QUESTIONS FOR SCOTT RE: HOWL

[Haze 112]

that's interesting - i've never heard that before. what's it mean?

 

Water was free in Ireland for the entire history of the Irish Republic. Then the government says "yeah we are going to start charging for that. Because reasons. Also we are setting up a corporation called Irish Water to handle it." People where not happy. Its actually one of the biggest political issues in the country right now and might play a deciding factor in the next election.

 

Irish Water haven't released info on how many people have actually paid bill but it is almost certainly less than those who haven't.

[kbeef2 60]

Sorry if this has been asked already,

 

Does "ad-free" mean the ads are completely edited out? I'm very excited about the service and am generally happy with the idea of the backlog being ad-free. However, some shows (like HH) have really creative and interesting ads. If those are edited out, wouldn't they be technically impossible to find unless they're already on youtube or something? If I went through the HH backlog on Howl, I wouldn't want to miss out on classic ads like the Cards Against Humanity trilogy or Verbatim Vic.

 

Looking forward to subscribing!

[DorkyButCool 86]

I haven't clicked through all of these questions, so pardon my impoliteness if I'm repeating what another user has asked:

 

Have you considered leaving up "classic" episodes for free? Or certain ones each month, or what it may be?

 

I only ask, because I love to share Comedy Bang Bang and U Talkin' U2 To Me? with friends who aren't privy to finding such things on their own, and there are certain episodes that I personally think are really good introductory episodes to Comedy Bang Bang specifically. In fact, I'm currently dating a girl to whom I had sent several episodes after first meeting her.

[justin 38]

Hopefully the site and app aren't completely finished being developed yet. There's a lot of necessary features missing in my opinion.

[Scott Aukerman 381]

 

Water was free in Ireland for the entire history of the Irish Republic. Then the government says "yeah we are going to start charging for that. Because reasons. Also we are setting up a corporation called Irish Water to handle it." People where not happy. Its actually one of the biggest political issues in the country right now and might play a deciding factor in the next election.

 

Irish Water haven't released info on how many people have actually paid bill but it is almost certainly less than those who haven't.

that's interesting - it's a little like the carpool lanes here going to a toll lane... it's kind of a bummer, but i guess Ireland needed to make more money? We pay for water here (unless you drink it out of your neighbor's hose).

[DoctorFrog 649]

 

I only ask, because I love to share Comedy Bang Bang and U Talkin' U2 To Me? with friends who aren't privy to finding such things on their own, and there are certain episodes that I personally think are really good introductory episodes to Comedy Bang Bang specifically. In fact, I'm currently dating a girl to whom I had sent several episodes after first meeting her.

 

We get it! You have a girlfriend! Jesus!

[DoctorFrog 649]

that's interesting - it's a little like the carpool lanes here going to a toll lane... it's kind of a bummer, but i guess Ireland needed to make more money? We pay for water here (unless you drink it out of your neighbor's hose).

 

Hose water is best water.

[SimonCameron 114]

Perhaps a sensible compromise would be to allow every user to access one "archived" show a month. That way, I can still recommend particular episodes to casual listeners, but you're still attracting the huge comedy nerds.

[Haze 112]

that's interesting - it's a little like the carpool lanes here going to a toll lane... it's kind of a bummer, but i guess Ireland needed to make more money? We pay for water here (unless you drink it out of your neighbor's hose).

 

We did not do well during the global recession. Its a bit too much to go into here but basically things went Greek bad, we accepted the EU bale-out terms, suffered years of crippling austerity, paid back the EU and just as we where finally in the recovery when taxes where meant to go down and austerity finally ended the government said "Yay! Here is a new bill!" Basically it was the final straw.

 

Though If I am being honest we seem to just have some deep-seeded moral objection to paying for water (it rains all the time!). They tried to introduce water charges back in the 90s but so few people actually paid it the government folded on the issue.

[kittenparty 16]

Perhaps a sensible compromise would be to allow every user to access one "archived" show a month. That way, I can still recommend particular episodes to casual listeners, but you're still attracting the huge comedy nerds.

That seems like a pretty cool idea. Maybe 5 eps or something. That would be especially useful if you want to listen to a particular character's story arc. I like to go back and listen to a character's last appearance, especially if it's been awhile since they've been on. Usually they are pretty good at recapping a character's background if they've been on before, but it's fun to listen to the whole ep.

