網絡改變演藝圈走紅路線圖

????加菲根他們的秘訣在于規模效益。在收回制作成本和為下載服務付費之后，在線收入的每一個子兒都是他們自己的（除了支付網站貝寶PayPal的服務費）。而由于在銷售中的分成更多，他們還可以薄利多銷：一次下載通常只要5美元。最賣座的明星還可以多賺一筆，過些日子再以較低的價格向Showtime這樣的電視網出售放映權。而在iTunes上的分成是每10美元的下載收回3.5美元。

????由于不受聯邦通信委員會（FCC）管轄，在網上，演員們還可以突破創作限制。5月份達西?邁克爾在其個人網站發布半小時的專輯《瘦婊子》（One Skinny Bitch），他覺得這個版本如果在電視上播放，一定會改得面目全非。

????“我像個騎警一樣滿嘴臟話，”邁克爾說。“他們肯定會刪掉一半。”

????雖然演員們在創作尺度上獲得了更大自由，但他們卻失去了財力雄厚的電視網來為他們進行推廣。加菲根說，在其職業生涯早期，一檔喜劇中心的專題節目就是“我個人喜劇品牌的最佳廣告”。

????對尚未獲得付費的電視演出機會的演員來說，網絡則提供了一個以低廉的成本實現自我突破的機會。達西?邁克爾僅僅花費4,000美元就制作完成了《瘦裱子》。演員羅伯?德蘭尼在8月份即將發布的首個在線專題的制作費也僅為3萬美元。強勁的在線銷售還可能幫助他們一步步實現付費電視演出的夢想。

????行業專家和喜劇演員都不認為網絡可以完全取代一小時的電視專題節目。按照數碼分銷專家山姆?福特的說法，最可能的模式就是先在網上賺個吆喝，吸引電視網的關注。然后通過電視網強大的推廣能力，幫助建立演員的粉絲群體，最后演員再回到網上發布作品，這時就可以真正實現盈利了。

????The secret, for Gaffigan and others, is scale. After covering production costs and paying for a website with a download service, comedians receive every cent of revenue they earn from an online show (less a minimal fee to PayPal). Since they keep a bigger cut of sales, they can charge less for every download—usually $5 on a personal website. The most bankable stars can double-dip, selling broadcast rights to a network like Showtime at a reduced rate at a later date. They can also sell the material on iTunes, keeping $3.50 of every $10 download.

????Comedians can also push creative boundaries online, where they're outside the domain of the FCC. Darcy Michael, who released his half-hour long album "One Skinny Bitch" on his personal website in May, says that his material would have been completely different if it aired on TV.

????"I swear like a trooper," says Michael. "They'd take half of that out."

????But what comedians gain in edgy material, they lose in promotion from deep-pocketed TV networks. In the early days of his career, says Jim Gaffigan, a Comedy Central special was "an infomercial for my brand of comedy."

????For comedians who don't have the luxury of a paid TV gig, the web offers a way to break out, at a manageable expense. Darcy Michael spent just $4,000 to produce "One Skinny Bitch." Comedian Rob Delaney's first online special, due online in August, cost $30,000 to produce. Robust online sales could help both comedians edge closer to paid TV work.

????Neither industry experts nor comedians envision a world where the web will entirely replace a one-hour TV special. More likely, says Sam Ford, an expert on digital distribution, is a model where talent generates buzz online, and then attracts the attention of networks. Through their promotional power, the networks then build a comedian's fan base until the comedian can return to releasing work on the web— this time, for a profit.