Comedian Jim Gaffigan Releases New Special - Digital-Only

Emboldened by the half-a-million-dollar success that was fellow funnyman Louis C.K.'s latest comedy special, Jim Gaffigan is now taking a stab at the digital distro method with "Mr. Universe," a continuous, 75-minute stream of hilarity, available now directly from Gaffigan's website for only $5.

TechCrunch had Gaffigan in their studio weeks ago to talk about the potential dangers of digital distribution and comedy in the digital age. 

The TechCrunch interview and more details about "Mr. Universe" after the jump...

On the Mr. Universe page, three HD or SD downloads or streams are available for only $5 - pay via PayPal or Amazon. Gaffigan's also throwing in the "Close Eyes" audio version for not $20, not $10, not even $5 - the "Close Eyes" audio version of Mr. Universe is absolutely free. 

One dollar of each transaction goes to The Bob Woodruff Foundation, which helps wounded veterans and their families.

While Gaffigan says he's "incredibly motivated" by Louis C.K.'s success, he understands that, like any worthwhile venture, he's taking a risk.

"We only ask that you do not redistribute the show. Once you download the file, it’s yours to keep forever, and yours to use for any reasonable personal use, such as watching, enjoying, converting to MP3 for the morning commute, making backups, burning to DVD, hosting a screening for friends, and so on."

While TechCrunch reports that Gaffigan explored alternate distribution methods, he took the leap largely because it cut out the "middleman" - allowing him more creative control and more (much more) cash.

"... if you're honest and there's an absence of a corporate fingerprint on something, I think people will be less likely to steal. And then if you add an element where, if they're stealing, they're stealing from a wounded veteran, that makes them pretty horrible people."

The universal nature of comedy lends itself to self-distribution so it's nice to see brave souls taking the baby steps needed to bring the digital distro method some much needed momentum.

SOURCE:  TechCrunch 1 | 2