Gosh, I dont think im gonna fork out out 45-50 dollars for a DVD. IMHO Nothing can justify that price. Jenna's Basics and Beyond with 180 min of material for under 20 dollars is a good competition, not to mention lots of other fab and professional DVD in the same price range.
:naghty: for you IAMED and others charging rip-off prices! At some point it stops being art, and becomes pure money-making.
Shareen el Safy has since lowered her video prices, but they were easily worth the $50 I paid for them.
So were Raqia's.
So were Morocco's.
So were Hadia's.
So were the Ahlan Wa Sahlan videos.
And the Dina workshops, and the Aida Nour workshops, and the Suhaila certification material dvds, and Aisha Ali's documentaries.
I really liked Jenna's dvd, but it really can't compare to the content on some of the videos I mentioned here. I don't think we should "shame" independent producers or IAMED for their prices. If the content weren't worth it, people wouldn't pay the price. ( I see it as 'were not desperate' for the content... LOL)
And for every ONE video they sell, how much money do they lose from illegal copies?
For what it's worth, I have one of Faten's videos and I think it is very informative and worth what I paid for it -- I got it from Dahlal.
WellI am not saying that Jenna's DVD is the ultimate, I just mentionedit as an example of a resonably priced DVD with LOADS of content and work put into it. Too often the 40min DVD are sold for 50$.
You can afford it? Good for you! In some countries $50 is a MONTHS wage! Add shipping cost and import tax, that puts things in perspective. So yes, talking about illegal copies, i thin every artist should be paid, but i see where some people come from with having to feed a family for 50$.
Just because many companies keep the price so high does not automatically make them exceptional value. And face it, many times people are desperate for the material, that's why they pay, and the producers know it.
Just because high steet charges £2 for a cup of coffee does not make its value become £2 it,does not make the farmer growing coffee get more than the peanuts that he gets paid by big companies, and certainly does not make it justified for a person without a job, even if heis out cold in the rain.
And I do pray that the Artists get a fair share of that price and not those that make money of them. (Oh and no need to go into costs of production, many of those high price dvds look like they are made in someone's bedroom)
Sorry I am just disillusioned about branding pricing marketing and advertising in this world, having seen the people live in tin huts and get water out of muddy river. Unless of course it is intended for the wealthy.
We just should not forget that what is true and real on one side of the world is not necessarily so onb the other.
WellI am not saying that Jenna's DVD is the ultimate, I just mentionedit as an example of a resonably priced DVD with LOADS of content and work put into it.
Too often the 40min DVD are sold for 50$.
You can afford it? Good for you!
In some countries $50 is a MONTHS wage! Add shipping cost and import tax, that puts things in perspective.
So yes, talking about illegal copies, i thin every artist should be paid, but i see where some people come from with having to feed a family for 50$.
Just because many companies keep the price so high does not automatically make them exceptional value.
And face it, many times people are desperate for the material, that's why they pay, and the producers know it.
Just because high steet charges £2 for a cup of coffee does not make its value become £2 it,
And I do pray that the Artists get a fair share of that price and not those that make money of them.
(Oh and no need to go into costs of production, many of those high price dvds look like they are made in someone's bedroom)
Sorry I am just disillusioned about branding pricing marketing and advertising in this world, having seen the people live in tin huts and get water out of muddy river. Unless of course it is intended for the wealthy.
We just should not forget that what is true and real on one side of the world is not necessarily so onb the other.
If the price of the dvd is more reasonable, then reasonable people are less likely to pirate...
I think many people are now happy to pay a small price to download a song legally on itunes or emusic or napster even if they used to illegally 'share' mp3's
Is there any other site that has legal downloads of dvd's?
Hi Mosaic
To me it looks like you get a link to Amazon and Film Baby when you want to buy something. How do we buy directly from Cheeky girls website?
I bought four cheeky-dvd's a while ago but I got them from Amazon as I couldn't figure out any other way. What "killed" me was the custom fee that was as much as the cost of the dvd's. So I ended up paying twice as much. :shok:
I'm not sure what the research will show, but I don't think I necessarily believe this. I've been to restaurants that sell pirated versions of Persian CDs for $9.99 -- the same CDs you can buy legally for $12.
But the piracy debate will continue. I think it's a moral issue that people need to decide for themselves.
Aziyade, I think I see where Reenie is coming from, and I have a certain amount of sympathy with her view point. Mercedes Benz and $50 dvds in a world filled with starving people is indeed hard to get one's mind around- a tangent from the basic discussion here, but still as relevant as most tangents we follow.
I also understand the concept of charging whatever the market will bear. However, any market with me in it will not bear $50 dvds, no matter who makes them. I once bought a book on belly dance technique which was different from anything else I'd seen. It was a nice book, but quite pricey and when I saw it, I was shocked by content v. price. When I mentioned this in the thread devoted to the book review, the author seriously took exception to my viewpoint, was angry that I mentioned price/content in the review, and offered to refund my money, saying I should've contacted her personally if I wasn't happy. (The book was self-published.) I thanked her and declined her offer (caveat emptor), but it is unlikely I will buy any of her future books unless she can find a publisher to bring the costs into line with comparable books.
I see the same thing happening with dvds- if one produces them privately, they are far more expensive than those produced commercially. If someone is willing to pay the price, good for them. If someone else decides to seek equivalent content with a better price, that is fine as well. Both viewpoints have merit and can and should be expressed without incurring acrimony.
PS I had an older Mercedes once upon a time. I had a world of fun with it until repairs drove me wild economically and practically and I bought a less exotic but far more dependable Camry.
f you can't afford food, you don't need bellydance dvds for heaven's sake!
If someone else decides to seek equivalent content with a better price, that is fine as well.
How are the Sadie DVDs?
I have Pops Locks and Shimmies with Kaya and Sadie,
Sultry Slow Moves,
Thrillin' Drillin'
For those who have seen these, do they offer unique content and sufficient length to justify the cost?
Is Michelle Joyce's Pop Lock and Shimmy going to give me the same content for far less money?
Sorry, I just dont think we have common viewponts to discuss things. Obviously your world is so much different from mine.