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Rank: Member Joined: 4/21/2011 Posts: 119
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Fellow wazuans,
For a movie business that has just started running in a nice neighbourhood that has many teenagers and youth who have quite some money to spare (read Greenfields)what advice would you give concerning marketing it to this target population?
There is only one other shop that sells movies around that area but I still think that those shops in town are a direct competition.
Do you think that the movie business has a future in Kenya?
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Rank: New-farer Joined: 6/22/2010 Posts: 39 Location: Nairobi
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Future? What future are you talking about. Its illegal to bootleg, unless yours is legit. Spread love like violence.
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Rank: Veteran Joined: 4/16/2010 Posts: 906 Location: Nairobi
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@mapozi the way the DVD business has been set up in Kenya, it is a race to the bottom price-wise. Soon those things will start going for 20 bob a pop!
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Rank: Veteran Joined: 11/1/2008 Posts: 834
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i buy two i get one free....50/= a piece cant wait for it to go lower....u need to focus on newness of the movies,series etc,try delivering them to callers or repeat customers to lessen the trouble to come to you, also try listing your new stuff on their walls on FB and the local malls... price it well and concentrate on volumes rather than profit per sale.. good luck.. If you are going to be thinking only one thing, you might as well be thinking big. -Donald J . Trump
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Rank: Veteran Joined: 4/16/2010 Posts: 906 Location: Nairobi
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@livie, the way prices are going, it won't be long before you have one-man DVD shops that can afford to drop the prices to a point that the profit just pays that one guy's basic living expenses. At that point, will anyone be able to have extras like deliveries, or listings on local malls?
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Rank: Veteran Joined: 3/25/2011 Posts: 946
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I really dnt understand some kenyans. How can u have a bandwith of over 300 Kb/s even in some cases i have seen guys flossin 3 mbps and still buy movies. ???? Illogical to say the least.Ever heard of bitorrent.
If u want to stay ahead in ur movie business u better learn how to download movies using bitorrent and give ur customers the current deals.
There are so many torrent sites on the net where you cn download movies even before they hit kenya.
Use tech to stay ahead in ur . business.
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Rank: Veteran Joined: 3/25/2011 Posts: 946
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I really dnt understand some kenyans. How can u have a bandwith of over 300 Kb/s even in some cases i have seen guys flossin 3 mbps and still buy movies. ???? Illogical to say the least.Ever heard of bitorrent.
If u want to stay ahead in ur movie business u better learn how to download movies using bitorrent and give ur customers the current deals.
There are so many torrent sites on the net where you cn download movies even before they hit kenya.
Use tech to stay ahead in ur . business.
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Rank: Member Joined: 8/5/2010 Posts: 335 Location: Nairobi
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QW25071985 wrote:I really dnt understand some kenyans. How can u have a bandwith of over 300 Kb/s even in some cases i have seen guys flossin 3 mbps and still buy movies. ???? Illogical to say the least.Ever heard of bitorrent.
If u want to stay ahead in ur movie business u better learn how to download movies using bitorrent and give ur customers the current deals.
There are so many torrent sites on the net where you cn download movies even before they hit kenya.
Use tech to stay ahead in ur . business. Who are u talking to? Mapozi or his customers? "I'd rather be lucky than clever... every time!" - ME
"The problem is not what we don't know... it's what we know for sure that just ain't!" - MARK TWAIN
"Space we can recover... time never!" - NAPOLEON BONAPARTE
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Rank: Member Joined: 1/22/2011 Posts: 322 Location: Chicago, IL, USA
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Let's face it; the movie industry, when it comes to exhibiting foreign films in theaters, and for legit DVD or Blu-Ray sales is all but dead. Anyone with basic computer and internet skills and a five-year old or newer computer, can get utorrent and visit btjunkie or any one of the known torrent sites, and with decent download speeds and a little patience, get any movie, television show, music album, e-book, or software package they wish, new and old, sometimes even before it is available legitimately... as long as they also have virus protection software such as AVGfree.
The technology to stop this illegal downloading free-for-all simply does not exist.
So it's time to stop looking at "ticket sales" as the main moneymaker for a movie exhibition business, whether it's a large movie theater chain, or a small storefront local shop with an LCD projector and a basic surround-sound home theater setup. Noone is going to pay a premium to get the same quality that they can get for free at home or locally with little effort. Maybe they will pay a few bob to not have to bother with downloading, but that few bob will be just that- a FEW bob.
