John Brumback's "Bank Pool Secrets of a World Champion"

I just want to make a couple of quick points. First of all you can't even compare this product to COD. The newest COD cost $50 mil to develop and $200 mil was spent on marketing. Two products in completely different realms selling for approximately the same price.
The producer of this DVD has a God given right to charge whatever he chooses for his product. IMHO a $50 price tag for a DVD is just bad marketing no matter what the content is. In this age of piracy (which is obviously theft, but a reality) I think a $50 price tag is going to compel more people who live in a morally grey area to outright steal the video, that would have more than likely been willing to plunk $20-$30 down for a legitimate copy. I'm not saying the video or information is not worth $50, but I think you need to be realistic about the society we live in and human nature in general. I think by putting that price tag on it, you're actually hurting your own wallet in the end.
I can't afford to pay $50 for it right now, that's why I asked if someone had a used copy for sale. If I don't find a used copy I will save until I can afford a new copy, because i value the information it has to offer. But there are a lot of people who would pay $20-$30 on an impulse purchase, where $50 just sounds outrageous to them.

If you're saying the reason someone would steal is because of a $20 difference from $30 to $50, then their compass is way off and they are merely looking for an excuse to justify the action of theft.

You can buy an accu-stats DVD for $10 directly from Pat Fleming, yet I have been offered bootleg copies here in private numerous amounts of times. Where is the difference there. If it was only $5 would those same people not make copies.

The point is the price is only a justification to steal, not the actual reason behind it. People are going to do what they want regardless.

$50 is stone cold stealing for the information that John has. It would take 1000 hours of playing before many could hope to understand some of it on their own, and even then most wouldn't know unless someone showed them.
 
If you're saying the reason someone would steal is because of a $20 difference from $30 to $50, then their compass is way off and they are merely looking for an excuse to justify the action of theft.

You can buy an accu-stats DVD for $10 directly from Pat Fleming, yet I have been offered bootleg copies here in private numerous amounts of times. Where is the difference there. If it was only $5 would those same people not make copies.

The point is the price is only a justification to steal, not the actual reason behind it. People are going to do what they want regardless.

$50 is stone cold stealing for the information that John has. It would take 1000 hours of playing before many could hope to understand some of it on their own, and even then most wouldn't know unless someone showed them.

That's exactly what I'm saying. I think there is a large demographic of people who are used to seeing instructional videos priced in the $20-$30 price range, so in their mind that's what they are all worth and that's what they are willing to pay. I know there are others who wouldn't be willing to pay a penny because they want it for free, but I think there are a large group who have the mindset that I have described. Again, I don't agree with it, but I think it's the reality of the situation.
 
Ok, but I come from a generation - THIS generation - where information is democratised and freely available to all.

It's a drum I'm sick of beating, but pool drags itself into the modern world or it dies for good. We all bear that responsibility.

Freedom of information is not going to change anything about pool and the pool world. It has absolutely no bearing on what will or won't happen in pool.

Just like people charging more then 10£ per DVD isn't going to cause mass rebellion, that leads to snookers subsequent collapse.

In pool's heyday, you had to pay for information, the hard way.

The only difference between now and then is this DVD's provides information to future champions for CHEAP. (who would also seek it out at any cost anyway if the DVD's weren't there)

But it's also made available to all the people who will never be champions, who just want something interesting to watch, who treat the information like it's some book of the month club, angry, because they didn't get the book on sale.

Granted, no one is forcing you to buy the DVD. But pool is not going to collapse because you don't.

To each their own.
 
This is all so funny and John should be jumping up and down and celebrating because of it. Economics be damned, any publicity is good publicity! What our antagonist (and his responders) may not realize is that the sheer length and duration of this thread is beneficial to John and the sales of his DVD! The longer this thread stays active the more DVD's John will sell. It's that simple, price be damned! Why do you think new pool book authors (me included) do whatever they can to keep a thread about their book alive. SALES baby, sales!

And the potential market is a lot bigger than a few hundred people in the pool world. Worldwide it's many, many thousands who purchase pool products. From cues (almost all costing far more than $50) to cases to a zillion other pool related products, pool remains a fairly large market for many businesses who specialize in this area. Yes pool in the United States is shrinking in terms of large poolrooms, but it is alive and well in taverns and league play everywhere! There are literally millions of people who regularly play pool in America and countless millions more worldwide.

