This morning I got this email from Rob Millis from Dynamo Player with the news they are shutting down. I wrote about the shock waves Dynamo sent through the distribution world a few years ago, after which Distrify and Vimeo also joined the game by offering pay-to-view services. It’s a sad day as Dynamo were front runners and we should all congratulate them on showing us a new way to get our films seen.
Dear Dynamo Filmmakers, Distributors, Producers and Media Makers,
It is time to shut down Dynamo.
After more than three years of helping shape the landscape for online film and video distribution, it is clear that the Dynamo platform comes very close to what the industry needs, but it is not sustainable at this time.
We sought to provide the most open system we could, enabling anyone to sign up for free and immediately begin distributing programs online with a simple and transparent revenue sharing agreement. The potential for Dynamo was huge, and the overall opportunity in the marketplace remains huge. Unfortunately, the support and maintenance required to effectively serve the long tail of the independent film and video market has been too costly to maintain in terms of time, management, hand holding and missed opportunities.
Dynamo was one of the first companies to prove the potential for direct-to-fan video rentals and sales. In fact our earliest projections for the rise of VOD and demise of the DVD were almost exactly dead on, and the general market continues to grow for direct-to-consumer distribution. Yet, as any investor will tell you, there is a huge difference between being right about the marketplace and successfully running a business in that market.
Over the next couple of months we will steadily close out accounts and shut everything down. You will receive an email shortly with instructions to collect funds and close your account. All users will receive the funds that remain in their accounts. As we try to settle many of these at once, we ask that you be patient if payout requests and support requests take longer than usual. By the middle of June we will shut down technical support and your existing video players will not work. By the end of June all funds will be paid out and all operations will shut down completely.
In the meantime, we encourage you to consider working with Distrify or Vimeo Pro for continued hosting and delivery. Each has its pros and cons, but both provide good alternatives. Please avoid a lack of service by beginning this transition now.
Thank you for your years of partnership. It has been a pleasure to work with all of you. Together we really did help shape the evolution of contemporary media.
Best regards and many thanks,
Rob Millis, Founder
A sad day and I would like to thank Rob and his team for their amazing innovative efforts that has really driven film distribution technology forward. Have a beer on us!
Onwards and upwards!
Chris Jones
My movies www.LivingSpiritGroup.com
My Facebook www.Facebook.com/ChrisJonesFilmmaker
My Twitter @LivingSpiritPix
I think a user wants a “one-stop-shop” for their content – one site or app where they can watch their favourite show, their favourite film or browse for undiscovered gems whoever the distributor or production company. If a film is made by Warner Brothers, Castle Rock or an indie doesn’t matter to the end-user. Apple, Amazon or Netflix seem to be the only companies who are big enough to guarantee large libraries and even so there is a lot of content which is exclusive to only one provider. I don’t have the time to look around the web for content and I don’t have the money to subscribe to both Netflix and LoveFilm.
Agreed, but where Dynamo was interesting, is they offered a platform for content creators with hyper engaged micro audiences. The promise was, bring 10,000 engaged audience members and you have a business, albeit a modest business.