Tickle Abuse RIP

[OSUchamps]

I think Chicago's point was that there is a serious case of tail wagging the dog when a customer (or consumer, since we don't know a pirate from a paying client anymore) complains about product quality and is essentially told to "get over it" by the one putting the product out there for mass consumption, like this is a voluntary service we personally solicited for free (though with the rampant piracy, perhaps that's what it has become, but certainly was not the original intent).

And while I agree that Tommy has contributed much (or, more accurately, has raised the bar), that wouldn't under normal circumstances entitle a producer to act like some sort of tickling auteur when faced with what many would consider legitimate criticism. Were this any other product but porn (and thus did not have all the baggage and addictive tendencies associated with it), the response as originally submitted would likely have been far more polite, IMO.

And citing commercial popularity as a benchmark of current quality is just a logical fallacy. There hasn't been a really good, traditional Bond film in years (Skyfall excepted, and even that was a pale imitation at best), but you can always expect them to top the box office opening weekend. People will fall into a pattern of behavior for a number of reasons (nostalgia, false hopes, tradition, fear of change, brand loyalty, etc.) that aren't necessarily related to "doing something right".

Now, all of that having been said...I personally don't think the quality has dipped too much. I think right now everything in the industry is in upheaval, likely due to the advent of sites like Porn Hub, and THAT along with some significant roster changes (Tasha, Brooke) may be responsible for the perceived lack of quality, but IMO things are, at most, in a state of flux and not necessarily disrepair.

 

[Tenebrae]

I think Chicago's point was that there is a serious case of tail wagging the dog when a customer (or consumer, since we don't know a pirate from a paying client anymore) complains about product quality and is essentially told to "get over it" by the one putting the product out there for mass consumption, like this is a voluntary service we personally solicited for free (though with the rampant piracy, perhaps that's what it has become, but certainly was not the original intent).

And while I agree that Tommy has contributed much (or, more accurately, has raised the bar), that wouldn't under normal circumstances entitle a producer to act like some sort of tickling auteur when faced with what many would consider legitimate criticism. Were this any other product but porn (and thus did not have all the baggage and addictive tendencies associated with it), the response as originally submitted would likely have been far more polite, IMO.

And citing commercial popularity as a benchmark of current quality is just a logical fallacy. There hasn't been a really good, traditional Bond film in years (Skyfall excepted, and even that was a pale imitation at best), but you can always expect them to top the box office opening weekend. People will fall into a pattern of behavior for a number of reasons (nostalgia, false hopes, tradition, fear of change, brand loyalty, etc.) that aren't necessarily related to "doing something right".

Now, all of that having been said...I personally don't think the quality has dipped too much. I think right now everything in the industry is in upheaval, likely due to the advent of sites like Porn Hub, and THAT along with some significant roster changes (Tasha, Brooke) may be responsible for the perceived lack of quality, but IMO things are, at most, in a state of flux and not necessarily disrepair.

Excellent response!

On a side note, I am a big Bond fan, and I totally agree with you on the recent drop in quality.

 

[OSUchamps]

On a side note, I am a big Bond fan, and I totally agree with you on the recent drop in quality.

I wanted to like SPECTRE, really and truly, but frankly, I saw Goldmember years ago and didn't think much of it the first time around.

 

[Tenebrae]

Haha you translated my thoughts into words! And made me wish there was such a thing as "TMF's wittiest posts rewards" cause you'd win!

 

[duderino84]

Ok, so let's say this were an iTunes purchase of music. I mean, to me, big shit, you listened to what you paid for. If you don't like it, what recourse do you have? Once you've heard it. ....you've gotten "the experience". Nothing replaces that.

I remember I bought a dvd from guitar center. I purposely asked "what's the return policy? " I wasn't satisfied, but one associate tried shit sticking me with "well you could've pirated the disc", to which I said "but your associate personally told me I had x amount of days to return". Can't really fight something your underlings told a customer said that they were taught. But it was a tight squeeze as far as a dvd from a music store to get a return.

