WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2013 | THE BALL STATE DAILY NEWS | BSUDAILY.COM | PAGE 5
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THURSDAY Students talk about their scary brush with alcohol poisoning and the friends who helped them. Get the facts.
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A professor prepares to open a comic book store and scores a Batmobile for the opening. Take a look at their collection.
What does your phone say about you? Studies correlate characteristics with what phone you carry in your pocket.
CUTTING OUT THE MIDDLEMAN RAXX: Sisters juggle school, part-time JEREMY IRVIN NO SLEEP TILL MUNCIE JEREMY IRVIN IS A SOPHOMORE JOURNALISM MAJOR AND WRITES ‘NO SLEEP TILL MUNCIE’ FOR THE DAILY NEWS. HIS VIEWS DO NOT NECESSARILY AGREE WITH THOSE OF THE NEWSPAPER. WRITE TO JEREMY AT JRERVIN@BSU.EDU.
In December of 2011, standup comedian Louis C.K. released his special “Live at Beacon Theatre� for direct sale on his website for $5. The format and distribution method made the files extremely easy to pirate, but people paid anyway. Within 12 days of the release, C.K. had made more than $1 million. Fellow comic Joe Rogan followed suit in the wake of his success. In late July, C.G.P. Grey introduced a “voluntary subscription� to help support his free educational videos on YouTube. Using the crowd source funding website subbable.com, he raised his monthly contribution goal in only five hours. Current contributions stand at 191 percent of his requested funds. Through the use of the Internet artists, writers, musicians and more are able to distribute their content directly to their audience using some pretty atypical business models. While record labels and movie studios struggle to staunch their losses to piracy by suing individuals, shutting down file sharing sites and placing limitations on the use of their content, smaller, more open operations flourish online. Internet technology allows creators to promote and distribute their own content without the help of an agent or publishing company. The stream-lined nature of this new form of distribution is changing the way people create their content as well. When you cut out the middleman, the only authority is the voice of the audience. For example, small bands with a following will no longer be forced to make their music more “commercially viable� in order to have it distributed. While a large record company may offer more opportunity and exposure than sites like YouTube, individuals now have the tools they need to promote their own product their own way, nearly for free. But this new type of distribution is not without its challenges. The reality is that you can’t maintain a professional creative project without money. One way to make money is to introduce a paywall. This follows the traditional business model of “pay me or no content.� While places online do this, such as newspapers, this makes content less accessible to the public. One of the biggest advantages of the Internet is that almost anyone can access it almost anywhere pretty much for free and this business model cancels out part of this advantage. Secondly, there’s advertising. While annoying, advertisements let creators give their stuff away for free. The downside is that the advertisements pay very little, so only popular, well established projects receive much real support from them. Advertisements also have a nasty habit of changing the style of content without issuing any direct demands. The advertising-based business model wants content in smaller chunks more regularly. The quality of the content doesn’t matter as much as total number of views. This creates incentive for creators to pay more attention to their hit counts and less attention to their audience. Lastly, there’s direct distribution. The goal of this method is to make the stuff people want as easy to get and use as possible. For some projects that may mean giving it away; for others, selling at a low price with almost no usage restriction. When you first look at this option, it seems silly. Give away your stuff and hope people don’t steal it? Absurd. However, I think it’s the best option of the three. It lets the audience see if they like your content before they spend money on it. Yes, they absolutely can enjoy it and not give you a single dime. In some cases, others may be able to pirate the content to the same effect. However, this way of doing things works. The projects at the beginning of this article are only a few of many examples that if you make something good and let people see it, they will reward you. It may be kind of sappy, but this gives me a lot of hope for the future and says something very beautiful about human nature. People are building relationships with the people who make the things they enjoy and rewarding them. It would be cheaper and easier to steal and take, and give nothing back. But people give back anyway. They want to see others grow, develop and keep doing what they do. The audience is happy. The artist is happy. Everyone grows. If that isn’t progress, I don’t know what is.
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jobs and putting together fashion line | CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
put toward school and make both successful, all while trying to have fun with our friends,� Kourtney said. Kellin and Kourtney are planning to not only make people look good, but do good — a dollar from each purchase will go to a scholarship fund or a multiple sclerosis charity. Education is important to both sisters, as is the subject of MS. Their mother was diagnosed with MS eight years ago. As RAXX becomes more profitable, the amount the sisters donate will increase. For now, the sisters plan to further develop their online presence and stock up on their merchandise before the website goes live. Their Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr blog are starting to gain a following and their website will be up and running by the end of November. Kellin plans to graduate this spring and continue to enhance the website and get the online store fully established. Once Kourtney’s time at Ball State is complete, the two hope to see a great deal of success that could potentially lead to a physical store. Coming from parents that are business owners, ranging from interior design to business consulting, Kellin and Kourtney said they have learned a lot and have gotten all the advice and the push they need to be successful. “Our parents are very supportive. They want us to start being millionaires,� Kourtney said. With a little more than two months and all the work left to do before the website goes live, sacrifices are being made to get the business where it needs to be. “Having the courage to go after what you want ...,� Kourtney said. “It takes a lot.�
The siblings left their hometown, St. Louis, and came to Muncie — where they pushed their business into full gear. Their fashion creativity developed into RAXX — a clothing and accessory line aimed at women. “I was trying to think of something easier to do while I was in college and then branch out more once I graduated,� Kellin said. “But now we’re making a lot more of our own things.� Originally, Kellin and Kourtney teamed up with two friends to create a fashion line, but eventually the sisters decided to split off and work as a duo. At first, the plan was to make something simple, like scarves. Then the sisters started to create on-trend vintage pieces, such as highwasted distressed shorts. “If I wasn’t working with Kellin I think a lot more problems would arise,� Kourtney said. “I know her weaknesses and she knows mine. We balance each other.� Finding time doesn’t come easy with classes and part-time jobs. Kellin works on campus and Kourtney works at Jimmy Johns — both balancing full academic schedules. It’s not unusual for Kellin to be found sewing pairs of pants late into the night. Along with clothing, they are developing accessories. Kellin and Kourtney are busy making earrings in several styles and colors and are crafting bracelets of wooden beads and charms. Kellin and Kourtney make their clothing by hand and revamp vintage finds for their fashion line. “This is something we are passionate about and we want to put our energy into, but we have to find enough time to
Bleached shorts “We found vintage denim and decided we could just bleach it ourselves for less [money]. They first started bleaching denim when it became a trend,� Kellin said.
Necklace
Another vintage find, and they we’re lucky enough to locate five of them. “We found them with green, blue and brown pendants,� Kourtney said.
Bleached shirt
There was no plan to where the bleach landed when they made this shirt. “We just placed some rubber bands, twisted it a couple times and added the bleach,� Kourtney said.
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Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Today is an 8 -Make a positive commitment. Use what you’ve been saving. Working at home increases your benefits. Abundance can be yours. Lose yourself in an art project.You don’t need to reveal your agenda, yet.
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