Introducing The Paracast+

[Wade]

I like the idea that you are offering after the paracast as a seperate download. Thank you. I was going to bring that up as an option but you beat me to it.

 

[nightsky]

Hi, I'm Nightsky, a newbie here. I've just upgraded to Paracast+ as I enjoy listening to the show during my daily commute. Is there any way to configure the podcast player on my iPhone to download and play the commercial-free version? I use Downcast and I've added my credentials to the podcast profile but I still get the standard podcast.

any help is appreciated. I hope this is do-able as that is the reason why I upgraded.

thanks!

 

[Gene Steinberg]

You can add it to your iTunes playlist or just tap on the link to play it. We are looking at more options to make it work even better. I'm not familiar with the app you're using, but I will see what I can do.

 

[ChrisJohnsen]

Until Gene gets help setting up an iTunes feed and an RSS feed for the Paracast+, there is no way to have new episodes automatically download to one's device or computer.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Gene Steinberg]

You can do a manual iTunes import for now.

For the rest, I'm open to suggestions.

 

[DissectionStalker]

Gene, this is a great idea, but I ALSO think you should have a sliding scale based on income levels for subscriptions too. $50 is too steep for students/retirees or those at low income levels. I would immediately sign-up for $20 per year, and that would fit my budget. I hope you will consider this option too, because I think your entire subscription base would be much higher. Probably would increase the ad side of subscribers long-term too by having a larger paid subscriber side too.

Thanks for your consideration.

 

[Gene Steinberg]

Well, it's also $5 a month, which ought to be affordable to a retiree or student. We don't have a way to consider a third category and vet the people who apply with the current setup.

 

[DissectionStalker]

Well, it's also $5 a month, which ought to be affordable to a retiree an student. We don't have a way to consider a third category and vet the people who apply with the current setup.

Just do a limited run time and no need to vet... just honor system... limited to a short time frame to sign-up at that low rate. Even GNC allows this with Alex Jones and others? AJ/GNC does a huge deep discount for the holidays for a limited time only.

Allow a limited time $20 subscription from December 24th to January 5th, for example.

 

[Gene Steinberg]

I'll consider it, with returning veterans included. Thanks. Meantime feel free to consider the $5 plan.

 

[Gene Steinberg]

But one thing: We have already signed up a bunch of people who paid the regular price. It wouldn't be fair to them to now charge less to some newcomers, even if they fit into special categories. As I said, for affordability, a monthly subscription would work well.

 

[DissectionStalker]

A limited time "holiday sale" as I suggested is quite fair and is done repeatedly by GNC's biggest media outlet -Alex Jones.

It is a very savvy marketing strategy proven by AJ/GNC to increase both paid and non-paying subscribers.

 

[Wade]

But one thing: We have already signed up a bunch of people who paid the regular price. It wouldn't be fair to them to now charge less to some newcomers, even if they fit into special categories. As I said, for affordability, a monthly subscription would work well.

I don't think that should be such a big deal Gene, this is happened to me a few times. I got in on something and later on there was some kind of limited time special "subscribe by...." For $5/ a month i'm content. It should be more about the law of diminshing returns. You have to ask at what point is it not even worth keeping the lights on. I'd say $5/month is a pretty good minimum level. But if you think long tail marketing and think you could grab a lot more ears by going even cheaper, I'd go for it.

 

[ChrisJohnsen]

It's absolutely ridiculous that people are trying to grind you down on the modest $5/month subscription fee. It's not like there isn't a free option if money is REALLY that tight for them. As someone who paid $50 for a year's subscription, I would be irritated if prices changes or exceptions made for various groups.

 

[DissectionStalker]

But one thing: We have already signed up a bunch of people who paid the regular price. It wouldn't be fair to them...

No reason why everyone could get-in on the very limited time future sale and just add-on to any existing subscriptions to extend their time subscribed. Call it a Solstice December 21 to January 2 Holiday/New Year sale, for example. Any existing members could just add-on to their current subscriptions to save on their renewal.

You need to expand your paying listener base over time, and I think Alex Jones does this with GNC very successfully too.

 

[Digital_Archivist]

Gene / Chris, please keep the $5 a month fee, I for one would be extremely pissed off if you reduced it, & $5 is a fair fee. I thoroughly enjoy The Paracast, the higher resolution, no advertisements and after The Paracast: I know some services which charge closer to $110 a year, so I feel overall the $5.00 is a fair price for the service being offered.

Thanks

Digital_Archivist

 

[Gene Steinberg]

Except that once you renew this way, the rate stays that way. There is no way with our current structure to move someone back to the regular rate that I can see. Anyone with a way to do it is welcome to contact me.

 

[DissectionStalker]

Except that once you renew this way, the rate stays that way. There is no way with our current structure to move someone back to the regular rate that I can see. Anyone with a way to do it is welcome to contact me.

GCN and Alex Jones have been doing this for years as far back as at least 2005. Maybe your "brother station" can reveal the knowhow?

 

[Gene Steinberg]

GCN didn't have a structure that we could use to set this up. Alex Jones may have set up his own. For us, to do something selective, say a limited time offer for new members, after which they are upgraded to the standard package, would require backend programming that I just cannot do. There's also the question of fairness to existing members who invested the full amount to be considered. They have to be respected.

I do want to revise the structure in other ways, such as an encrypted RSS feed to notify members of new episodes and other content. That will take time, but I'm sure we can do it.

Meantime, my best suggestion is that people who can't afford $50 just choose the $5 a month option. If you can afford $20, you can afford $5.

 

[Gene Steinberg]

Since everything is a compromise, I've added an additional plan. So if you just want to test the waters, or have a small budget, you can subscribe for $5 a month. If you go for the full year, at $50, it's the equivalent of getting two months free. Or if you are willing to take a leap of faith and trust that we'll be around for another five years (The Paracast completes eight years in Feb.) — and I'm not getting any younger — our special five-year plan is $175. That's the equivalent of getting 1½ years free of charge. You can always upgrade from one level to the next.

 

[Sue]

I think the sliding scale idea is ridiculous. $50 a year/$5 a month is an extremely reasonable rate and a way to support a valuable information resource (not only the ad-free versions but the work that went into the years of archived shows and maintaining the forums which offer a wealth of knowledge and entertainment). It's not like not being able to pay that money means you can't listen and participate. I'm a low income person myself so I'm not dismissing that argument. It's just that most places that offer sliding scales are either for-profit and can do it on a loss leader basis or are partly grant funded.

No, what I think Gene and Chris should do is unionize.