 

[SoleMates]

Man I'm just gonna say it.Frankly, I'm more annoyed that they're getting longer and longer and still doing the "dollar a minute" pricing. I feel no guilt about getting a $5 clip here and there or even dropping dime on a $10 or $14 minute one from time to time, but now I'm seeinbg guys charging like $20, sometimes as much as $35 for feature length tickle videos, usually with next to no preview to boot, and I can't imagine how much funmoney someone can have to gamble on such a pricey tickleporn like that. Tickle Room does it proper, usually selling a 25 minute video for around $12 or 15, but I think in between the problem with piracy people just assume they can make up the difference with significantly longer, higher priced videos.

And that's not even getting into the trend of videos costing more than the dollar per minute I'm seeing done more and more now (8 minutes for $12, etc).

I think this whole "dollar a minute" thing is... well, I don't wanna call it a smokescreen, but here's my observations... as a producer who generally sticks to that model and has also done the other things you talk about.

* Firstly? Those of us that use Clips4Sale don't have a choice. C4S gives you a range of prices based on the length of your video, and that range gets narrower as the video gets shorter. By the time you hit the five-minute mark, you can't go any lower than a dollar per minute. Since everyone complains videos are too expensive, most producers go with that because it's the absolute minimum we can charge.

"So don't use Clips4Sale", you say? Well, barring the fact that running your own site claims an overhead a lot of us simply can't afford, there are other sites like KinkBomb which offers a more flexible pricing model. Which brings me to the fact that...

* Those of you clamoring for cheaper clips aren't putting your money where your mouth is. I've had no less than three half-off sales this year. One was just last month, in fact, and I permanently cut the prices on all of my older videos on KinkBomb to less than half of what I was selling them for on C4S. That's, like, 12-minute videos for five bucks. I'm also currently giving away $5-off coupons on Instagram to anyone who comments on a particular picture.

Is it working? No. In the entire time my KB store has been running (two-ish years), I've sold enough clips on it to make payout once. That means after two years running, I've made $50, and I've currently got like $20 sitting in my account waiting for me to sell another $30 so I can get paid again. I didn't sell a single clip during my last sale and so far one guy has claimed a coupon. One. Guy.

You didn't know? Well, the thread mentioning it got nearly 2k views in the video forum, so plenty of other people did. Can you imagine how much I would have made if even 5% of them bought something? I'd be on my knees thanking random deities for days.

So, that's why I currently charge time+2 dollars+1 dollar for HD for my clips. I simply don't, as one user suggestion previously, make the volume required to cut my own throat on pricing, and when I do nobody jumps on it anyway.

Before I address the next point, here's a fun fact: I just released a 20-minute video for $15. That's less than a dollar a minute. Want to guess how many copies I've sold?

Now, as for the more expensive stuff? Yes, it's true that all of my videos featuring Mya are more expensive than my regular fare, roughly three to five dollars' worth. But you know what? They sold in droves. Mya's fans actually came and bought my stuff, at a far higher price than this community expects to pay, and I didn't get a single complaint. Hell, Mya herself charges far more than I do for way shorter clips, and people still pay it. And yes, I do make more on longer/higher-prices videos than I do on the short-and-cheap stuff. You buy a ten minute video from me, I get as much as I did if you bought two fives. And nobody buys two fives. They buy one.

And this happens a lot. I get models coming to me wanting to shoot with me and asking for more money per hour than they could ever hope to make in sales at my studio across their entire potential lifetime. I often have to tell them that you guys simply do not pay that kind of money for videos, at least not to me.

So, that's twice now I've said that I'm doing the stuff you guys claim to want; genuinely ticklish girls who aren't the same two or three everyone else is using, at a cheaper price than Clips4Sale. My sales should start going up any minute now...

 

[Phineas]

I think Chicago's point was that there is a serious case of tail wagging the dog when a customer (or consumer, since we don't know a pirate from a paying client anymore) complains about product quality and is essentially told to "get over it" by the one putting the product out there for mass consumption, like this is a voluntary service we personally solicited for free (though with the rampant piracy, perhaps that's what it has become, but certainly was not the original intent).

