BitTorrent Bundle Launches With Robust In-Torrent Direct-to-Fan Features
BitTorrent Bundles debuted in Alpha yesterday with a promo package from Ultra Music's Kaskade who's building up to the release of his "Freaks of Nature Tour" DVD. The BitTorrent Bundle takes their earlier promo packages, a bundle of digital content, and adds features such as email collection and in-torrent transactions to create a true Direct-to-Fan torrent. If made available to a wider range of content creators, BitTorrent Bundles could one day become a standard D2F promotional tool.
BitTorrent Bundles come with this About message:
"Welcome to the first media store by the people, for the people. BitTorrent Bundles is where you can access a world of content, direct from artists. Browse titles from some of our favorite creators. Unlock music and film exclusives. Play what you want. Pay what you want."
Introducing BitTorrent Bundle
In the case of the debut Kaskade bundle, the landing page has a preview video for the upcoming "Freaks of Nature Tour" DVD. Downloading the bundle gets you free content and giving your email address frees more.
The approach to gating, giving something to get content, was described in an email from BitTorrent:
"Download the BitTorrent Bundle and there will be free content for fans up front. Share your email address and you will unlock additional premium content. In theory the gate could be a pay gate, or a pay-what-you-want-gate or a drive to iTunes or a like on Facebook. We feel that should be up to the content creator."
This is an Alpha release, so things will certainly change. Here's more on the initial release with Kaskade and Ultra Music including this description of in-torrent features:
"The BitTorrent Bundle is not an album, an MP3, or an MOV. It’s a multimedia format. It’s an early build of a new type of torrent file where fan interaction, like email collection or donation, happens inside the torrent."
The currently available bundles were previously released as BitTorrent's monetized bundles. So the new bundles may simply represent improved in-torrent features from curated BitTorrent promotions or may be the testing grounds for what could be a powerful promotional tool for DIY artists.
More:
DJ Shadow Releases First Monetized BitTorrent Bundle
BitTorrent's Legitimacy Offensive: Media Appearances, Patent, Alex Day's Million Downloads
Hypebot Senior Contributor Clyde Smith (@fluxresearch/@crowdfundingm) also blogs at Flux Research and Crowdfunding For Musicians. To suggest topics for Hypebot, contact: clyde(at)fluxresearch(dot)com.
