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Post by jasonward on May 22, 2016 12:28:04 GMT
Setting aside audio books (books being read aloud) and productions made originally for broadcast, if you got back 10 years or more, basically the only people I know that were making audio drama for direct sale to the consumer were BF, but as time goes by there seem to be an increasing number of audio drama production makers doing this (many of whom have strong connections to BF).
So am I right? Has BF pioneered a new market? Or was it always there I just didn't know about other producers?
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Post by charlesuirdhein on Jun 4, 2016 21:02:27 GMT
Possbily. It may be an example of early adopters (accidentally) though. It has tapped into the current era's mobility re smartphones/tablets and podcasts and so on, which is a good thing. It was hardly planned though.
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Post by mark687 on Jun 4, 2016 21:15:30 GMT
They're quite possibly Market leaders. I can't think of another provider of so much new content on such a regular basis (around 20hrs per mouth), aside from the BBC.
Regards
mark687
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Post by Ela on Jun 19, 2016 19:02:29 GMT
You could be right jasonward. There has been audio drama around for a long time, but it was mostly broadcast on the radio, not offered for sale to the consumer.
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Post by jasonward on Jun 19, 2016 19:12:51 GMT
Would be great to get the perspective of Bafflegab and other producers. Simon Barnard care to comment?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2016 1:15:40 GMT
On a slghtly related topic, I think its interesting that I see people who are big BF supporters...yet don't seem to care about audio drama in general as a medium. I mean, take the BBC Torchwood radio plays. They were full cast unlike BF and yet a lot of fans just have no interest in ever hearing them despite then subsequently being agog when it was announced that BF had the licence for the same property.
Likewise, on the old forum I remember in a thread where "BF should do James Bond" came up, I linked to the recent series of Bond adaptations that the BBC have done and got more than one "Well...that's not BF" response despite them being wonderful, straight adaptations of the Flemings and the casts containing Ian McKellen, Peter Capaldi, Toby Stephens and many other names that I'm sure Big Finish would kill to get. . I mean, you wouldn't just say "I only watch films from Paramount" or "If it's not Schuster & Schuster, I don't read it" but yet that does seem to be a slight hypocrisy about some (and I stress not all) of BF fandom that they don't bother with other producers of audio. Especially when, with the BBC Radio dramas for one, they're free to listen to from anywhere around the world for quite a while after broadcast.
Of course, we all have jobs, family and other hobbies and there's certainly enough BF to keep us busy but it's worth remembering that there is plenty of astounding audio drama out there that isn't BF.
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Post by kimalysong on Jun 21, 2016 1:23:01 GMT
I feel bad I don't listen to more radio plays but yes for me it's time. I have so much Big Finish to listen to and well I paid for that. I mean I have listened to other radio drama but Big Finish definitely takes up the majority of my time. I still need to get the Star Trek radio drama of City on the Edge of Forever off my computer & onto my phone.
Ironically I started listening to the soundtracks of Doctor Who Missing episodes a little before I got into Big Finish. This was back in 2013. I got through a lot of them but I still haven't heard a few I bought. I keep meaning to listen to them but then I am like more Big Finish.
But to be fair there are some Big Finish titles I bought awhile back I haven't heard yet.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2016 2:00:54 GMT
Yes, I'd imagine time would be the factor for most of us that buy quite a lot of BF.
My point, which I don't think I was clear on reading it back, wasn't meant as a sleight on anyone who doesn't buy/listen to other non-BF output at all but rather to those who ignore the others willfully just because they aren't BF without giving them a chance. Like, as I mentioned, the people who want 50s set James Bond audios but only if Big Finish do it. Or The folks on the BF facebook fan pages that were all over the Tom Baker/Katy Manning project untill they realised it was Bafflegab and not BF and suddenly weren't interested.
