Indie Filmmakers Waiting on Major Payments from iTunes and Amazon As Distribber Faces Financial Woes
Distribber, a service that acts as a middleman between independent filmmakers and streaming platforms, has tapped a firm that specializes in bankruptcy reorganization as clients say they’re owed thousands in royalty payments they worry they might never see.
Aggregators like Distribber receive filmmakers’ work and, for a fee, will encode and post it on multiple platforms for streaming, rental, or purchase, then collect the revenue and cut the checks. In theory, anyway.
In December, director Todd Jenkins used the service to send his horror comedy “Cherokee Creek” to iTunes, Amazon, Vudu, and Google Play. He went on to collect about $2,150 for the few days that remained in the final quarter of 2018. But he hasn’t received a dime for 2019 sales, he said.
Distribber, which recently stopped accepting new orders, kept its users abreast of sales though an online dashboard — they have no access to direct information from the sales platforms.
Aggregators like Distribber receive filmmakers’ work and, for a fee, will encode and post it on multiple platforms for streaming, rental, or purchase, then collect the revenue and cut the checks. In theory, anyway.
In December, director Todd Jenkins used the service to send his horror comedy “Cherokee Creek” to iTunes, Amazon, Vudu, and Google Play. He went on to collect about $2,150 for the few days that remained in the final quarter of 2018. But he hasn’t received a dime for 2019 sales, he said.
Distribber, which recently stopped accepting new orders, kept its users abreast of sales though an online dashboard — they have no access to direct information from the sales platforms.
- 10/5/2019
- by Chris Lindahl
- Indiewire
The independent film world has been rattled recently by the apparent closure of do-it-yourself digital distributor Distribber and its parent GoDigital Inc.
Los Angeles-based Distribber was launched more than a decade ago as a means of allowing filmmakers to access digital distribution platforms and to monitor their earnings in exchange for an upfront flat fee. Filmmakers would keep 100% of all revenue generated.
GoDigital Inc. bought Distribber in 2015 for a low seven-figure price in cash and stock. At that point, Distribber was acting as a go-between for filmmakers, charging a one-time fee of $1,595 for iTunes placement, then $150 per year for account access, collection and sales stats. Its titles included Tribeca Film Festival film “An Honest Liar,” James Colquhon’s “Food Matters” and Kimberly and Foster Gable’s “Thrive.”
Reports began emerging last month that the companies had closed down without explanation. The web site currently says, “At this time, Distribber is not accepting any new orders.
Los Angeles-based Distribber was launched more than a decade ago as a means of allowing filmmakers to access digital distribution platforms and to monitor their earnings in exchange for an upfront flat fee. Filmmakers would keep 100% of all revenue generated.
GoDigital Inc. bought Distribber in 2015 for a low seven-figure price in cash and stock. At that point, Distribber was acting as a go-between for filmmakers, charging a one-time fee of $1,595 for iTunes placement, then $150 per year for account access, collection and sales stats. Its titles included Tribeca Film Festival film “An Honest Liar,” James Colquhon’s “Food Matters” and Kimberly and Foster Gable’s “Thrive.”
Reports began emerging last month that the companies had closed down without explanation. The web site currently says, “At this time, Distribber is not accepting any new orders.
- 10/1/2019
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
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