I didn't see Tommy's original comments as "get over it". I saw it as I always see it; a producer reminding everyone that the people who scream on the forums about how Tickle Abuse (or other vendors) are RUINED FOREVER because a model didn't squirm in exactly the right way are A) in the minority, and B) not offering anything constructive, so even if Tommy wanted to take this so-called "feedback" under consideration he has nothing to go on. Him and other producers are sick of explaining over and over why they do things the way they do and it falling on deaf ears.

Do you honestly think Tommy's going to nod and go, "Yup, they're right, I'm producing total shit and it's because I'm lazy", especially in public? No, and why would he? A producer stands by all of their content, even if it's not what a particular person would like.

And after a certain point, since you can't please everyone, you just have to let the minority continue to scream, because you simply can't make them happy. And that's not necessarily a bad thing, some people are impossible to please and others just want something that's not feasible to do on a mass basis (like the occasional complaints about not using male models)... but when they all come here and complain (seriously, THREE THREADS?), people point to that and go "look, everyone's unhappy, TA must really be shit".

There hasn't been a really good, traditional Bond film in years...

yeah, yeah. And Michael Bay is a hack with a fetish for lens flares, the new Star Wars movies are terrible, yadda yadda yadda. This is the "the masses are stupid" fallacy, mixed with opinion myopia; you assume that because you didn't like something no one else with any brains did, either, and all those people who did actually enjoy it are just idiots. As Tommy rightfully points out, he has a huge amount of happy customers, or at least people who keep coming back and buying on a regular basis. That's what running a business relies on.

Personally? I think it's time the mods did something about this crap. Producers are the lifeblood of this forum. They pay for ad space, and 90% of the people who come here do it to consume their content. It's time we put some kind of cap, moratorium, or regulation on this so-called "feedback" lest even more of them say "fuck it" and move on. Most producers don't bother to communicate with people here anymore, and you have to ask yourself why that is.

 

[Comfort Eagle]

I think this whole "dollar a minute" thing is... well, I don't wanna call it a smokescreen, but here's my observations... as a producer who generally sticks to that model and has also done the other things you talk about.

* Firstly? Those of us that use Clips4Sale don't have a choice. C4S gives you a range of prices based on the length of your video, and that range gets narrower as the video gets shorter. By the time you hit the five-minute mark, you can't go any lower than a dollar per minute. Since everyone complains videos are too expensive, most producers go with that because it's the absolute minimum we can charge.

"So don't use Clips4Sale", you say? Well, barring the fact that running your own site claims an overhead a lot of us simply can't afford, there are other sites like KinkBomb which offers a more flexible pricing model. Which brings me to the fact that...

* Those of you clamoring for cheaper clips aren't putting your money where your mouth is. I've had no less than three half-off sales this year. One was just last month, in fact, and I permanently cut the prices on all of my older videos on KinkBomb to less than half of what I was selling them for on C4S. That's, like, 12-minute videos for five bucks. I'm also currently giving away $5-off coupons on Instagram to anyone who comments on a particular picture.

Is it working? No. In the entire time my KB store has been running (two-ish years), I've sold enough clips on it to make payout once. That means after two years running, I've made $50, and I've currently got like $20 sitting in my account waiting for me to sell another $30 so I can get paid again. I didn't sell a single clip during my last sale and so far one guy has claimed a coupon. One. Guy.

You didn't know? Well, the thread mentioning it got nearly 2k views in the video forum, so plenty of other people did. Can you imagine how much I would have made if even 5% of them bought something? I'd be on my knees thanking random deities for days.

So, that's why I currently charge time+2 dollars+1 dollar for HD for my clips. I simply don't, as one user suggestion previously, make the volume required to cut my own throat on pricing, and when I do nobody jumps on it anyway.

Before I address the next point, here's a fun fact: I just released a 20-minute video for $15. That's less than a dollar a minute. Want to guess how many copies I've sold?