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Post by Ela on Jun 21, 2016 4:31:37 GMT
I'll be honest, I never even heard about the Torchwood full cast radio plays until it was announced that Big Finish was doing Torchwood. And I have heard other radio plays, but haven't purchased many that weren't Big Finish ones, with the exception of the Star Wars Humble Bundle I got a while back.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2016 5:35:53 GMT
Big Finish have possibly pioneered the medium in some countries.
Leaving aside radio dramas though, BBV were successfuly selling direct to CD/tape audio dramas for a year or two before Big Finish, so I think BBV earn the crown for pioneering the medium.
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Post by jasonward on Jun 21, 2016 9:40:29 GMT
Big Finish have possibly pioneered the medium in some countries. Leaving aside radio dramas though, BBV were successfuly selling direct to CD/tape audio dramas for a year or two before Big Finish, so I think BBV earn the crown for pioneering the medium. Interesting, but do you think BBV in any sense created a new wide appeal market or did they just feed a niche market? 10 years ago I would have said BF were feeding a niche market, its only been in recent years that I've noticed more entrants into the market, awards etc and that the market is being addressed more as a mass market than the a niche one.
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Post by kimalysong on Jun 21, 2016 9:42:17 GMT
It's definitely still a niche market in my opinion.
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Post by mark687 on Jun 21, 2016 9:57:47 GMT
It's definitely still a niche market in my opinion. it may still be niche but obviously has become somewhat more profitable
Regards
mark687
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shutupbanks
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Post by shutupbanks on Jun 21, 2016 11:11:16 GMT
I think they're one of the most successful companies in an increasingly less niche market.
I've always listened to radio plays or audio plays or books: when I was a student (nearly 30 years ago(!)) I had a lengthy commute and walk every day. I was also involved in student theatre and didn't have a drivers license so I spent more time than was sane on buses. Eventually I started listening to plays and books because I had a walkman and heaps of spare time. They were always around, but not as ubiquitous as they are now. I think a lot of it has to do with the growth of the Internet, as BF were able to exploit a market that previously hadn't existed in large numbers. And in recent years, with the rise of podcasts as a medium (and think where the "pod" in "podcast" comes from), people have been looking for more to listen to, especially those of us who get very easily annoyed at what's happened to radio as a medium. Most of Big Finish's output is easy to listen to and comes in manageable chunks (1 hour stories, mostly, or half-hour episodes).
Cometh the hour, cometh the audioplay!
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Post by Deleted on Jun 25, 2016 13:30:48 GMT
On a slghtly related topic, I think its interesting that I see people who are big BF supporters...yet don't seem to care about audio drama in general as a medium. I mean, take the BBC Torchwood radio plays. They were full cast unlike BF and yet a lot of fans just have no interest in ever hearing them despite then subsequently being agog when it was announced that BF had the licence for the same property. Likewise, on the old forum I remember in a thread where "BF should do James Bond" came up, I linked to the recent series of Bond adaptations that the BBC have done and got more than one "Well...that's not BF" response despite them being wonderful, straight adaptations of the Flemings and the casts containing Ian McKellen, Peter Capaldi, Toby Stephens and many other names that I'm sure Big Finish would kill to get. . I mean, you wouldn't just say "I only watch films from Paramount" or "If it's not Schuster & Schuster, I don't read it" but yet that does seem to be a slight hypocrisy about some (and I stress not all) of BF fandom that they don't bother with other producers of audio. Especially when, with the BBC Radio dramas for one, they're free to listen to from anywhere around the world for quite a while after broadcast. Of course, we all have jobs, family and other hobbies and there's certainly enough BF to keep us busy but it's worth remembering that there is plenty of astounding audio drama out there that isn't BF. I think a big part