BitTorrent Launches P2P-Based Direct Artist Publishing Platform BitTorrent Bundle

The global file-sharing king, BitTorrent today launched P2P-based direct publishing platform “BitTorrent Bundle” for publishers as a private alpha. The idea is to make direct-to-fan distribution easier for artists to share their legitimate content.

The San Francisco-based technology and media company’s new self-service platform has 8 launch partners: Los Angeles-based web video production company The Collective, Topspin, Interloper Films, FADER, Cinedigm, Gravitas Ventures, Converge Studios, and Tim Ferriss.

BitTorrent, the P2P network with 170 million users said in a blog post that its Bundle have been downloaded by 18 million fans, have funneled over 1 million users to artist properties, and helped collect over 600,000 email leads.

>> BitTorrent Bundle

The BitTorrent Bundle is, in the words of BitTorrent’s Justin Knoll, senior vice president of products, user experience, and data at BitTorrent – “a publishing platform designed to address the issues of distribution, reach, and virality that every independent creator is up against.”

– Direct-to-fan publishing made simple: All you need to do to build a Bundle is upload your assets. There are no size caps, or file type restrictions. Once all your stuff is up there, we’ll create a gated Bundle and a custom landing page that you can share with the world.
– Publish what you want: Creativity takes many forms. That’s why we built BitTorrent Bundle. It’s a format designed to hold anything and everything you make: from video, to art, to music, in one simple download.
– Grow fan interaction and value: There are 170 million fans in BitTorrent waiting to hear from you. How you engage them is up to you. Give fans a free download. Then, let them unlock content exclusives in exchange for an email.

 “We believe more eyeballs equal more dollars, so whether it’s an immediate call to action or seeding media availability, the millions of potential impressions from sharing a BitTorrent Bundle represents a profoundly new and exciting marketing opportunity for independent film producers and distributors,” said Jill Calcaterra, Cinedigm’s chief marketing officer.

BitTorrent Inc.’s founder Bram Cohen invented the file-sharing protocol and it owns the largest BitTorrent clients.  BitTorrent says it wants to help artists around the world find and connect with new audiences.