Now, as for the more expensive stuff? Yes, it's true that all of my videos featuring Mya are more expensive than my regular fare, roughly three to five dollars' worth. But you know what? They sold in droves. Mya's fans actually came and bought my stuff, at a far higher price than this community expects to pay, and I didn't get a single complaint. Hell, Mya herself charges far more than I do for way shorter clips, and people still pay it. And yes, I do make more on longer/higher-prices videos than I do on the short-and-cheap stuff. You buy a ten minute video from me, I get as much as I did if you bought two fives. And nobody buys two fives. They buy one.

And this happens a lot. I get models coming to me wanting to shoot with me and asking for more money per hour than they could ever hope to make in sales at my studio across their entire potential lifetime. I often have to tell them that you guys simply do not pay that kind of money for videos, at least not to me.

So, that's twice now I've said that I'm doing the stuff you guys claim to want; genuinely ticklish girls who aren't the same two or three everyone else is using, at a cheaper price than Clips4Sale. My sales should start going up any minute now...

It's a double edged sword. I'm very familiar the the raving TMFer who will not drop any dime whatsoever on material (I once asked who was interested in a half hours worth of material I have shot for $10 to 0 interest), so you're not going to get but so much defense from these people from me.

However...

Look at C4S's top ranking tickle studios. A lot of those guys are very high quality in a lot of ways. Tickle Abuse has the production. Tickle Room has what seems to be an unlimited supply of beautiful Mexican women (without getting into an uncomfortable racial discussion, that's always a plus), Tickle Therapy has the production and the gimmick, Shy and Wild and FTKL can seemingly get any alt or fetish model they want. You're looking at a lot of competition, and not every business is going to be a success. Even a modest one.

Now in no way am I suggesting giving up, or that you shouldn't bother if you can't keep up (Stuck in the Stocks look like they film on a handicam and have been successful for like a decade), but when you get frustrated with a lack of success, you need to keep perspective of what you're competing with from a business standpoint. And it is competition. And all I can really tell you is to try an alternate form of advertising, as TMF has been fucking horrible about it forever. Your average TMFer will, 90% of the time, not spend on anything. Most will openly admit as much. You found success with Instagram models? Maybe you need to focus on that. Because this place seems to do next to nobody any favors from a marketing standpoint. I said it before about Tumblrs, most of those dedicated tickle blogs never set foot on here. It's not 2004 anymore and while I understand the irony of constantly using a forum to do next to nothing but to complain about the people on the forum, this place hasn't been the hub for tickle fetish content in years.

You're a small guy competing with giants and professionals, you need to find a way to make it work, because nobody here is going to do you any favors. I run a free-to-view personal blog that occasionally gets new content added whenever I get the chance to film something, and in 2016 alone I've done better from random donations than I have trying to sell to TMFers. You need to go out and find your audience, because these people aren't it.

 

[Jk1974]

It can be the house you grew up in.. The house you possibly built?. The car is in everyone saw you driving around town in.. Did not know that you sold it..? Or had someone else driving it.. still a good looking house.. Car.. But something's not quite looking right.

 

[SoleMates]

It's a double edged sword. I'm very familiar the the raving TMFer who will not drop any dime whatsoever on material (I once asked who was interested in a half hours worth of material I have shot for $10 to 0 interest), so you're not going to get but so much defense from these people from me.

I hear ya, and I know you know what I'm talking about. I remember the thread you made asking for donations and the only response was from a guy complaining that you wanted money to cover your server costs.

And I get that it sounds like I'm frustrated, or complaining, or whatever. Honestly, though? I'm not. Running Sole Mates is a hobby for me. I have a real job. The reason I make these posts and talk about how my studio is doing is because it's the only studio I have experience with, and hard data for. I can explain stuff about models, and paperwork, and why producers do and don't do things, because those are a constant regardless of how well your studio is doing. The fact that other producers confirm what I'm saying both in public and in private is proof that I'm telling the truth about what it's like to run a studio, so I can shed some light on the things that others can't/won't, because I haven't completely given up trying to interact with the user base here (although sometimes I wonder why).

