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  Subscription Podcasting Comes to Life We've always suspected that, at one point or another, podcasting would become popular enough to attract advertisers to help offset the cost of production of the show. However, as reported yesterday on bit-tech.net, it would appear that a less desirable option is on the horizon.

British Comedian Ricky Gervais and his band of merry misfits will begin bringing their podcast to paying viewers only! But at what cost? The answer to that is, about $7US for 4 half-hour episodes. Hmmmmmm, that seems a bit off, doesn't it? Can I not rent a DVD for less than that? Even from Blockbuster? Isn't that like a tenth of my cable bill? A pack of smokes? A 6-pack?

Don't get me wrong. I believe that podcasters have the right to make some cash, but let's be realistic! I don't know if it's greed or ignorance, really. All I know is that I won't be listening to a paid podcast that forces me to check my bank each month to make sure the payment clears. If you're going to make it a paid service, fine, you do what you like. You will probably lose some purists who believe that podcasting can be free. You may lose some more when you pass the fifty cent mark, maybe some more when you pass the dollar mark. I think you get the point.

As I mentioned before, I'm not against making money with podcasting, but as an initial offering for this type of model I think that the price point that Ricky selected here is ridiculous.

That's Just How It Is,

Brent Paine
PodcastEmpire.com

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