Pricing

Prices will vary from time to time, and from title to title. However, a DVD Definition download will always be priced below a DVD, and a Portable Definition download will always be priced below a DVD Definition download.

For most feature films, our target price is:

Most importantly, at b-side every purchase of a download is a down-payment for a DVD or a higher definition download. This means that at the pricing above, if you buy a Portable Definition download for $2.99, you can later upgrade to a DVD for only $10 more; or, if you buy a DVD Definition download for $7.99, you can upgrade to a DVD for only $5 more.

The coolest part of this (we think) is that when you buy a DVD, you get the downloads for free. No more sitting around and waiting for the DVD to arrive in the mail. As soon as you buy it, you can download for free and watch right away. How's that for instant gratification?

b-side exists to help undiscovered films find their audience. One of the biggest challenges independent films face is the fact that they are overpriced. Because these films are typically sold online, and are produced in limited quantities, they don't enjoy the same low prices that you'd find at Wal-Mart or Best Buy for big Hollywood movies. These "big box" retailers price DVDs at or below their cost as a way to lure in shoppers to buy diapers and plasma TVs. A filmmaker selling their film on their own website, on the other hand, is looking at DVD sales as the only path to getting out of credit card debt. Asking $24 for a DVD seems reasonable.

However, what this really means for independent movies is not only do they have to compete with blockbuster films for your attention, in most cases they also cost considerably more to buy. As I type this, "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," with over 3 hours of special features, is available new on Amazon.com for $7.99. Suddenly it doesn't seem so reasonable to ask you to fork over 3 times as much for something you might never have heard of.

What we know is that when people see a movie they love, many will want to own it on DVD. For independent films, the trick then becomes giving you a way to see a film without having to buy the DVD first. That just seems backwards.

Our downloads are priced low to give you a chance to see a film the first time without making that big leap. When combined with our upgrade pricing, you can decide at any time in the future if they want to own a DVD, with all of the special features, without being charged twice.

The bottom line is that we want to make it easier for you to see great movies, not harder.

We also don't want to insult you. On the other hand, look at Wal-Mart. Due to their agreements with the major studios, downloads on their online video store cost nearly the same as DVDs. But when you pay $14.98 for "Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest", you know that Disney paid nothing for manufacturing, artwork, and shipping, and Wal-Mart paid nothing for warehousing, stocking, or shelf space. You also know that you are limited to watching the movie on your PC or compatible device, and if you ever want the DVD, it's going to cost you another $19.96. Not only insulting, but it encourages the opposite behavior of what we want -- you become much more conservative, and much less open to trying something new, or something you haven't heard of.

So that's the b-side pricing philosophy in a nutshell:

1. Independent films should be reasonably priced
2. Downloads should cost less than DVDs
3. You should be able to upgrade to a DVD without penalty

We think you'll agree.