So, when I say things like "I did X, and it didn't do me any good", I'm not complaining, or trying to guilt people into buying, or whatever. I'm simply pointing out that by basic logic, that the people complaining about X aren't really complaining about X, because I'm here, in your face, telling them I've got X and if that's what they wanted, they'd go get it, but they're not, so the problem lies somewhere else. If you can't point to anything concrete, and say "fix this and life will be good", then I don't think it's unreasonable to point out that there's a lot of people out there insisting that fixing this (in the case of TA or anyone else) will make life good regardless.

For example, you mentioned in one breath that Tickle Abuse has "production" as one of their selling points. Okay, I get that. I've bought TA clips in the past and I liked them, and I can see the appeal of some of the gear they use. I may get some stuff myself for my own use when I finally buy a house and get a room just for recording/photography like I'd like to. However, in the next breath you say Stuck in the Stocks films on a handicam and, if they're the studio I'm thinking of, they never show their models' faces. These are two things people complain here endlessly about, and yet SitS is still trucking along. So, is production a plus or not? How does SitS manage to do so well in spite of this? Why isn't anyone throwing a fit over his studio? No one can really answer these questions, but it does seem like pointing at production as something people need when others do just fine without it makes for a contradictory, moving target. And from what I've seen of SitS's contents, it's not so amazingly pants-wetting that you can just say "amazing models overcome lack of production", because then you should be able to apply that to my store.

Which, really, just proves my point; it is utterly impossible to point fingers at any one studio and say that they suck with any objective measure, which means threads like this shouldn't even be allowed to exist. Taking the OP at face value, it's not possible to extract any actionable criteria from it, especially when models some think are amazing are the high point of fakery to others.

Your average TMFer will, 90% of the time, not spend on anything. Most will openly admit as much.

That's the thing. And no one's willing to talk about it. This place is full of people who refuse to stop hitting themselves in the head with a hammer while yelling about how they've got such a bad headache.

You found success with Instagram models? Maybe you need to focus on that. Because this place seems to do next to nobody any favors from a marketing standpoint. I said it before about Tumblrs, most of those dedicated tickle blogs never set foot on here. It's not 2004 anymore and while I understand the irony of constantly using a forum to do next to nothing but to complain about the people on the forum, this place hasn't been the hub for tickle fetish content in years.

It's still too early to say whether or not I've gotten any long-term success out of Instagram, but yes; I am currently gathering intel on local models and exploring my options there. My understanding of Tumblr's current situation is that after the Yahoo! purchase they cracked down on the porn and that it's not currently worth it. But that's purely from an outsider's perspective. If anyone can give me more hard data on the Tumblr experience, I'm all ears.

You're a small guy competing with giants and professionals, you need to find a way to make it work, because nobody here is going to do you any favors. I run a free-to-view personal blog that occasionally gets new content added whenever I get the chance to film something, and in 2016 alone I've done better from random donations than I have trying to sell to TMFers. You need to go out and find your audience, because these people aren't it.

You're quite right. And no matter how many producers leave, or how many other producers keep pointing out the piracy thing or the inherent catch-22 balancing act of trying to please enough people that these threads won't get made, the hammer will continue to whack away, and complaints about the headaches will continue to be aired. That's all I'm saying. I mean, look at what you just wrote. It's the exact same thing I said, but with different words.

So, all of that said... why should Tommy care? Serious question. What is he supposed to take away from this thread? Hell, the more I read what Comfort Eagle says, the more I think it's a really convincing argument that producers in general should just abandon this place entirely. Am I wrong?