The focus has to be on getting people in the door for other reasons. Is the place also a bar? Does it have a good DJ? Is the crowd hip, or attractive? Can money be made off of food or alcohol sales? Are the waitresses and bartender good-looking? Is there very good quality lights and sound? Good music? Great, smiling service? A restroom attendant who keeps the bathrooms clean, and gives out smell-goods, shoe-shines, lotion, and mouthwash for a bob or two?
The whole "movie" part of it is going to have to become just another "room" in the entertainment complex that you can chill in, and enjoy, just to keep you around to buy more drinks, and to make you feel better about paying an entrance fee at the door. If nothing else, it gives customers an hour or two to rejuvenate so that they can recharge (or sleep) and go back to whatever they were doing or paying for, without leaving.
It's just a value-add, not the main attraction. If your business is focused on showing foreign movies, you'd better be looking for the exit door; the industry is burning.
Best,
Hill
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Rank: Elder Joined: 8/11/2010 Posts: 1,588
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I admire and like your aptitude in these things, Mr. Jason Hill. Movie business has burnt, with cinemas going bust. This drives people to Mapozi. Or is it that Mapozi has contributed to their collapse? Anyway, I agree.
I think mapozi needs to do some legwork and go knocking on gates to sell his discs. He should have those portable players to showcase his portfolio.
Everyone is downloading nowadays. Its just a matter of time before mapozi becomes just like the cinemas he has driven out of business, burnt.
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Rank: Veteran Joined: 4/16/2010 Posts: 906 Location: Nairobi
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Rank: Member Joined: 1/22/2011 Posts: 322 Location: Chicago, IL, USA
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@YesuWangu and @KenyanLyrics thanks for the comments.
@KenyanLyrics, yes, there will always be people who would rather just pay, than spending time downloading, just as there will always be people that prefer a good DJ rather than creating their own music mix tapes or playlists. There is certainly a market there, but for movies that would be more along the lines of DSTV or the on-demand value-add services that I had been telling SafCom to look into- but only because they already have the ICT and Communications infrastructure pretty much already built-out. Setting up a Netflix post the global economic meltdown is a very bad idea, if even possible at this point, if you don't already have infrastructure built out. For it to profit it would have to have tens of thousands of users. In order to have tens of thousands of users, you need to have a billion shillings in servers, bandwidth, network and datacenter infrastructure, storage, personnel, advertising, etc etc. I don't know many investors willing to put up that kind of money for a business that will sit in the red for five years now-a-days, especially in East Africa, where businesses are valued on actual performance and revenues, not on dreams and emotions a la Wall Street.
Not to mention cultural differences in purchasing patterns. EA has more of a top-up culture- top up phone minutes, top up data, even top-up power or water. If I don't need it, don't top it up. The USA has more of the pre-pay culture- pay every month even if it isn't used. Commit to paying for years. It's a bill. It's why you work long hours every day.
Best,
Hill
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Rank: Member Joined: 1/22/2011 Posts: 322 Location: Chicago, IL, USA
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By the way, speak-of-the-devil, just today, Netflix announced that they are doubling their US prices: http://thefrugalfind.com...o-double-come-sept-1st/
That doesn't bode well for their war against downloading. Maybe they read Wazua also lol. Best, Hill
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Rank: Elder Joined: 8/11/2010 Posts: 1,588
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Why would anyone pay for downloads when there is thepiratebay.org? not to be confused with piratebay.com?
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Rank: Elder Joined: 9/7/2010 Posts: 2,148 Location: elderville
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YesuWangu wrote:
Why would anyone pay for downloads when there is thepiratebay.org? not to be confused with piratebay.com?
Because it is illegal. Be careful because if the Copyright owners decide to crack down on Kenya then you would be in a whole lot of trouble. Using torrent sites does not guarantee you anonymity and your ISP would have the logs of your IP downloading the stuff. If you are using say college internet or cyber cafes then you would be relatively safe but if it is your home or office connection then you are cooked. @QW25071985 I hope that would answer your question why some people don`t go the torrent way like you despite good internet connection. He who can express in words the ardour of his love, has but little love to express. - Petrach, Son. (That men by various ways arrive at the same end. - Montaigne, The Essays of.)
