Author Topic: Escape Artists Metacast  (Read 83723 times)

Fenrix

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Reply #25 on: October 14, 2013, 07:32:47 PM
Escape Pod is pro-pay (0.05 per word for original 0.03 per word for reprint), while PseudoPod and PodCastle are semi-pro ($100 for full length and $20 for flash). I would estimate ~$20k for just stories per year.

No clue about server costs and the staff compensation is a pittance even before you compare it to the time invested. Plus there's a volunteer army of narrators and such that get nothing for their trouble but warm fuzzies.

My warm fuzzies cause me to sleep lightly. I keep waking up and they're lurking in the corner, and they hide that pillow behind their back as if I couldn't see them...
« Last Edit: October 14, 2013, 07:34:48 PM by Fenrix »

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Juliasd

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Reply #26 on: October 14, 2013, 07:59:39 PM
I'm so glad you all gave us the real skinny on what's needed to keep Escape Artists going.  I listen to all three of the podcasts and I have for years.  You guys have gotten me through times of financial hardship and helped inspire me along the way.  I think it's about time I gave back, and I'm glad you reminded me how much it is needed.  I'm a subscriber now and am posting around the web to spread the word.  I hope all of the combined and continued listener support you get from the metacast satisfies your financial needs and keeps the pod going.



Bdoomed

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Reply #27 on: October 14, 2013, 08:03:44 PM
Yeah, running a full length story every week for a year would cost Pseudopod alone $5,200.  Factor in a few flash on the borderlands and it goes down by about $200 perhaps per year.  Double the $5,000 left over for a rough estimate of PodCastle, and you're at $10,000 for the semi-pro casts.  Escape Pod probably runs hotter than either of the other two since it's pro-paying.  Then factor in server costs and you probably do hit about $20,000.  

Not sure what the staff make, but it seems really meager.

I'd like to hear my options, so I could weigh them, what do you say?
Five pounds?  Six pounds? Seven pounds?


Dem

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Reply #28 on: October 14, 2013, 09:55:05 PM
Been subscribing for a while - give or take the odd change-of-card hiccup - so I've put out a link to the metacast on twitter. Hope it brings in some new paying punters pdq :)

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scarbarough

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Reply #29 on: October 14, 2013, 10:45:13 PM
Add on one more person who's now subscribing - I've meant to for a while, but never got around to it...hearing the metacast, and the possibility that the group might not be able to continue past the end of the year, finally gave me the impetus.

Thanks for all you do!



adrianh

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Reply #30 on: October 14, 2013, 11:31:33 PM
I've been listening since pretty much episode one of Escape Pod (I think I came in at episode eight or nine - but then went back)... but have either been too poor or, more recently, too lazy to subscribe.

$5pm subscription from October. Done. Fixed that.

That just leaves the back pay from May 2005 to September 2013 == 8 years  + 4 months == 100 months.

Gosh - that's an enticingly round number isn't it.

Since I didn't always have enough spare cash to subscribe over that time - let's call it $2pm to make it a nice round one-off $200.

Also done.

Folks - for those who are luck enough to be able to afford it - consider back pay. The lovely EA folk deserve it.



matweller

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Reply #31 on: October 15, 2013, 01:00:09 AM
I've been listening since pretty much episode one of Escape Pod (I think I came in at episode eight or nine - but then went back)... but have either been too poor or, more recently, too lazy to subscribe.

$5pm subscription from October. Done. Fixed that.

That just leaves the back pay from May 2005 to September 2013 == 8 years  + 4 months == 100 months.

Gosh - that's an enticingly round number isn't it.

Since I didn't always have enough spare cash to subscribe over that time - let's call it $2pm to make it a nice round one-off $200.

Also done.

Folks - for those who are luck enough to be able to afford it - consider back pay. The lovely EA folk deserve it.

Wow. Your generosity leaves me speechless.



BionicValkyrie

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Reply #32 on: October 15, 2013, 01:26:04 AM
Count me in as a new subscriber ...longtime listener.

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Scattercat

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Reply #33 on: October 15, 2013, 02:18:14 AM
Most excellent!



NYCTom

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Reply #34 on: October 15, 2013, 03:21:44 AM
Julie (my wife) and I just pledged $10/mth. Love these podcasts. Hopefully we'll cover ourselves and then a few other people.



DKT

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Reply #35 on: October 15, 2013, 04:23:24 AM
Just wanted to say thank you all so much. Everyone here at Escape Artists loves what we do, and we want to continue to bring great stories to you after this year. You all are making it possible, and the responses here really means a lot to all of us. Thank you.