 

[Comfort Eagle]

For example, you mentioned in one breath that Tickle Abuse has "production" as one of their selling points. Okay, I get that. I've bought TA clips in the past and I liked them, and I can see the appeal of some of the gear they use. I may get some stuff myself for my own use when I finally buy a house and get a room just for recording/photography like I'd like to. However, in the next breath you say Stuck in the Stocks films on a handicam and, if they're the studio I'm thinking of, they never show their models' faces. These are two things people complain here endlessly about, and yet SitS is still trucking along. So, is production a plus or not? How does SitS manage to do so well in spite of this? Why isn't anyone throwing a fit over his studio? No one can really answer these questions, but it does seem like pointing at production as something people need when others do just fine without it makes for a contradictory, moving target. And from what I've seen of SitS's contents, it's not so amazingly pants-wetting that you can just say "amazing models overcome lack of production", because then you should be able to apply that to my store

It sounds backwards, but the answer is literally "Neither, it's both". I'm arguing everyone that's had enough success to be ranked in sales has their own "thing", some wildly high quality, other guys not so much but with a steady stream of certain girls that are highly appealing (in the case of SitS, they tend to be slightly older). I would reiterate this with the Instagram argument, you found something that, at least from the looks of it early on, you might have found something worth working with. So now you should work with that. If I'm big Willy Whackoff popping on C4S with a set amount of money set aside to buy some tickleporns with, that ranked board provides a wide variety of good stuff for me to spend my hard earned but limited dollars on. Forget for a moment the aggravating side of the argument where some people refuse to spend any at all, and think of how you're going to appeal to that anonymous wanker who might stumble across you elsewhere.

And at the end of the day Tommy shouldn't (and likely doesn't) care, and I'm not arguing that even my own comments should be taken to heart. But if it's an argument of trying to market and find monetary success with "What people say they want", I've been campaigning for people to explore other options in these threads for a few weeks now. At this point what's there to lose?

 

[kcantankerous]

I hear ya, and I know you know what I'm talking about. I remember the thread you made asking for donations and the only response was from a guy complaining that you wanted money to cover your server costs.

And I get that it sounds like I'm frustrated, or complaining, or whatever. Honestly, though? I'm not. Running Sole Mates is a hobby for me. I have a real job. The reason I make these posts and talk about how my studio is doing is because it's the only studio I have experience with, and hard data for. I can explain stuff about models, and paperwork, and why producers do and don't do things, because those are a constant regardless of how well your studio is doing. The fact that other producers confirm what I'm saying both in public and in private is proof that I'm telling the truth about what it's like to run a studio, so I can shed some light on the things that others can't/won't, because I haven't completely given up trying to interact with the user base here (although sometimes I wonder why).

So, when I say things like "I did X, and it didn't do me any good", I'm not complaining, or trying to guilt people into buying, or whatever. I'm simply pointing out that by basic logic, that the people complaining about X aren't really complaining about X, because I'm here, in your face, telling them I've got X and if that's what they wanted, they'd go get it, but they're not, so the problem lies somewhere else. If you can't point to anything concrete, and say "fix this and life will be good", then I don't think it's unreasonable to point out that there's a lot of people out there insisting that fixing this (in the case of TA or anyone else) will make life good regardless.

For example, you mentioned in one breath that Tickle Abuse has "production" as one of their selling points. Okay, I get that. I've bought TA clips in the past and I liked them, and I can see the appeal of some of the gear they use. I may get some stuff myself for my own use when I finally buy a house and get a room just for recording/photography like I'd like to. However, in the next breath you say Stuck in the Stocks films on a handicam and, if they're the studio I'm thinking of, they never show their models' faces. These are two things people complain here endlessly about, and yet SitS is still trucking along. So, is production a plus or not? How does SitS manage to do so well in spite of this? Why isn't anyone throwing a fit over his studio? No one can really answer these questions, but it does seem like pointing at production as something people need when others do just fine without it makes for a contradictory, moving target. And from what I've seen of SitS's contents, it's not so amazingly pants-wetting that you can just say "amazing models overcome lack of production", because then you should be able to apply that to my store.

Which, really, just proves my point; it is utterly impossible to point fingers at any one studio and say that they suck with any objective measure, which means threads like this shouldn't even be allowed to exist. Taking the OP at face value, it's not possible to extract any actionable criteria from it, especially when models some think are amazing are the high point of fakery to others.



That's the thing. And no one's willing to talk about it. This place is full of people who refuse to stop hitting themselves in the head with a hammer while yelling about how they've got such a bad headache.



