Comedians get to say what most of us think but don’t have the courage or circumstance to say.  Louis CK has a fantastic new special out (warning: if you are easily offended this is definitely not for you) that is full of hilarious but also poignant observations about the human condition.  That special also marks a critical breakthrough in the future of content: it is a paid direct to consumer distribution. 

If you like his style of comedy (as I do), head on over to LouisCK.net and pay your 5 bucks via PayPal.  In return you can stream the special up to twice and download it without DRM.  Yes that’s right – absolutely no DRM of any kinds so you can watch it on any device you have and as many times as you want to.  All the money goes to Louis CK.  He did a show at the Beacon Theater to which he owns all the rights.  There is no intermediary here (other than Paypal for payments).

It will be very interesting to see how many people will conclude that this is a fair price and a good user experience that directly benefits the creator and as a result will pay instead of trying to get the show for free off a torrent or illegal download site.  Louis CK has this to say on the subject: “Please bear in mind that I am not a company or a corporation. I’m just some guy. I paid for the production and posting of this video with my own money. I would like to be able to post more material to the fans in this way, which makes it cheaper for the buyer and more pleasant for me.”

While I don’t think the experience is perfect, I love the direct connection between creator and viewer (or listener).  Here are some ways it could be better: there could be some social integration, there could be additional (even very short) content or some other item to be rolled into a slightly more expensive bundle (for purposes of price discrimination).  Nonetheless, I paid my 5 bucks and it was well worth it.  I will happily do the same again when Louis CK comes out with his next special.  And I will happily do this for other artists and creators.  This is the future of paid content.