247: The PodShow Contract

[Comic Strip Blogger]

Originally Posted by mkl

If this is the contract they are offering smaller podcaster, they are still screwing them offer, and the contract reflects that. Screwing someone over is screwing them over, regardless of how good their show is, and this contract appeared to me to be so one sided...that I can't think of what else it is except getting screwed over.

NO! Some people just want free podcast hosting space and "being part of Podshow family" is more important to them than earning money on podcasting. These people believe it - and they don't think of it as "screwing" but as "cooperating with leading podcasting enterprise". Money is not everything and for some people this contract is enough. Remember also: this contract is negotiable and there are wholly different contracts for full-timers.

[mkl]

"Remember also: this contract is negotiable and there are wholly different contracts for full-timers."

Is that a fact? Where are you getting the information that this contract is negotiable, and that there *are* different contracts? Personally, I feel like there most likely are other contracts, but I have no facts to back it up, do you?

[Comic Strip Blogger]

Originally Posted by mkl

but I have no facts to back it up, do you?

yes, but I am not going to divulge private communication here or elsewhere.

The golden principle of mine is that any communication (email, IM-chatting, phone calls, snail mail, etc) sent to me stays private (= not being published anywhere or forwarded to anybody) no matter what, no matter who sent it.

I know that there are some people who don't respect it but I do.

[baffled]

> but this cheap self-promotion stunt of Keith and G may have
> destroyed these chances.

OMG no, the HORROR.... spurned by God, turned away from the chance to be a Podshow Property.

> This what they did with this low-level contract is much less interesting

Er no, their analysis of what IS being offered to the other podcasts stands, and was a fascinating glimpse into how that firm intends to operate -- basically on a record company / 30s Hollywood style model where the Kingmakers "own" "properties" on yearly "contracts". But KATG is on another model where the low-cost hosting allows them to be under their own control and to try to make it fly getting - and keeping - their own revenue.

We'll all have to see how it turns out, but a potential weakness of the Podshow method is that production of podshow episodes by contract alone is not the way to make entertaining content, basically the best content is coming because people are doing it for love. There's no reason they can't make a buck off it too, but chained up starving in a contract slave gang as a Podcasting Zombie the contract won't let die sounds like a real good way to kill the love.

[mkl]

"Er no, their analysis of what IS being offered to the other podcasts stands, and was a fascinating glimpse into how that firm intends to operate"

Precisely how I feel. I am sure eventually KATG will get the "other" contract if it does exist, and then we can see what kind of K-Rad deal the "top" podcasters get.

[Pharma Cyst]

This late but just heard episode 182- when the topic of peanut allergies came up. I had a girlfriend who had a nut allergy so she refused to suck my balls. But the reason we broke up is she would get pissed if she smelled peanut butter on my beath---> we were not making out and I was not trying to spred my syliva to hear SO what was the big deal???? She said that the smell of peanuts could make her have an allergic reaction. BULLSHIT! There are no nut particles in the smell so she couldn't have a reaction. She still freaked out. So I got a study from a medical journal that said the smell of peanuts CAN'T cause a reaction, you actually had to have contact with the nut. I used the article to prove my point, I felt so superior, I was like a scientist Superman. She looked at the study and said it was wrong. HOW could a study in a respected journal, written by experts be wrong?? My girlfriend uses this line, which I hate: "cause I know better." This fight continued for about a week at which point I gave her an ultimatum: EITHER ADMIT THE STUDY IS RIGHT or it's over. We broke up. I moved out of the appartment, she got our furniture and most things. I ended up with a VCR and a bunch of old CDs. Looking back am I insane for ending a relationship based on peanut-breath?? Also was it wrong of me to crush-up peanuts and mix it in with her ground up coffee[she has a cup everyday before work] to ensure that she gets a rash by the time she arrives at work-->hopefully her co-workers saw her itchy rash and thought she had scabies or body lice.