It's still too early to say whether or not I've gotten any long-term success out of Instagram, but yes; I am currently gathering intel on local models and exploring my options there. My understanding of Tumblr's current situation is that after the Yahoo! purchase they cracked down on the porn and that it's not currently worth it. But that's purely from an outsider's perspective. If anyone can give me more hard data on the Tumblr experience, I'm all ears.



You're quite right. And no matter how many producers leave, or how many other producers keep pointing out the piracy thing or the inherent catch-22 balancing act of trying to please enough people that these threads won't get made, the hammer will continue to whack away, and complaints about the headaches will continue to be aired. That's all I'm saying. I mean, look at what you just wrote. It's the exact same thing I said, but with different words.

So, all of that said... why should Tommy care? Serious question. What is he supposed to take away from this thread? Hell, the more I read what Comfort Eagle says, the more I think it's a really convincing argument that producers in general should just abandon this place entirely. Am I wrong?

Hello,

I really appreciate the breakdown of cost structure. It puts more color to the conversation. I wish you luck going forward.

Thanks,

K

 

[closedeyesdream]

Would a Netflix equivalent be a good alternative? a place where all studios could be. I get pornhub has a membership fee, so it should work in theory.

 

[Private Tickle]

Man, look what I started.

 

[closedeyesdream]

You've got to admit you clickbaited us!

But I've been thinking about the streaming idea. I must admit I used to download every series, movie or music I consumed. Now I have a membership for netflix and spotify, and I'll selfishly admit it was not out of conscience. The fact that I felt bad about pirating changed nothing. Convenience did.

I proposed patreon in another thread, but maybe a joint effort would be better. Streaming could help against constant downloads, and I would happily pay a pricier membership if it meant access to several studios' material.

Should I start my own thread to discuss this? I'm not that good at clickbaiting, tho.

 

[kcantankerous]

You've got to admit you clickbaited us!

But I've been thinking about the streaming idea. I must admit I used to download every series, movie or music I consumed. Now I have a membership for netflix and spotify, and I'll selfishly admit it was not out of conscience. The fact that I felt bad about pirating changed nothing. Convenience did.

I proposed patreon in another thread, but maybe a joint effort would be better. Streaming could help against constant downloads, and I would happily pay a pricier membership if it meant access to several studios' material.

Should I start my own thread to discuss this? I'm not that good at clickbaiting, tho.

Hello,

I wish you'd have communicated in my thread about the pirating stuff.

Thanks,

K

 

[Tenebrae]

yeah, yeah. And Michael Bay is a hack with a fetish for lens flares, the new Star Wars movies are terrible, yadda yadda yadda. This is the "the masses are stupid" fallacy, mixed with opinion myopia; you assume that because you didn't like something no one else with any brains did, either, and all those people who did actually enjoy it are just idiots.

A little bit OT, but no, that is absolutely not what I meant. Naturally, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and I expect by no way anyone to adhere to mine. Just I have the right not to like a movie that a lot of people went to see. Brains have nothing to do with that; actually I know very intelligent people who are awful movie critics and vice versa. And I do not think I ever claimed that anyone was stupid to not think like me. I simply noticed a recent change in TA, and I think a lot of people did as well. Whether it is a change for the better or the worse is left to each one's appreciation.

I do think the newer Star Wars movie was a terrible waste of a great potential, and that SPECTRE was pretty much a bad spoof of the original thing (as our friend here has already pointed out), like Goldmember was a very poor sequel to the original Austin Powers: tasteless.

I do like Michael Bay, though. Granted, he is no John Ford, but his technical mastery is actually of the highest level. Also, a lot of his movies perfectly capture a certain American spirit. When given creative control, he can actually deliver productions which contain a profound reflection on the American identity wrapped in an amazingly entertaining package. I do not quite understand the hate, to be honest; every director has made a few bad movies in his time. Is it because in America, like in my native Europe, the action genre is scorned upon by the majority of the intellectual critics?