Cheshire_Snark

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Reply #36 on: October 15, 2013, 09:51:40 AM
I'm so glad to hear you can take money through Dwolla... I've been hesitant to subscribe due to bad experiences with Paypal in the past, but now I can happily support you every month, and I'll give a back-payment for all the awesome stories you've given over the last few years I've been listening as well.

Do you sell t-shirts or any such thing?



raetsel

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Reply #37 on: October 15, 2013, 12:02:12 PM


The easiest way would be to cancel your existing subscription and start a new one at the new level you'd like to donate.  It will take money out of your paypal account a second time, but if the extra payment puts a crimp on your paypal balance you can E-mail me or PM me directly and, with some details from you, I can essentialy issue a refund to reverse your first donation back to you.


A couple of people have talked about starting additional subscriptions to cover the sister podcasts but I guess that will increase the overall admin charge from paypal as that is per transaction?

Also I can use one of my favourite words and ask you to confirm there's no "hypothecation" and the donations all go into EA funds to be used to cover all the podcasts regardless of the nominal source of the donation?



Varda

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Reply #38 on: October 15, 2013, 12:10:32 PM


The easiest way would be to cancel your existing subscription and start a new one at the new level you'd like to donate.  It will take money out of your paypal account a second time, but if the extra payment puts a crimp on your paypal balance you can E-mail me or PM me directly and, with some details from you, I can essentialy issue a refund to reverse your first donation back to you.


A couple of people have talked about starting additional subscriptions to cover the sister podcasts but I guess that will increase the overall admin charge from paypal as that is per transaction?

Also I can use one of my favourite words and ask you to confirm there's no "hypothecation" and the donations all go into EA funds to be used to cover all the podcasts regardless of the nominal source of the donation?

From what I understand it all goes into a common pot used to support all three podcasts. Donating to one is a donation to EA overall.

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NoSleep Podcast

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Reply #39 on: October 15, 2013, 12:16:47 PM
As the producer of the horror audio fiction show, The NoSleep Podcast, I am in full support of the excellent work provided by the Escape Artists family.  I am proud to be a donor to Pseudopod (a show I consider to be my friendly big brother) and was thrilled to be able to sponsor a couple of episodes this summer.

Let me reiterate the message clearly stated in the latest metacast:  PODCASTS ARE NOT FREE!  Even if the episodes are made available at no cost the work that goes into producing and hosting them costs serious moolah.  I was shocked (but frankly not surprised) when Paul said that less than 1% of listeners have donated to the shows.  That has to change.

My show recently moved to a premium subscription model.  I make a shorter version of each episode available for free and the full-length version requires a "Season Pass".  The price works out to less than 40 cents per hour of content.  And yet even at that bargain basement price the number of subscribers is low.

We need to continue to spread the word that podcasts will no longer reside one step below middle school talent show in the entertainment realm.  When the quality of the product is a good as what Escape Artists provides they should no longer have to beg for dollars.  You listen?  You donate. 

On behalf of myself and the listeners of The NoSleep Podcast, EA can count on $20 per month.



wossName

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Reply #40 on: October 15, 2013, 01:29:00 PM
It looks like Dwolla.com can only be used by people in the US. Do you have anything else planned? I recently read that Amazon is going to open up their payment system to third parties, maybe that's an option.



DAstronomer

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Reply #41 on: October 15, 2013, 03:13:04 PM
Hi gang,
Long time lurker here. You finally did it - not only did you get me on the fora for all 3 podcasts, but you got me to donate. Sadly, I am a poor journeyman astronomer, so it's fairly minimal. I've got my fingers crossed for EA!



Gamercow

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Reply #42 on: October 15, 2013, 03:14:28 PM
I had a bank card failure in March(Lost it on the way to Pax East), and never re-upped my subscription on the new card.  In April, my commute changed from 40 minutes to 15 minutes, and I stopped listening to the 'casts.  In August/September, I started up again, because the afternoon drive-time sports guys are depressing and angry, and it was making me depressing and angry. So in order to change my mood, I changed my focus, and have started listening to Escape Pod again, and will start up with Podcastle again soon, I'm sure.  Pseudopod is not my thing, because horror is not my thing, but there are folks out there that love that pod and not the other 2 pods, and they deserve to get their entertainment too.  

I spent more in restaurants this weekend than a whole year of subscribing cost me last year, and I find that silly.  So I've upped my subscription from $5/month to $10/month.  Hope that helps the fight against the red and keeps all 3 pods alive.

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Hilary Moon Murphy

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Reply #43 on: October 15, 2013, 03:36:59 PM
Hey guys --

I've always donated my payments straight back to the castle, but I never subscribed as a listener.  I can certainly afford five dollars a month.  I'll have to look at my finances to see if I can do a back pay option to you as well.