[Scott Aukerman 381]

 

We did not do well during the global recession. Its a bit too much to go into here but basically things went Greek bad, we accepted the EU bale-out terms, suffered years of crippling austerity, paid back the EU and just as we where finally in the recovery when taxes where meant to go down and austerity finally ended the government said "Yay! Here is a new bill!" Basically it was the final straw.

 

Though If I am being honest we seem to just have some deep-seeded moral objection to paying for water (it rains all the time!). They tried to introduce water charges back in the 90s but so few people actually paid it the government folded on the issue.

it's an interesting question - what do governments owe their people? I believe health care and water could be considered universal rights. But people in this country seem to prioritize taxes being really low.

[greggy 15909]

i would very much like premium password-protected RSS feeds like what Never Not Funny uses so i can use the app i prefer to listen to the ad-free podcast version i am paying for with this service. i have no issues with paying for all the great Earwolf content but it will be a bummer if the only way to do so is to get a less convenient product

[Haze 112]

it's an interesting question - what do governments owe their people? I believe health care and water could be considered universal rights. But people in this country seem to prioritize taxes being really low.

 

Interesting you should say that. Irish is one of the few Western nations that has accepted water is a human right, so they can't punish non-payers by cutting them off. Last I heard the worst they can do is lower water pressure.

[justinmh05 1968]

I can see you're dodging my question, you old so-and-so! That seems morally wrong to me, like the Irish Water Tax.

 

THE PEOPLE WANT TO KNOW!!!!!!! GIVE THEM THE ANSWER!!!!!

 

Chant along with me now Earwolfers: "How do you balance work and family?"

[apaeter 19]

Chant along with me now Earwolfers: "How do you balance work and family?"

 

Oooh oooh, and also: When did you first hear of U2?

[Haze 112]

I can see you're dodging my question, you old so-and-so! That seems morally wrong to me, like the Irish Water Tax.

 

THE PEOPLE WANT TO KNOW!!!!!!! GIVE THEM THE ANSWER!!!!!

 

Chant along with me now Earwolfers: "How do you balance work and family?"

 

Yeah we did get kind of off topic there...

[Jakal 4475]

Scott how do you feel about Netflix's new pod-casting app?

 

 

[Joe McGurl 8358]

Lotta people HOWLIN over howl today. That was a pretty good joke and I'll take some well deserved likes for that.

 

Anyway, Scott, I know you aren't really involved with the tech sides of this thing so I'm not going to begrudge you on the topic of that. As someone who would've gladly payed a subscription fee anyway for the content that you've already been putting out, I'm actually pretty happy for you guys. Having exclusive content behind the paywall is fine and a great idea and I look forward to seeing more awesome and quality content churned out now that there will be a stream of cash coming in to help fund bigger and better things. Congratulations on that and just a quick thank you for all you have done and will continue to do for the world of both comedy and podcasting.

 

My only gripe comes from putting backlogs behind the paywall. Shows like Whooch, I4H, HDTGM are pretty easily accessible from whenever you jump in but a show like Hollywood Handbook can be weird for someone, especially someone who isn't tuned into that style of humor, right away. So if I want to get someone into it, I'd pick episodes that ease them into the style and tone to get comfortable with. To use your comics/Doctor Who example. Let's say there is a "Doctor Who Viewing Website" and it's the only place where you can watch it but you have to pay for it. I'm told that I should definitely watch it because it's a great show but all that is available are the latest 6 episodes and a few of the really great classic episodes from seasons past. Okay, well I watch the latest episode and have no idea what's going on but I see that the Pilot episode is available and I go back to watch that episode to get familiarized with the world. Well wait, why is there a different person playing The Doctor and who is Rose Tyler and why isn't she there anymore? Now, I'm more confused than I was before but I see that another episode from season 3 is available and now David Tennant is The Doctor. At this point I would probably give up because I would have no idea what the fuck is going on or while the episodes may have been enjoyable, I don't know if I'm willing to commit to paying for the rest of the episodes because I might end up not really liking it.

 

Or I walk into a comics shop and want to read X-Men but the only issues available are the latest issues of Uncanny X-Men and issues 7-12 of Whedon's Astonishing X-Men. I tell the clerk I want to get into it and he says that they have the entire catalog for me to look at in the back but I have to pay money to get into see them. Why would I bother?

 

It just seems odd to me and I know that monetizing the old eps will help out those shows but I dunno. I'm sure it wasn't an easy decision for the Earwolf team but I'm just throwing in my two cents.

[honlads 8798]

Gerard, it's not "morally wrong" to charge for media that was once free, and I can't believe you brought up Irish Water.

