-
New Digital Juice Subscription
Have any of you seen the new direction Digital Juice is going? Basically they are ditching disk media and going with a web portal. You pay a monthly subscription and get access to all of their software (though they still charge you a small fee, currently $1 per download). Plus they are adding a marketplace for people to buy and sell your own stock (you get to set your own price and they just charge a “small” processing fee). Currently it looks like the early bird pricing is $10/mo and a $250 starting fee (though they give the 250 back in credits and other perks)
Sounds interesting, but I haven’t used much Digital Juice stuff. I know others have mentioned it here. What are you thoughts? Think it is worth it? Below is a link to the description in their absurdly long video that explains everything.
-
16 Replies
-
It’s probably a smart move. To me, the biggest downside of buying a DJ dvd was paying for an entire collection when I only wanted one or two items in the disc. I was telling them to sell “a la carte” ages ago in their customer feedback.
It’s got to save them money to not have to manage all that duplication and shipping as well as physical inventory. As an editor, when you need it, you NEED it, and being able to get an instant download at 2 in the morning to finish a project on tight deadlines, sure beats waiting for a DVD in the mail…
What kind of deal is it for us, the users? The initial buy-in has to be low, or it’s a barrier to entry for many, myself included. I do like Digital Juice, and I often recommend many of their products. But, I would not drop 250 bucks in advance for a year’s access, PLUS a monthly fee, even with credits. Even if you dropped the entry fees, ten bucks a month is also not what I’d want to pay, UNLESS I was seriously using a LOT of their stuff every week. And I don’t use them that often. I would much prefer a pay-as- you-go, per-download cost, when and as I need something, even if it was in the 20-to-50-dollar range, like what MotionVFX.com does. My personal budget is a Rube Goldberg construction as it is: I don’t need additional automated monthly “leakages” tapping into it, regardless of me getting any utility out of the deal. it would be like paying the monthly netflix fee but only watching one show a year. Not a good value proposition.
-
That video is way too long. I think I made it to the 5 minute mark. Digital Juices’s new line of products have been available for digital download for a couple of years.
Stephen Smith
Check out my Vimeo page
-
I agree about the length; that’s always a challenge when you need to communicate a HUGE volume of stuff.
For someone who leans heavily on a ton of their products, the all-you-can-eat costs might even out with the benefits. But I’m thinking for casual users that only come for one or two things, the math doesn’t work out. I can see someone signing up for a month at ten dollars, downloading 3 things for three bucks, and then lapsing membership until they need something again. That would be something I might do. But I don’t see that kind of customer willing to front 250 or whatever for the chance to get in early.
I wonder too what kind of DRM these files have on them, if any, and if piracy of downloaded products will be a problem. Is the new juicer app going to function as some sort of DRM authorization key for your downloads?
-
[Jeff Breuer] “I haven’t used much Digital Juice stuff. I know others have mentioned it here. What are you thoughts? Think it is worth it?”
Their music library is pretty good, the stock footage is OK and I find the graphics and templates to be very cheesy. As for cost, you have to look at how much you would use their service. A subscription binds you to one source, tempting you to use their stuff even if it’s not the best for a given situation. In general I’d advise against any type of subscription service, says the guy who is about to subscribe to the Adobe Creative Cloud.
Herb Sevush
Zebra Productions
—————————
nothin’ attached to nothin’
“Deciding the spine is the process of editing” F. Bieberkopf -
Since the DJ forum is closed down, is there somewhere I can find DJ users for hire? I’m looking for a couple of people/teams to create TV and web commercials for our clients through our new website. I have tons of DJ products but I would want someone who is a member of the new DJ subscription service.
-
I would try the Services tab a the top of this page. It is a great place to find talent. Personally I would be looking for the best talent not a user of DJ subscriptions. Any talented creative could sign up for it today and get access to what ever you want them to use, but good talent isn’t something everyone can be.
Stephen Smith
Check out my Vimeo page
-
Today I went looking for some new wipes/motion graphics over at Digital Juice only to discover that they had switched to the new subscription based model. All that is well and good but the new website does not allow for any preview of effects or searching of packages, unless I am missing something. I can’t even find the media management desktop application. I wonder how they expect customers to shell out $250+ for unseen products. DJ was a frustrating product (clunky, not intuitive, etc) before but walling off preview content is really shortsighted.
Anywho, over on Glassdoor.com, old employees of DJ share some of the pro’s and cons of working with the company. Apparently lots of screaming and belittling amidst a chaotic, hyper-controlling environment. An insightful read for those working in the biz.
https://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Digital-Juice-Reviews-E230811.htm
-
Dang… read those employee reviews. WOWSER.
T2
__________________________________
Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com
-
[Todd Terry] “Dang… read those employee reviews. WOWSER.”
Makes me want to trash my Digital Juice disks. On the other hand, it makes me appreciate my work environment all the more.
Herb Sevush
Zebra Productions
—————————
nothin’ attached to nothin’
“Deciding the spine is the process of editing” F. Bieberkopf -
Reply to this Discussion! Login or Sign Up