per month."

Again, I support the podcast for reasons other than the Patreon bonus content (and support other podcasts which offer no bonus content), but since you made the claim, I felt it worth demonstrating that the podcasts you cited don't "offer more bonus content for less."

 

[disneyland_is_magic]

Unless you actually know what is available, I am bewildered how you can say "the $10 mark is a lot."

I don’t think you need to be bewildered. It’s just feedback from a different view. I think $10 is kinda a lot and I think it’s brave to say that. As a college student if I supported even the small number of youtubers I enjoy by that much I’d be in trouble fast. I am okay with being excluded for now, being in college is my focus right now.

I thought the user was just providing feedback that is valid for themselves and maybe others. To some people $120 a year is just too much. I’ve listened to the DL show for many years and now I would be up to several hundred dollars at that rate. That genuinely gives me pause if I’d ever justify jumping aboard at $10.
There is the consideration that out of 115,000 subscribers (and more on iTunes) only about 600 are patrons. Why is everyone else shy to jump on? That’s over 99.5% that don’t. Maybe this feedback will give them ideas for options for students, yearly prices, or introduce content at say the $5 level that’s easier for people to handle. More supporters for the Dis I think is great for everyone all around. It’s a win for everyone.

And I think many people stated they could definitely see both sides, as can I. As I said, I am okay with being excluded since that’s my choice as a student.

 

[Princess Jes]

I'd very much like to support the DIS and jump in at the $10 tier, however, that $10 tier is actually AUD$14 for me. More than I pay for Netflix, WWE Network, Amazon, Stan (a streaming service here, i think maybe a bit like Hulu? It is where all Disney stuff streams here), Apple Music and almost as much as Audible.

Am i bummed that I cant really make yet another subscription work for me? Yes.
Do i wish it was more like $5? Sure.
Do i think they should change it? No.

If it works for them, then great! It obviously does as they've made no changes to it.
Unfortunately, i'm not in a position to sub at the moment, though, i'd love to hear/watch Pete's solo shows (i used to LOVE free form Friday).

I'm also sure they've probably done a cost analysis on tiering.
As an example:
If we have 500 supporters at $10, do we think we can get 1,000+ if we drop it to $5?
If no, then the cost benefit analysis dictates they leave it at $10, have less subs but make the same $.
If yes, then they'd drop it.
It's fairly simple.