[Scott Aukerman 381]

Lotta people HOWLIN over howl today. That was a pretty good joke and I'll take some well deserved likes for that.

 

Anyway, Scott, I know you aren't really involved with the tech sides of this thing so I'm not going to begrudge you on the topic of that. As someone who would've gladly payed a subscription fee anyway for the content that you've already been putting out, I'm actually pretty happy for you guys. Having exclusive content behind the paywall is fine and a great idea and I look forward to seeing more awesome and quality content churned out now that there will be a stream of cash coming in to help fund bigger and better things. Congratulations on that and just a quick thank you for all you have done and will continue to do for the world of both comedy and podcasting.

 

My only gripe comes from putting backlogs behind the paywall. Shows like Whooch, I4H, HDTGM are pretty easily accessible from whenever you jump in but a show like Hollywood Handbook can be weird for someone, especially someone who isn't tuned into that style of humor, right away. So if I want to get someone into it, I'd pick episodes that ease them into the style and tone to get comfortable with. To use your comics/Doctor Who example. Let's say there is a "Doctor Who Viewing Website" and it's the only place where you can watch it but you have to pay for it. I'm told that I should definitely watch it because it's a great show but all that is available are the latest 6 episodes and a few of the really great classic episodes from seasons past. Okay, well I watch the latest episode and have no idea what's going on but I see that the Pilot episode is available and I go back to watch that episode to get familiarized with the world. Well wait, why is there a different person playing The Doctor and who is Rose Tyler and why isn't she there anymore? Now, I'm more confused than I was before but I see that another episode from season 3 is available and now David Tennant is The Doctor. At this point I would probably give up because I would have no idea what the fuck is going on or while the episodes may have been enjoyable, I don't know if I'm willing to commit to paying for the rest of the episodes because I might end up not really liking it.

 

Or I walk into a comics shop and want to read X-Men but the only issues available are the latest issues of Uncanny X-Men and issues 7-12 of Whedon's Astonishing X-Men. I tell the clerk I want to get into it and he says that they have the entire catalog for me to look at in the back but I have to pay money to get into see them. Why would I bother?

 

It just seems odd to me and I know that monetizing the old eps will help out those shows but I dunno. I'm sure it wasn't an easy decision for the Earwolf team but I'm just throwing in my two cents.

i think a clerk would ask you to pay for ANY of the issues, but I don't own a comic shop

[Haze 112]

Gerard, it's not "morally wrong" to charge for media that was once free, and I can't believe you brought up Irish Water.

 

Not a direct correlation just struggling for a metaphor. Seemed better than bringing up Steam Mods. Honestly I know calling it morally wrong is dicky.

[SteveHalloran 85]

Can we finally get a Peppermen Podcast now? How about Season 2 of Andy Daly Podcast Pilot Project? I mean all this content is great, but tell me about some more sclusies!

 

Kulap mentioned some changes to Who Charted recently, can you go into any of that?

 

I've been with you guys since you were just a little boy and I'll stick with you now that you are a big boy.

 

 

 

[LessfunnySuits 181]

I can't even go on a fuckin comedy podcast network messageboard without hearing about the Irish Water shite.

 

Scott: How will the premium content on Howl be affected by the Irish water charge?

[justinmh05 1968]

For the record, the new Lauren Lapkus psychic-themed podcast is surprisingly touching. I'm not a believer in psychics, but it was compelling to say the least!

[kbeef2 60]

I have voiced my concerns on the CBB episode forum but I will say this here. Putting everything older than six months behind the paywall is wrong. It is an openly hostile move against people on the free tier. If you watch the CBB TV show and want to hear Fourvels podcast appearances? That will be $4.99. Lauren Lapkus points you to the origin of one of her characters on twitter? $4.99. Want to listen to a best of so you can see if this podcast is something you are even interested in? $4.99 thank you very much. It is exclusionary and wrong and never should have been implemented.

 

Also Netflix, Amazon Prime, music streaming service of you choice, any twitch channel your are subscribed to, the list of online entertainment services that want your low monthly payment keeps growing and growing. I have seen this called the death by 1000 cuts and I frankly agree. This is getting harder and harder to swallow. If (as I suspect, might not actually be true) E.W. Scripps only bought Earwolfs parent company so it could implement this paid podcasting service I frankly resent it.

 

We are not all made of money, iphones are expensive and as my grandmother said "a fiver is a lot of money if you haven't got it."

 

Scott said the Best Ofs will remain free and he also said this was in the works long before Scripps entered the picture and that Scripps has essentially zero control over what they decide to put in the app.