 

[OSUchamps]

A little bit OT, but no, that is absolutely not what I meant. Naturally, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and I expect by no way anyone to adhere to mine. Just I have the right not to like a movie that a lot of people went to see. Brains have nothing to do with that; actually I know very intelligent people who are awful movie critics and vice versa. And I do not think I ever claimed that anyone was stupid to not think like me. I simply noticed a recent change in TA, and I think a lot of people did as well. Whether it is a change for the better or the worse is left to each one's appreciation.

I do think the newer Star Wars movie was a terrible waste of a great potential, and that SPECTRE was pretty much a bad spoof of the original thing (as our friend here has already pointed out), like Goldmember was a very poor sequel to the original Austin Powers: tasteless.

I do like Michael Bay, though. Granted, he is no John Ford, but his technical mastery is actually of the highest level. Also, a lot of his movies perfectly capture a certain American spirit. When given creative control, he can actually deliver productions which contain a profound reflection on the American identity wrapped in an amazingly entertaining package. I do not quite understand the hate, to be honest; every director has made a few bad movies in his time. Is it because in America, like in my native Europe, the action genre is scorned upon by the majority of the intellectual critics?

I agree on the new Star Wars. As was the case with Goldmember/SPECTRE being in many ways (oddly enough, including a major plot point) the same movie, my issue with J.J. Abrams and the new Star Wars film is that it is a remix of A New Hope. This has nothing to do with lens flare, or technical choices, or anything other than the safe, assembly line writing/plot that plagues it. I'm no fan of the prequels, but at least they were different movies. This felt like it should have been a reboot but they wanted a safety net, which, sure, I get it, it was a business decision. They will all strictly be business decisions from now on. But just because I understand it intellectually doesn't mean I like it, nor that it grabs me emotionally.

As for Michael Bay, I liked Bad Boys, and really liked The Rock. His adaptations of 80s properties leave me personally empty, as again, they don't connect with me on an emotional level when they honestly should, since the nostalgia factor is there. In that way, I think Michael Bay falls flat for many, even those who are action movie connoisseurs.

All that having been said, I come back to the topic at hand by stating once again that numbers don't necessarily translate to quality. That's just a proven fact. McDonald's has over a billion sold but that doesn't mean they are "better" than the high-end French restaurant two counties over. Perhaps that is more apt than the film analogy. And remember, though, that there was a time when McDonald's made fresh hamburgers, back in the early days, that were so good they put the restaurant on the map and allowed for the creation of an international juggernaut. But just because they once made their food fresh, that doesn't mean they still do--indeed, we know they do not.

 

[Tenebrae]

And remember, though, that there was a time when McDonald's made fresh hamburgers, back in the early days, that were so good they put the restaurant on the map and allowed for the creation of an international juggernaut. But just because they once made their food fresh, that doesn't mean they still do--indeed, we know they do not.

There's a movie about that which came out this year, with Michael Keaton. I did not have the chance to watch it yet, but the trailer looked really good.

Honest to GOD I would really like to go back in time and try one of their original, freshly made hamburgers. I really wonder what it tasted like. Though not my favorite food, I like a good burger from time to time, which is why I never go to McD .

 

[CapturedDoll]

Edit:

 

[Tickle Abuse]

That's an excellent point. No matter what some people say (including my own complaints), they're still consistently the #1 tickling producer on C4S, and they're clearly the most blatantly pirated and "shared"; they have to be doing something right.

Plus I have my membership which does far more in sales than clips4sale. A lot of people have complained about the quality of content and you are right, my stuff is the most pirated by far, so I guess I am not doing so bad production wise.

 

[Wolf]

Plus I have my membership which does far more in sales than clips4sale. A lot of people have complained about the quality of content and you are right, my stuff is the most pirated by far, so I guess I am not doing so bad production wise.

Absolutely. My "complaints" are based solely on my own personal tastes, nothing more. I don't think your studio is in any danger of losing #1 status anytime soon.

 

[krispyrice2222]

TAYLOR RAZ before she put on 60lbs and got dreads.

lmao.

 

[COOLCAT88]

How has Tickle Abuse gone downhill?

 

[Tenebrae]

Edit:

Too bad, it was an interesting post! Reasons for deleting?