of it is that for a great many people, Big Finish was their entry point into audio drama, and so their house style and way of doing things is all many are really familiar with. Also, because Big Finish has become such a dominating force within their chosen niche, there is the (in my view, mistaken) belief that anything other than Big Finish is, or might be, somehow a step down in terms of quality, ambition and scope. This, of course, isn't automatically true or necessarily the case, but if feels like that's the perception amongst quite a few BF fans. Combine all that with the usual dolop of just plain brand loyalty, which you get a certain amount of with any entertainment franchise that is as successful as Big Finish has been of pleasing it's core fan base, and the fact that, as you say, there is only so many spare hours in the day, so it is perhaps not surprising that many stick with what they know and already have faith in, and even the economic factor that audio drama, given its niche appeal, isn't exactly cheap to buy in most cases compared to some other entertainments, and there you have it, I think. It isn't always the case, though, as many here would likely attest. Big Finish was my 'gateway drug' into audio drama, as being Australian it wasn't a format that I was ever really exposed to, so I was rather ignorant on the subject before then. The only instance of audio drama I ever heard or recall was Hitchhiker's Guide, which I had somehow heard was going to be broadcast on local am radio back in the early/mid 80's, and which I subsequently tuned in as a kid and listened to (and very much enjoyed). An experience which, oddly enough, stuck with me. And yet it didn't leave me with a hunger for more of the same, and in fact I don't recall ever hearing anything else like that until I was exposed to Big Finish many, many years later. However, even though BF was my (adult) introduction to the possibilities and wonders of the audio drama medium, I have dabbled with other stuff over the years, when some other producer did something that intrigued me, or suited my particular tastes and interests. Maybe because I've never had a particular 'brand loyal' mentality made me more willing to branch out, I don't know. The BBC Torchwood audio dramas you mentioned were actually one such case, others such as Magic Bullet's Kaldor City and Faction Paradox series, and Bafflegab's The Scarifyers, also captured my interest over the years, and proved well worth the effort of tracking down and listening to. And I still have the Nest Cottage saga that I haven't gotten around to listening to, sitting patiently, waiting for me to do so. Got my eye on Bafflegab's upcoming Baker's End series, too, which sounds as mad as a bucket of frogs. So I guess all we can really do is point out to folks when there is something other than Big Finish that we think is worthy of people's attention and consideration, but at the end of the day most folks will probably stick to what they know, as is their want. And so be it.
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Post by mrfuggleboppins on Jul 1, 2016 17:36:46 GMT
On a slghtly related topic, I think its interesting that I see people who are big BF supporters...yet don't seem to care about audio drama in general as a medium. I mean, take the BBC Torchwood radio plays. They were full cast unlike BF and yet a lot of fans just have no interest in ever hearing them despite then subsequently being agog when it was announced that BF had the licence for the same property. Likewise, on the old forum I remember in a thread where "BF should do James Bond" came up, I linked to the recent series of Bond adaptations that the BBC have done and got more than one "Well...that's not BF" response despite them being wonderful, straight adaptations of the Flemings and the casts containing Ian McKellen, Peter Capaldi, Toby Stephens and many other names that I'm sure Big Finish would kill to get. . I mean, you wouldn't just say "I only watch films from Paramount" or "If it's not Schuster & Schuster, I don't read it" but yet that does seem to be a slight hypocrisy about some (and I stress not all) of BF fandom that they don't bother with other producers of audio. Especially when, with the BBC Radio dramas for one, they're free to listen to from anywhere around the world for quite a while after broadcast. Of course, we all have jobs, family and other hobbies and there's certainly enough BF to keep us busy but it's worth remembering that there is plenty of astounding audio drama out there that isn't BF. Or "I only watch Criterion! I only watch Arrow!"
