A couple of weeks ago, I posted about comedian Jim Gaffigan’s plans to release his next special DRM-free and for just $5, a la Louis CK. Today, we find out that another comedian, Aziz Ansari, has decided to take the same route. His special is called Dangerously Delicious, and was filmed at some stop during his 2010 tour. It’s noted that all content is fresh, unless of course you happened to catch him on the tour.
The Parks and Recreation star is offering the Dangerously Delicious special through his official website, and after purchasing (PayPal only), you’ll be given access to stream it a total of three times and download it a total of five times. In addition, Aziz provides a ZIP archive that contains some miscellaneous goodies, including artwork needed to create your own DVD cover.
Unlike Jim Gaffigan and Louis CK, Aziz makes no mention of donating any of the proceeds to charity, so he’s not following the other schemes to a T. But to be fair, Louis CK didn’t make mention of charity up-front either, but rather decided that after-the-fact (no doubt to see just how well the sales fared).
I admit I am not familiar with Aziz at all, but I jumped on a purchase because I respect this way of selling content. Plus, he makes you feel special with the e-mail you’ll receive automatically:
OH SHIITTTT!!!! Thanks for buying my new comedy special!!! THAT $5 IS MINE SON. Just kidding, but seriously it is. I worked hard to write, tour, and film the special though so it’s cool right? Seriously, thank you for your support.
With Aziz’s release, it’s become apparent that a lot of comedians are considering releasing their upcoming specials this way. It seems unlikely that the names won’t keep coming out, and this to me, is a great thing. $5 a show? Seems like a bargain to me.