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Rank: Member Joined: 1/22/2011 Posts: 322 Location: Chicago, IL, USA
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Elder wrote:YesuWangu wrote:
Why would anyone pay for downloads when there is thepiratebay.org? not to be confused with piratebay.com?
Because it is illegal. Be careful because if the Copyright owners decide to crack down on Kenya then you would be in a whole lot of trouble. Using torrent sites does not guarantee you anonymity and your ISP would have the logs of your IP downloading the stuff. If you are using say college internet or cyber cafes then you would be relatively safe but if it is your home or office connection then you are cooked. @QW25071985 I hope that would answer your question why some people don`t go the torrent way like you despite good internet connection. Yes it is illegal, and I certainly don't condone illegal activity, but are you being serious? Crack down on Kenya? To collect what from whom? That's really a joke. What is so very interesting to me is that this is rampant here in the US, as is all sorts of flagrant copyright and patent violations, but, what can you do? Sue everyone, every bar, every club, every company with phone-on-hold music in court? If anyone is cracking down in Kenya, they are likely keeping the money they collect. Do you really think that they are sending royalties to ASCAP, BMI, Sony Pictures Distro, etc? Just enough to get the next 35mm reel if you have a movie house; for everything else, highly unlikely. What about China, where almost any and everything thing is sold on DVD on the streets for a dollar? Where patented items are counterfeited and manufactured by the millions, on the very same lines and in the very same factories (and many times to the very same specs) as the "real, genuine" items. I find it comical that someone could actually fear US copyright holders taking legal action halfway around the world. It's certainly interesting; the fear of "big brother". There's simply far more important "crack downs" that they would attempt first, and against places with far more money. And do you think that a guy in Kenya that is just trying to start a business, get a few shillings, and be somewhat successful is going to loose sleep over this? Doubtful. I can hear the Russians and Nigerians laughing as we speak. Best, Hill
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Rank: Elder Joined: 9/7/2010 Posts: 2,148 Location: elderville
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jasonhill wrote:Elder wrote:YesuWangu wrote:
Why would anyone pay for downloads when there is thepiratebay.org? not to be confused with piratebay.com?
Because it is illegal. Be careful because if the Copyright owners decide to crack down on Kenya then you would be in a whole lot of trouble. Using torrent sites does not guarantee you anonymity and your ISP would have the logs of your IP downloading the stuff. If you are using say college internet or cyber cafes then you would be relatively safe but if it is your home or office connection then you are cooked. @QW25071985 I hope that would answer your question why some people don`t go the torrent way like you despite good internet connection. Yes it is illegal, and I certainly don't condone illegal activity, but are you being serious? Crack down on Kenya? To collect what from whom? That's really a joke. What is so very interesting to me is that this is rampant here in the US, as is all sorts of flagrant copyright and patent violations, but, what can you do? Sue everyone, every bar, every club, every company with phone-on-hold music in court? If anyone is cracking down in Kenya, they are likely keeping the money they collect. Do you really think that they are sending royalties to ASCAP, BMI, Sony Pictures Distro, etc? Just enough to get the next 35mm reel if you have a movie house; for everything else, highly unlikely. What about China, where almost any and everything thing is sold on DVD on the streets for a dollar? Where patented items are counterfeited and manufactured by the millions, on the very same lines and in the very same factories (and many times to the very same specs) as the "real, genuine" items. I find it comical that someone could actually fear US copyright holders taking legal action halfway around the world. It's certainly interesting; the fear of "big brother". There's simply far more important "crack downs" that they would attempt first, and against places with far more money.
And do you think that a guy in Kenya that is just trying to start a business, get a few shillings, and be somewhat successful is going to loose sleep over this? Doubtful. I can hear the Russians and Nigerians laughing as we speak. Best, Hill The term crack down on is used loosely and chances of the actual right holders directly going after the infringers in Kenya is remote. But does it mean it is impossible? All it needs is for say a local lawyer, collecting agency or just about any company copyright trolling in Kenya and you are fried. A kind of Righthaven business model done right. And whether the money ends up in the pockets of the actual copyright owners would be immaterial. And as much as it is rampant in US the MPAA still goes after individual downloaders of their copyright and ICE is busy illegally shutting down websites and seizing domain names - heck they are even after extradition of Richard O'Dwyer from UK to US to face criminal copyright charges. I honestly fail to understand your reasoning why if it is rampant in the US then Kenyans are safe. And the bold part is a bid too dismissive. He who can express in words the ardour of his love, has but little love to express. - Petrach, Son. (That men by various ways arrive at the same end. - Montaigne, The Essays of.)