Keep us posted on this fundraiser!  Stephen Eley told me that "Run of the Fiery Horse" was one of the first stories bought for the castle... An honor I'll never forget.  Podcastle gave me hope as a writer when I needed it most, and continues to inspire me.

Big hugs to all of you!

Hmm


Scattercat

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Reply #44 on: October 15, 2013, 03:58:09 PM
Every little bit helps, guys.  If everyone who listened to the podcast dropped us even a single dime, we'd still be well in the black.  Don't feel bad if you can't make a grand gesture.  (But if you can and want to make a grand gesture, do please feel free to do so.  :-D)

I can't speak about a lot of the specifics of running the 'casts, but I don't mind revealing that I, at least, get a $50 monthly stipend for my work slush-wrangling.  (That works out to an hourly rate of about two bucks an hour, by my back-of-the-napkin guesstimate of the time I spend.  Less if you subtract my existing subscriptions to EA.  :-D) 

The slushers are unpaid volunteers and should be given cookies and praise for the time they spend. 



Fenrix

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Reply #45 on: October 15, 2013, 04:08:03 PM
As the producer of the horror audio fiction show, The NoSleep Podcast, I am in full support of the excellent work provided by the Escape Artists family.  I am proud to be a donor to Pseudopod (a show I consider to be my friendly big brother) and was thrilled to be able to sponsor a couple of episodes this summer.

Let me reiterate the message clearly stated in the latest metacast:  PODCASTS ARE NOT FREE!  Even if the episodes are made available at no cost the work that goes into producing and hosting them costs serious moolah.  I was shocked (but frankly not surprised) when Paul said that less than 1% of listeners have donated to the shows.  That has to change.

My show recently moved to a premium subscription model.  I make a shorter version of each episode available for free and the full-length version requires a "Season Pass".  The price works out to less than 40 cents per hour of content.  And yet even at that bargain basement price the number of subscribers is low.

We need to continue to spread the word that podcasts will no longer reside one step below middle school talent show in the entertainment realm.  When the quality of the product is a good as what Escape Artists provides they should no longer have to beg for dollars.  You listen?  You donate. 

On behalf of myself and the listeners of The NoSleep Podcast, EA can count on $20 per month.

Many thanks and congrats on the Parsec win.

All cat stories start with this statement: “My mother, who was the first cat, told me this...”


pitmonkey

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Reply #46 on: October 15, 2013, 04:22:23 PM
Proud 1%.  The only time in my life I will be able to say that!  I can honestly say I do not even notice the $5, that is a single freaking soy quad half caf pumpkin latte no whip extra nutmeg, ONCE A MONTH!  This needs to get done.  


Come on 99%, step it up.  

This is the best value on the web at $5 and they are only asking for $2/month.  No brainer. ??? 

« Last Edit: October 15, 2013, 04:24:07 PM by pitmonkey »

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BethPeters

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Reply #47 on: October 15, 2013, 04:47:16 PM
Can't imagine life without Escapepod!  Thanks for the kick in the pants guys, I just subscribed.



reverendshoebox

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Reply #48 on: October 15, 2013, 04:56:47 PM
Message received and understood.  Formerly an occasional donator, I'm now a new member of what I'm hoping is no longer 1% of your audience.

Thanks for the years and hours of entertainment, and here's to many more. 

It was an honor being a part of it with "Eugene" and "Like A Hawk In Its Gyre" and I hope to be able to throw my stupid face-noises at one of your stories again at some point in the future.

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omnijim

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Reply #49 on: October 15, 2013, 05:35:51 PM
I discovered Pseudopod about 6 months ago and was simply floored at the quality of the writing. My meager subscription is long overdue.

Question - amongst your staff, do you have someone who serves as a marketer / community partner? Do you make use of any form of digital advertising? It's the lowest cost, highest ROI if done correctly. I realize that it may seem absurd to suggest spending money on advertising for a free podcast in the midst of a financial crisis (in fact, it probably IS absurd), but the surest way for EA to increase its revenue in the long term is to increase its listener base.

Anyhow, this is probably all stuff you've already heard of and/or considered, but if not, I am happy to help and can be reached at yeahjim at f+1mail.com. I can also be reached at the end of the road past the interstate. Just drive to the last dilapidated house, turn right at the rotten tree stump, keep going past the emaciated coyotes whose eyes seem to judge you, and park as soon as the stars on the horizon seem to resemble some obscene tableau from an age best forgotten. I won't be far off.

Thank you SO MUCH for providing the best part of my daily commute.