On Thu, Oct 4, 2012 at 11:19 AM, Jared Needle <[email protected]> wrote: > [clipped] > I'm not going to say I agree with all the pricing on those diagrams in the > store. I think some are way too cheap, setting a dangerous precedent. And > at the same time I think some are overpriced. I honestly don't see how > overpriced diagrams hurt the market though. If there's not sufficient > demand at that price the seller won't make much money. He/she may be moved > to price their diagrams more appropriately. >[clipped] > --Jared
As much as I agree that the creators of the models should be fairly compensated for their work, I don't think perpetuating a system of higher prices for diagrams is the way to go. If I'm understanding this correctly, a large motivation for establishing the file download system was to take back some of the business being lost to online piracy. As someone mentioned earlier in a different thread, Some people (especially in foreign countries) often resort to downloading pirated diagrams because they physically have no other way to access the diagrams for some models. By offering diagrams online, OUSA can make it a lot easier for people to get their origami fix quickly and conveniently, without the hassle of waiting for a book to ship, or resorting to illegal means. However, people are used to relatively low prices for digital media, as a result of iTunes and Amazon. If prices start out too high, people may decide that it's really not worth it and just go back to pirating diagrams, which would be counter-productive. That being said, I think diagrams can afford to be priced a bit higher than individual mp3 tracks. As you pointed out, diagrams have a considerable amount of effort behind them, and at least for me, they offer me a lot more entertainment than a single 4-minute song. When I first saw Lang's Cicada priced at just $2, my immediate reaction was to marvel at how good a deal that is. A super-complex model like that offers hours of folding and refolding value, and I spend twice as much to buy an mp3 album on a whim. On the other end of the spectrum, however, I'd agree with one of the previous commentators that $8 for a relatively simple butterfly seems a bit excessive, especially considering the other (cheaper) diagrams right next to it. In the end, I think Jason Ku was right when he pointed out that prices will even out as the market decides on a suitable price. Personally, I think somewhere between $3 and $5 will turn out to be the sweet spot, depending on model complexity, but that's just me. One interesting thing to note, however is that the online eBook market has been able to charge relatively high prices (sometimes more than the cost of a paperback version), but manages to thrive nonetheless. Anyway, the download system itself seems to be running very smoothly, and I was able to download the diagrams for 2 models in about 5 minutes, for just over $6 (including the OUSA member discount). I particularly like the implementation of the digital watermark at the bottom, which is able to stay unobtrusive while getting its message across. -- -- Gareth Chen