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Post by muckypup on Jul 1, 2016 18:29:06 GMT
I think the trouble (is it trouble?) Big Finsh is now a brand & people trust it. I has big titles and high production values. £10+ for an hour or so is often too much when you consider you can get all you can eat music or movies from the likes of netfilx & spotify
I have bought stuff from loads of other sources and to be honest no one including the BBC (audiogo) are so consistently high, reliable & easy to get hold of.
audible has Problems with it's bit rate for drama and often those seeking it want to keep a copy not have it in a copy protection lock. the collapse of audiogo has left an air of unease over online libraries too.
bafflegab (cosmic hobo before), spiteful puppet & co. are such a daft names many will not seek it or trust it even though there stuff is excellent quality. they might pick up a CD but send someone a Link and they avoid it thinking its a con. trust me I have done this.
wireless theatre company and the like produce good stuff sometimes, but others are so terrible it makes you why bother!
radio 4 & extra have some great shows but they are stuffed in amongst the endless news & lecture programs, you have to seek stuff out & with the current changes the newsletter is now next to useless the website is full of 4 minute clips and the drama budget has been pretty reduced in recent years. to be truthful I could not listen to radio 4, it's so dreary.
and often when they do a big production where is it to buy, the did a brilliant version of T H whites "once & future king", dantes inferno & earthsea.....not available to buy, even the brilliant pilgrim has taken an age to be released!
but i think the biggest bar to people enjoying audio drama is often it takes a while for you to get past the coconut shells for horses, the crisp bags for fire and so on.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 1, 2016 19:05:02 GMT
On a slghtly related topic, I think its interesting that I see people who are big BF supporters...yet don't seem to care about audio drama in general as a medium. I mean, take the BBC Torchwood radio plays. They were full cast unlike BF and yet a lot of fans just have no interest in ever hearing them despite then subsequently being agog when it was announced that BF had the licence for the same property. Likewise, on the old forum I remember in a thread where "BF should do James Bond" came up, I linked to the recent series of Bond adaptations that the BBC have done and got more than one "Well...that's not BF" response despite them being wonderful, straight adaptations of the Flemings and the casts containing Ian McKellen, Peter Capaldi, Toby Stephens and many other names that I'm sure Big Finish would kill to get. . I mean, you wouldn't just say "I only watch films from Paramount" or "If it's not Schuster & Schuster, I don't read it" but yet that does seem to be a slight hypocrisy about some (and I stress not all) of BF fandom that they don't bother with other producers of audio. Especially when, with the BBC Radio dramas for one, they're free to listen to from anywhere around the world for quite a while after broadcast. Of course, we all have jobs, family and other hobbies and there's certainly enough BF to keep us busy but it's worth remembering that there is plenty of astounding audio drama out there that isn't BF. Or "I only watch Criterion! I only watch Arrow!" I'm sure we both know people like that being cinephiles. People who buy the worst, ahem, "cult" films that they actually have almost zero interest in just because they've got the Arrow Video logo on them. Honestly, I've seen Microwave Massacre and it's not "so bad its good"...it's just bad. Spending 16 quid on it is just unfathomable. And similarly some Criterionites believe that being released by Criterion elevates a film above anything not in the collection. When another label releases something important, say the Chaplin Mutual and Essanays from Kino or Warner Archive's stunning Bogart bluray releases, there's always a lot of "Should have been Criterion" posts on social media. I guess any fandom has its quirks. With a lot of boutique bluray labels, I think there's a real difference between fans and collectors. Some just own them to have a set which is fair enough but an expensive hobby for little in return. I don't see that in BF fandom though. Generally everyone seems to listen to what they buy - time permitting! And people don't seem to buy BF ranges they don't fancy just to have them on the shelf.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 1, 2016 19:08:34 GMT
but i think the biggest bar to people enjoying audio drama is often it takes a while for you to get past the coconut shells for horses, the crisp bags for fire and so on. I agree entirely. The amount of people in my own life who I've had to explain audio drama too is innumerable when they ask about my interests. They almost all assume its a solo reader, no music or effects and not putting on different voices. I try the "Well, it's just like watching a show or film with your eyes shut" but I don't think they believe me.
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Post by kimalysong on Jul 1, 2016 23:48:14 GMT
I don't only watch Criterion but I pretty much stopped collecting home video except for Criterion and Anime. Of course there are exceptions but with lack of space you have to be selective. As for how to describe audio drama. It's like a play you just listen.
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