Do I Need to Get My Film on iTunes?

[BA1385]

Hey there,

I've just completed my first feature and have an offer from a sales agent, who charge an upfront fee. I am considering going with them, as they seem to offer the best chance of securing distribution, which would hopefully mean greater physical sales and listing on itunes (which I've read would result in significant expense going through an aggregator if I went it alone).

I am concerned though that in the current climate very few people will actually be buying physical media in six months and if being on itunes (and other similar platforms) will result in substantial sales, since we did not have a theatrical release and I imagine it will not be particularly visible.

From my initial research it seemed to make the most sense to try to get distribution but now I am not so sure if I should just cut my losses with the project, go DIY and just sell digital and physical media directly from the project's website. If working with a sales agent I would still be able to do this anyway but am not sure if the expense of trying to secure a distribution deal, primarily for DVD distribution and a listing on itunes etc is worth it.

Any thoughts are greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Curtis Mack]

At the monetary conference I attended at Rice University last fall, the rule was laid down: don't pay them. If the film is marketable, they pay you.

 

[starcentral]

Regarding the sales agent who wants a fee it's hard to offer any specific advice without knowing the specific details, which can be hard for you to disclose in a public forum but for example if they are taking a fee instead of paying you, it could be legit depending on what distribution channel or platform they are putting your film on. For example to get content on iTunes you have to go through an aggregator who will charge a fee. You can find an aggregator yourself and pay them and keep all the sales off iTunes, or some distribution deals which might be an all rights deal will pay any fees to get it on a platform like iTunes but then split sales profits with you.

It can get convoluted when you agree to an all rights deal, or exclusive vs non-exclusive, etc.. and per territory. If you have a good relationship with this sales agent they should be able to give you some projection of sales based on your film, named cast, genre, etc..

As for self distribution, you can put your film online on sites like VHX or Vimeo, etc.. but don't forget with all the thousands upon thousands of films out there yours stands very little chance of standing out unless you have some marketing strategy, and better yet money, in order to propel your film. It's not going to take off by itself even though we like to feel like it is - there's always some effort time or money required to get it going and that can take months but more likely years.

Find out more about the deal and see what they are offering and ask about sales projections, you might pay a fee but these guys might actually be able to market and get it out there more than you will. Look at things like what is their previous work begin distributed looks like, where it's playing, are these guys going to film markets (cannes is around the corner), etc. Just test their credibility as best as you can.

Cheers and good luck,