Picture this: I’m on the hunt for new Cypher Ave content.  I remember I have a list of URLS and links to short films that I need to watch and see if they are interesting enough to highlight on the site.  Damn, I’m hungry and thirsty.  I make a quick run to the store for beer, chips and salsa to go with my evening of viewing black gay content.

Back at my computer monitor I open up the doc that I saved weeks ago that has the list.  A Bitter Pill, we already posted that.  Okay how about Toeing The Line? Hmm kinda interesting; seems like a typical gay interracial down low story line but looks can be deceiving.  I copy and paste the URL in YouTube and view the trailer.  Okay, saw the trailer and it states it will be released June 2013.  Great, so it’s already been released. So I search and search and can’t find the full short film on YouTube.  So I go to the link in the “about” section of the trailer to find the content creators website.  I go to the website and I find the film I’m looking for to view and BAM…it’s a pay per view on demand!?  I have to pay $2.99 for 24 hours access to view the 17 minute short film.

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Nick Delmacy created a two-part article months back about the lack of financial support in the black gay community.  The two-part article talked about low CD and download sales for black gay music artists, failed Kickstarter or crowd funding campaigns for up and coming black gay movies or web series and fans of said music artists and gay web series being “in name only” who never come out of their pockets to support the LGBT community they claim to love.  The article was mentioned on numerous black gay websites, and tweeted even more, but I wondered how many black gays actually come out of their pockets to help support the entertainment productions that we say we love and so desperately need?

*Quick Side Note*
Are you aware that Cypher Avenue is basically the only website that actually highlights and reviews many black gay web series, gay short films, gay musicians and gay novelists on the internet?  On top of that, we recognize many of them at the end of the year with out “Best Of” lists, giving them even more exposure. Many websites that cater to the black LGBT community, never even mention these web series and short films on their websites/podcasts/video blogs yet want to preach how we need to support each other and stick together as a community. STFU already.

 

So as I visit a website like The Branden Blinn Media Group (TBBMG on demand) to watch Toeing The Line, the first thing that pops in my mind is “that you mean to tell me there aren’t any black gay filmmakers or content creators who can create an on demand pay site like this for their content”?

In addition to creating an on demand website, how about also releasing your web series on DVD and selling them via the same website?  DVD burning software and hardware make it easier than ever to mass produce your own DVD’s with title menus and all.  I have done it myself for certain projects and YES it is that easy (coming from the guy who thinks Facebook is annoying and complicated).  I know resources are limited; however Nick Delmacy created the Cypher Ave TV page all by his lonesome, not to mention the entire Cypher Ave site from the ground up.

Wouldn’t it be nice if black gay content creators like Deondray Gossett, Quincy LeNear, Lamont Pierre, Derrick L. Briggs, Patrick-Ian Polk, Sean Anthony, Lasto, Ernest Pierce, Kaos, Wayne Hobdy, David Summers, George Smith Hill, Maurice Jamal, Romaine Phillips, Lonnell Williams, etc. could come together like Voltron?


What if we could have the BGEMG (Black Gay Entertainment Media Group) that would charge to view or listen to content?  The media group would receive 15% of all profits and the rest would go directly to the director of each show viewed on the BGEMG on demand website.  Money earned could go towards better productions and possible better actors to star in the productions.  By the way, I think Toeing The Line has been viewed on demand at least 84 times so that equals about $252.  Hell that’s better than $0.00 received from viewership on YouTube.

Yeah…what if?  I am on my third beer now so I guess I’m done with my rant on this subject.  If you like or don’t like my idea, feel free to share your thoughts.