????“如果該視頻的銷量能夠保持這種增長的勢頭，”他寫道：“我的目標是：無論將來我要向觀眾銷售任何東西，不管是視頻、演出光碟、還是演出門票，我都將在網上銷售。而且我將繼續沿用現在的銷售模式，將價格盡可能降至最低，絕不想方設法向你們兜售產品。在你們和我之間的交易中，環節越少越好。”

????而且，他對這次的視頻未使用任何數字權利管理（DRM）技術。他曾擔心會出現盜版，而且他自始至終懇求粉絲們不要將該視頻放到BT站點上。不出所料，該視頻上傳后不出幾分鐘就遭遇了盜版，這有可能會對銷量產生些許影響。但是，由于視頻下載費用只有5美元，幾乎沒人費神去下載盜版內容。真正的粉絲寧愿付費下載。而且，由于其銷售模式從各方面而言都取得了極大的成功，盜版行為會被視為費力不討好，而非媒體行業眼中的世紀末大決戰。

????但是，對路易斯及其粉絲而言，最重要的問題是：“我可以完全按我自己的意愿和你們的希望去做節目。”確實如此，這期特別節目有可能是路易斯?C?K有史以來完成的最有趣的一小時單人喜劇表演。

????一定程度上得益于大型媒體公司的宣傳，路易斯本來就已經名揚四海，這無疑有助于此種銷售模式取得成功。即使某人擁有世界上最杰出的滑稽表演天賦，如果他/她只是無名小卒的話，也不可能取得如此規模的銷售成功。完成單人喜劇表演是一回事，而制作電視節目則完全是另一回事。即使路易斯這樣的名演員，也需要FX等網絡出資制作并銷售其情景喜劇《路易》（Louie），盡管我們需要強調指出，該劇制作成本低廉，而且FX網絡基本上允許路易斯隨心所欲地進行表演。他要求擁有表演上的自由度，而這恰是該劇成功的關鍵所在。

????媒體公司在未來很長一段時間內仍將繼續存在，繼續挖掘人才并銷售產品（盡管互聯網已開始侵蝕這塊業務；這一點，看看那些相對無名的演員們上傳的喜劇播客所取得的成功，便可略知一二）。但是，這些成功與任何一家大型媒體公司都沒有關系。所有認為自己比演藝界人士更了解觀眾需求，更了解觀眾愿意為演出支付多少費用的媒體公司高管們都應該停下來，好好想想。

????譯者：大海

????"If the trend continues with sales on this video," he wrote, "my goal is that I can reach the point where when I sell anything, be it videos, CDs or tickets to my tours, I'll do it here and I'll continue to follow the model of keeping my price as far down as possible, not overmarketing to you, keeping as few people between you and me as possible in the transaction."

????He also made the video DRM-free. He was worried about piracy, and he's been pleading with his fans to not put the video on bittorrent sites. Of course, it was pirated within minutes, which might be cutting into sales a bit. But with a $5 price point, the incentive to download pirated copies is almost nil. True fans will pay it and, given how successful the enterprise has been for all concerned, piracy can be seen as simply a cost of doing business rather than the Armageddon the media industry sees.

????Most important to Louis and his fans, though, is this: "I got to do exactly the show I wanted, and exactly the show you wanted." Indeed, this might be the funniest hour of standup Louis CK has ever done.

????Of course, it helps that Louis was -- thanks in part to big media companies -- already famous. The funniest comedian in the world couldn't have done something like this on such a scale if he or she were unknown. And standup specials are one thing -- produced television is something else. Even Louis needs a network like FX to finance production and distribution of his sitcom, Louie, though it should be noted that it's done on the cheap, and the network lets Louis do basically whatever he wants. He demanded that freedom going in, and the show is successful for that reason.

????Media companies will be around for a long time to come, to develop talent and distribute product (though the Internet eating into that part of the business, too -- just look at the success of comedy podcasts by relative unknowns). But the fact that no big companies were involved in this should give pause to all media executives who think they know better than performers what audiences want, and how much they're willing to pay to get it.