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Rank: Veteran Joined: 4/16/2010 Posts: 906 Location: Nairobi
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@Jasonhill your argument is a classic case of availability bias: where someone believes that what happens to them in their environment, applies to everyone. I have posted a link showing to you clear facts that Netflix is beating torrents in the movie sector, and you still come back and argue that since you and your friends are torrenting, then the facts are wrong. Google "techcrunch say what music sales 2004" and you will see an article that shows that iTunes has also defeated the pirates in the music biz. Just because you and your friends are torrenting doesn't mean there is no market. Stick to the facts.
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Rank: Member Joined: 4/14/2010 Posts: 183 Location: Nairobi
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Elder wrote:YesuWangu wrote:
Why would anyone pay for downloads when there is thepiratebay.org? not to be confused with piratebay.com?
Because it is illegal. Be careful because if the Copyright owners decide to crack down on Kenya then you would be in a whole lot of trouble. Using torrent sites does not guarantee you anonymity and your ISP would have the logs of your IP downloading the stuff. If you are using say college internet or cyber cafes then you would be relatively safe but if it is your home or office connection then you are cooked. @QW25071985 I hope that would answer your question why some people don`t go the torrent way like you despite good internet connection. Google hide my IP - its a nice little app that makes you a ghost in cyberdom. Also google anonymizers, progs that wipe any footprint you may leave on any server you visit. Then.... Torrent away!!! One, two, freeeeeeeee  So nice that its nasty, so bangin' its busting,
So slick that its sick, so dope its disgusting!
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Rank: Member Joined: 1/22/2011 Posts: 322 Location: Chicago, IL, USA
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KenyanLyrics wrote:@Jasonhill your argument is a classic case of availability bias: where someone believes that what happens to them in their environment, applies to everyone. I have posted a link showing to you clear facts that Netflix is beating torrents in the movie sector, and you still come back and argue that since you and your friends are torrenting, then the facts are wrong. Google "techcrunch say what music sales 2004" and you will see an article that shows that iTunes has also defeated the pirates in the music biz. Just because you and your friends are torrenting doesn't mean there is no market. Stick to the facts. Can you give me ONE example of where the US RIAA has come after and successfully sued ONE person in Kenya for copyright infringement in the last 2 years, leading to imprisonment and the actual collection of any monies? And Nexflix just DOUBLED their prices. Do you think that will have no affect on their subscriber base? Also, how many Netflix users are there in Kenya? And what you are saying makes no sense- Netflix "defeated" pirates? iTunes "beat" pirates? So pirating has stopped? Beat them how? A pirate pays NOTHING regardless of what iTunes or Netflix does. Do you REALLY consider a guy with a kiosk in Nairobi selling bootleg DVDs in direct competition with iTunes or Netflix? Do you see them being prosecuted and money collected from them from judgements in the courts? Any pirated sale is a LOSS for iTunes, Netflix, distributors. A sale by a legit distributor is not a loss for a pirate, as they have no money acutally spent or vested- they are getting their wares for free. You are arguing something on a local US level has nothing to do whatsoever with the "price of tea in Kenya". If you think that Netflix or iTunes is a business model that will work in Kenya, then by all means, try it out. I will make sure to be present at the liquidation. You are spooked by the big bad West boogie-man that has no bearing whatsoever on what actually happens on the streets of Kenya, beyond what your own fear may convince you to, or not to do. If I fly in a plane, it COULD crash. Hasn't stopped aviation. I do my own business not in fear of jurisdictions that have no control over what I do. How can you possibly fear a jurisdiction that you are not doing business in? This is WAZUA. Here, WE TALK MONEY without fear, and if you ain't about gettin' this money, get over to Mashada. But you know I still have mad love for you KL. Best, Hill
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