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It is an excellent idea. However, in regards to the price, I should mention that most magazine subscriptions have a yearly charge, rather than monthly, and it is not as high as $10 a month, which is $120 a year. Also, they have the printing to worry about; you will have forums and gross piracy as your two hurdles.

I'm not haggling for content, but as a purely business proposition (I R business major in training), if your going to charge more than a magazine subscription, you have to have more content, or better content, or more convenient content.

More or better are self explanatory, and I seriously doubt if Superhandz would have a problem with either, but it leads to the third question:

Convenient content: downloadable full instructional videos would be the cream of the crop here. Articles and extended pictures a second.
Both of which will find their way to youtube or demonoid, as mentioned above, and your stance against those is open and justified.

So,
A) Wind up with a high price that only a few will pay as hardcore fans with a miserly amount of content
B) Quality site with shloads of content that everyone wants, and many will cheat to get
Either of which stand at "Lower price = more members" and what the fine tune thereof is.

I would suggest either
Handle it close to a magazine, with magazine subscription prices, and a magazines miserly core content, or
Handle it as one of your closed forums, with free open discussion and move sharing. User evolving content cannot be fully pirated because it always changes, and with the give-away tutorials and contests your already doing.

I imagine most of this has already been thought of and hashed out internally at superhandz, but it bears writing out here, since this is a discussion thread.


In answer, I would pay monthly for an online magazine with new tutorials and info.
I would pay more for an openly interactive website in the style of this one, with full access.

Interaction directly with YOU, the artist, is an unquestionable commodity, and the most valuable part of what this website could be along with something that really can't be pirated. The ability to ask questions, discuss with artists, even if by posts, is the next best thing to having private lessons, and its damn sure more valuable than a DVD, no matter how well done. If Jerry and De'vo have the time to invest in that, I think it would be well worth the money, and it cannot be replicated on demonoid, or anywhere else. Next best thing to being there. This also demands a higher price, and a certain amount of exclusivity that is inherent in shelling out money per month: being a MEMBER, if you will. Also, this allows Superhandz to know artists more personally, and control content leaks more thoroughly. At best, a new Ciappi could be found this way: we would become students in an online classroom.

If Jerry and De'vo don't have the available time for that kind of interaction on the subscription website, then I would argue it would be like a magazine. Quality of content, quantity, price, advertising, interviews, articles, even contests, are relative and obviously adjusted to price. Its a wonderful thought, but not as valuable to artists as the above, and therefor not worth as much. Obviously it requires less personal touches and time commitment as well.


De', which of these was superhandz intending? An exclusive classroom, or an XCM online mag? I'd pay for both, but I know what I'd want more.

Sorry, I had to rewrite my post after I read it, which is a problem I seem to have, to make it more clear. I actually thought the magazine was an appropriate analogy.


How much time do you personally wish to invest interacting with members on said website? How about Jerry? I think the "personal touch" would really make things more exclusive, less easy to pirate, and more pricy in value.

So my vote is clear and separate from my discussion: I WOULD subscribe to an online XCM magazine with downloadable content, given reasonable pricing ;)

Regarding piracy, though I hate the format due to severe annoyances, .wmv's have a stronger security rating allowing for licensing.