[paul_r]

Originally Posted by Comic Strip Blogger

NO! Some people just want free podcast hosting space and "being part of Podshow family" is more important to them than earning money on podcasting. These people believe it - and they don't think of it as "screwing" but as "cooperating with leading podcasting enterprise". Money is not everything and for some people this contract is enough. Remember also: this contract is negotiable and there are wholly different contracts for full-timers.

it seems that Podshow want at least 3 shows a week, and they're not all happy with the deal.

Tartanpodcast And Podshow Have Split
"Now this is interesting. One of the flaghsip Podshow music shows, Mark Hunters Tartanpodcast (http://www.tartanpodcast.com/) seems to be missing from Podshows website."
http://www.ewanspence.com/blog/2006/...ow-have-split/

If the deals so great why don't they post the contract on the podshow site, most advertising networks eg adsense have the terms up front.

[Hugh Hefner]

Originally Posted by MichaelG

When Keith said he couldn't sleep he didn't mean at night, he was talking about his afternoon nap from 8am to 3PM

Lol, a 7 hour nap sounds like the ticket. Don't ruin my happy thoughts!

Originally Posted by Pharma Cyst

This late but just heard episode 182- when the topic of peanut allergies came up. I had a girlfriend who had a nut allergy so she refused to suck my balls. But the reason we broke up is she would get pissed if she smelled peanut butter on my beath---> we were not making out and I was not trying to spred my syliva to hear SO what was the big deal???? She said that the smell of peanuts could make her have an allergic reaction. BULLSHIT! There are no nut particles in the smell so she couldn't have a reaction. She still freaked out. So I got a study from a medical journal that said the smell of peanuts CAN'T cause a reaction, you actually had to have contact with the nut. I used the article to prove my point, I felt so superior, I was like a scientist Superman. She looked at the study and said it was wrong. HOW could a study in a respected journal, written by experts be wrong?? My girlfriend uses this line, which I hate: "cause I know better." This fight continued for about a week at which point I gave her an ultimatum: EITHER ADMIT THE STUDY IS RIGHT or it's over. We broke up. I moved out of the appartment, she got our furniture and most things. I ended up with a VCR and a bunch of old CDs. Looking back am I insane for ending a relationship based on peanut-breath?? Also was it wrong of me to crush-up peanuts and mix it in with her ground up coffee[she has a cup everyday before work] to ensure that she gets a rash by the time she arrives at work-->hopefully her co-workers saw her itchy rash and thought she had scabies or body lice.

Fuuuuuuuuuuck yyyoooooooouuuuuuuuu!

[random]

whether it was a real contract or not, why would they be stupid enough to give up all back episodes and the secret spooky stuff and the forums for barely livable $ for one person let alone two who need an income? suddenly clowning looks good compared to podshow!

[theJuan]

First, I would say in defense of the contract that most contracts are in fact written in the basic language that essentially covers all limitations... and makes the writers sound like assholes

But yeah, this contract and the Podshow business obviously exists to serve Podshow alone, and essentially exists to tie down all its registered podcasters to their own shit so that Podshow can seem more appealing to potential advertisers because they know that the show producers won't be running off. It's not a horrible business plan at all... but obviously promotes their business over their 'art' I suppose.

And yes, the bullshit about "you must accept the knowledge that Podcast works to find blah blah" is shitty because it escapes from the whole quid pro quo shit and begins to try to convince the show producer that Podcast is doing their part etc....

The long and short of it is that as human beings, podcasters have the ability to see through the bullshit and decide for themselves if they want to go along with the contract. In my opinion it's only worth doing if you want to put all your future earning potential into the hands of Podshow and don't give a shit about losing the rights to everything if it goes sour.

Afterall... if KATG for instance joined and got kicked (probably wouldn't happen though) then they could never legally go back and do their show again independently.

As a person who will be starting a podcast within 2 months, I can already be assured that I will never join Podshow as I feel that while it might be a good short-run move... it would stifle any real success that might follow.

-theJuan