Louis C.K. Murders DVD Industry?

A simple plea and a low, low price (and, of course, jokes about dead grandmothers) help the comedian's comedian show that the Internet can be profitable for artists.

Earlier this week, stand-up comedian/ auteur TV show creator Louis C.K. announced that he'd be selling a recent performance of his at New York's Beacon Theater for just $5 online in an attempt to curb illegal pirating of the flick. As the New York-based comedian explained on his site:

To those who might wish to "torrent" this video: 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 this video 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 video, and let other people find it in the same way.

And it looks as if his offer is paying off: According to C.K., he's already broken even on the production just two short days after releasing it. (We're among those who forked over the $5. We heartily recommend you download it, too, but it's entirely NSFW. Gut-bustingly hilarious, yes, but also as delightfully crude as only C.K. can be.) Whether other comedians start to ape C.K.'s model remains to be seen, but C.K.'s success with skipping the costly overhead tied to releasing a DVD suggests budget-conscious, independent-minded comedians (read: all comedians) might have more to steal from C.K. than just his jokes.

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