The Internet has changed the way people experience entertainment and the costs. The low cost ability to share entertainment has created a need for free comedy. Stand up comedians have been using electronic media to spread their form of comedy. Comedians have been using YouTube, Twitter and podcasts to give away free comedy to their established fans while creating new fans in the process.
Stand up comedians have been creating free comedy intentionally and unintentionally on YouTube. Sometimes popular comedians have unwittingly found their material pirated on YouTube. This unintended free comedy can have a mixed effect, sometimes it helps the comedian by increasing their popularity, but can hurt sales of a DVD or CD if the material is distributed via piracy. Free comedy on YouTube is often the intended purpose for up and coming comics. By posting samples of their stand up routines, comics can gain exposure online and help nurture their fan base. Unknown comics can become famous overnight with a properly placed viral YouTube video. YouTube also provides a ton of unintentional free comedy in the form of news stories, or other random events that provide free content for established comedians. Comics like Daniel Tosh and Jimmy Kimmel often integrate YouTube videos into their programs and seem to turn the tide of free comedy online.
YouTube videos are often great tools at spreading quick clips of free comedy, while podcasts offer a more in depth approach. Comedy podcasts are either formatted like a radio show or television show and can easily be downloaded and disseminated. Adam Carolla, Joe Rogan, Greg Fitzsimmons, Bill Burr and Kevin Smith are all leading successful comedy podcasts. The comedy podcasts may be free to download, but the popularity has allowed them to fill up theaters for their comedy shows. The podcast is essentially an hour long advertisement for the comedian and their particular flavor of comedy. Some may balk at the idea of creating comedy for free, but even established comics are finding it valuable. Obviously new comedians are enjoying the ability to have anyone with an Internet connection listen to their comedy. Additionally once someone is subscribed to the podcast, the fan will have a new episode delivered every time it has been released.
Twitter is limited to 140 charachters, and much quicker experience than podcasting or YouTube. Twitter is a text only social networking service that allows people share messages in 140 character chunks. Stand up comedians use it in various ways, the first is as a promotional tool. Whoever is following the comedian can easily be updated about future club dates or appearances. Comedians also use Twitter to share jokes and essentially try out material. Some popular comedians have follower totals in the millions and have seen it as it's own unique medium. Witstream and FavStar are different services that were created that highlight popular Twitter users often which are well known comedians, or aspiring up and coming comedians.
You read about the extravagant salaries some comedians command but don't realize all the work that is involved in giving out free comedy. Their is a plethora of free comedy available online and comedians feel pressure to compete in the new digital age. Free comedy can be just as good as the stuff you'll see in the clubs or theaters, sometimes it's their best stuff. Comedy can be found in all different types of media and making other people laugh never seems to go away. New media has brought about a new landscape for entertainment, and the position of comedian seems to be constantly redefined. The ratio of free entertainment to paid entertainment has changed with the Internet and it seems that free comedy is now a part of the job description for the modern stand up comedian.
About the Author :
Sean Green is a stand up comedian and host of the free comedy podcast The Green Room with Sean Green. Sean has interviewed countless celebrities on his comedy radio show listen now at http://www.seantgreen.com
By : Sean Green
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