You want me to name names, Jon? Well, I am not nor have I ever been... I will venture my opinion that the model adopted by Alexander Street Press might be on the right track (up front buy-in (too high, I feel, in the case of ASP) and a yearly (low-ish) maintenance fee. The issue I have with ASP is their "Curated Collections" model, which forces one to take the whole database--including the good, the middling, and the never-to-be watched.
My guess is that if the technology were shaken down adequately and the pricing made reasonable, the number of those putting their nickel on remote access (including me) would be considerably higher. There are only really a few compelling reasons to stream stuff from a local server (besides the distributor's inability to deliver): 1) The local ability to tweek the image, call the shots about formats/standards, and wrap the stuff in customized metadata and access tools) 2) possibly more robust network access. The most compelling reason to go local is one which seems to be the most contractually fuzzy: the ability to retain and deliver a title locally, even if the title drops out of a vendor's catalog. If DVDs eventually go the way of laserdiscs and other dead media, with streamed delivery being the only delivery form, we're definitely gonna have to figure something out. I have a feeling that our legal folk are going to get pickier and picker about signing licenses that don't have this kind of clause (as do many, if not most, commercial full-text databases) ...and, yeah, your conclusions sound like a reasonable description of the scene, August 2010. > Dear Gary > > Well, yeah. And if we offered to give it away that would be even more > popular. (well maybe, not so many of you took us up on that offer, > actually) > > > A) there may have been problems with how some of the questions in the > survey > were constructed, but not, I think, the ones I reference and report on the > results of below. > > B) The main companies that are streaming from their servers to users now, > as > far as I know, are not charging extremely high prices. Who is offering > streaming now at "Exorbitant" prices and any of the usage is from them? Or > are you saying FMG and Ambrose and New Day are charging exhorbitant > prices? > Is Alexander Street? Please be specific. > > Also you don't respond to the figures we DID collect, however un > scientific > (or do you know of a better scientific source of such info/data? I don't). > > So, let's round it off and try it this way: half or less of you are > currently streaming media (from our sites or your own) > > And about half of the videolib universe would like to stream, when they do > stream, from our sites - and half of you would like to / will / are able > to > do it yourselves. Does that sound right to you? > > AND, of the current media usage by video lib people out there - only a > small > part of it is streaming or digital so far, and most of it (well over 75%) > is > still DVD > > Do you those three 'conclusions' sound reason able to you? > > Thanks! > > JM > > > > > > > Jonathan Miller > President > Icarus Films > 32 Court Street, 21st Floor > Brooklyn, NY 11201 USA > > tel 1.718.488.8900 > fax 1.718.488.8642 > www.IcarusFilms.com > jmil...@icarusfilms.com > > > -----Original Message----- > From: videolib-boun...@lists.berkeley.edu > [mailto:videolib-boun...@lists.berkeley.edu] On Behalf Of > ghand...@library.berkeley.edu > Sent: Tuesday, August 24, 2010 6:04 PM > To: videolib@lists.berkeley.edu > Subject: Re: [Videolib] Some survey results > > Hey Jon > > Interesting (if inconclusive) stuff. There are some logical flaws in this > survey (and your conclusion) I think. The survey responses are, of > course, > based on services, content, and technology currently available. > They're also based on current pricing schemes. > > The real question to ask, I think, would be "how many of you would opt for > subscribing to remote (i.e. vendor-side) access if: 1) network delivery > were relatively stable for multiple concurrent users 2) image resolution > were sufficient for study-level access 3) continuing access to individual > titles were relatively stable (i.e. we could be sure that the carpet > wouldn't be whisked out from under us whenever distributor/filmmaker > contracts expired 4) pricing was flexible enough to allow both > single-semester and longer term-access > > And the real kicker: how many would get into this business more earnestly > (either for the short or long haul) if currently unrealistic pricing > structure for digital delivery (including the necessity of paying over and > over for access to the same title) didn't preclude it. > > gary handman > >> Dear videlib universe >> >> As some of you noticed we recently did a survey asking some questions >> of our customers (hopefully you all ARE customers!) and some of the >> answers might be interesting. >> >> So far we received 76 responses. >> >> Of these: >> >> 1) 60% of you do NOT license streaming or download rights (40% do) >> >> 2) of those 82% license rights for more than one semester (one year >> term or >> longer) >> >> 3) so that is .82 x .40 = just 33% of you (?) license rights (for a >> year or >> more) >> >> 4) additionally, when you do license rights, 59% is from the >> distributor's web site, and 41% from your own or a local server. >> >> 5) broken down further: >> >> Of the 59% who do license rights from the distributor's web site, 12% >> do so "as needed" for a semester or one class, and 88% do so for a >> year or more >> >> Which, if my math and logic is correct(dicey) - that means that >> >> Only 59% of 82% of 40% of you a) license rights for a year or more AND >> b) access the digital files from the distributor's web site. >> >> Which is (Drum roll): only 19% of you actually need us to make >> available this sort of service? >> >> >> >> Interesting (?) results # 2: >> >> We asked what percentage of your media usage and expenditure is for >> online/streaming, vs. DVD purchases. >> >> Re usage: >> >> 85% of you said 20% or LESS >> 74% said 90% or MORE (44% said 100%!) >> >> Re expenditures: >> >> 81% said 20% or Less >> 78% said 90% or More >> >> >> >> I know it is a small and non-scientific sample. Maybe we should >> pretend it never happened. But - any thoughts on this? >> >> Thanks! >> >> Best, >> >> Jonathan >> >> >> Jonathan Miller >> President >> Icarus Films >> 32 Court Street, 21st Floor >> Brooklyn, NY 11201 USA >> >> tel 1.718.488.8900 >> fax 1.718.488.8642 >> www.IcarusFilms.com >> jmil...@icarusfilms.com >> >> >> >> >> VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of >> issues relating to the selection, evaluation, >> acquisition,bibliographic control, preservation, and use of current >> and evolving video formats in libraries and related institutions. It >> is hoped that the list will serve as an effective working tool for >> video librarians, as well as a channel of communication between >> libraries,educational institutions, and video producers and >> distributors. >> > > > Gary Handman > Director > Media Resources Center > Moffitt Library > UC Berkeley > > 510-643-8566 > ghand...@library.berkeley.edu > http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/MRC > > "I have always preferred the reflection of life to life itself." > --Francois Truffaut > > > VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of > issues > relating to the selection, evaluation, acquisition,bibliographic control, > preservation, and use of current and evolving video formats in libraries > and > related institutions. It is hoped that the list will serve as an effective > working tool for video librarians, as well as a channel of communication > between libraries,educational institutions, and video producers and > distributors. > > > > > VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of > issues relating to the selection, evaluation, acquisition,bibliographic > control, preservation, and use of current and evolving video formats in > libraries and related institutions. It is hoped that the list will serve > as an effective working tool for video librarians, as well as a channel of > communication between libraries,educational institutions, and video > producers and distributors. > Gary Handman Director Media Resources Center Moffitt Library UC Berkeley 510-643-8566 ghand...@library.berkeley.edu http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/MRC "I have always preferred the reflection of life to life itself." --Francois Truffaut VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of issues relating to the selection, evaluation, acquisition,bibliographic control, preservation, and use of current and evolving video formats in libraries and related institutions. It is hoped that the list will serve as an effective working tool for video librarians, as well as a channel of communication between libraries,educational institutions, and video producers and distributors.