It is a fallacy to believe that this sport is drying up, and certainly the sales (or non sales) of one DVD will not appreciably change anything. John Brumback charging $50 for his DVD is not even a ripple on this pond. His pricing will not spark a trend that will damage pool in any way. To sincerely believe this line of reasoning is for fools and blowhards. All that said I also thought his pricing would work against him in the long run, offering that perhaps it would be better to sell 1000 DVD's at $25 each then 100 at $50 apiece. But maybe I was wrong.

Like anything else in life, everything is like everything else, but not always (read this twice please). This may be one of those exceptions where the higher price works better for John and his bottom line. That smooth country drawl may be a nice facade for a smart businessman. We call it Okie smarts. If that's the case I salute him. I also was reluctant to shell out fifty bucks, but when push came to shove I dug deep and paid the tariff. :rolleyes:
 
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You should have one, you drink warm beer. And you guys also have little tea parties. And eat trumpets or whatever you call them.

This wins the prize for the post of the week. Or the month. Or 2012, thus far....

Damn, but that is funny. :D:D:D:D
 
I don't see the contradiction, and think you are conflating two different issues.

Ah, be thankful that I don't have the patience for typing on my phone, as opposed to working on my computer. I would have given you a lenghthy, way-too-wordy treatise on all the particulars... but alas, my phone is difficult to pontificate upon, and I had to leave to go play pool for 4 hours. You know, playing pool, that thing we are all supposed to be interested in?

Sorry about that. :D
 
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I was thinking the same Jay. I was planning on buying John's DVD at some point. The only thing this thread is going to do is make me buy one sooner than planned. Good going Tager, you're helping JB out more than you know.
 
This is all so funny and John should be jumping up and down and celebrating because of it. Economics be damned, any publicity is good publicity! What our antagonist (and his responders) may not realize is that the sheer length and duration of this thread is beneficial to John and the sales of his DVD! The longer this thread stays active the more DVD's John will sell. It's that simple, price be damned! Why do you think new pool book authors (me included) to do whatever they can to keep a thread about their book alive. SALES baby, sales!

And the potential market is a lot bigger than a few hundred people in the pool world. Worldwide it's many, many thousands who purchase pool products. From cues (almost all costing far more than $50) to cases to a zillion other pool related products, pool remains a fairly large market for many businesses who specialize in this area. Yes pool in the United States is shrinking in terms of large poolrooms, but it is alive and well in taverns and league play everywhere! There are literally millions of people who regularly play pool in America and countless millions more worldwide.

It is a fallacy to believe that this sport is drying up, and certainly the sales (or non sales) of one DVD will not appreciably change anything. John Brumback charging $50 for his DVD is not even a ripple on this pond. His pricing will not spark a trend that will damage pool in any way. To sincerely believe this line of reasoning is for fools and blowhards. All that said I also thought his pricing would work against him in the long run, offering that perhaps it would be better to sell 1000 DVD's at $25 each then 100 at $50 apiece. But maybe I was wrong.

Like anything else in life, everything is like everything else, but not always (read this twice please). This may be one of those exceptions where the higher price works better for John and his bottom line. That smooth country drawl may be a nice facade for a smart businessman. We call it Okie smarts. If that's the case I salute him. I also was reluctant to shell out fifty bucks, but when push came to shove I dug deep and paid the tariff. :rolleyes:


Yeah, it's kind of a funny thing, especially in this day and age. Everyone has a computer and everyone has a need to have their voice heard. So whereas there was a time when the discordant were heard less frequently, now it's just part of the deal. Like if you're going to live in a big city with all the big city benefits you have to expect to put up with the police sirens, helicopters, and trash trucks. (Personally, I've come to learn that you ain't nobody on the internet until you have your own personal cage full of screaming monkeys. It's a nice bit of validation ;-)

Getting back to John's DVD... there is a friend who I regularly play 1pocket with and to whom I often lend books and DVDs. I was thinking about not lending this one out -- it'd be like arming your opponent and telling them to just go ahead and wail away on you.

Lou Figueroa
 
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Yeah, it's kind of a funny thing, especially in this day and age. Everyone has a computer and everyone has a need to have their voice heard. So whereas there was a time when the discordant were heard less frequently, now it's just part of the deal. Like if you're going to live in a big city with all the big city benefits you have to expect to put up with the police sirens, helicopters, and trash trucks. (Personally, I've come to learn that you ain't nobody on the internet until you have your own personal cage full of screaming monkeys. It's a nice bit of validation ;-)

Interestingly, I just got finished reading a Huffington Post article about the latest social media website that is gaining in popularity called Pinterest. Somehow I was immediately reminded of this thread: :grin:

Pinterest's recent success, which flies in the face of so much speculation about social media fatigue and information overload, holds an important lesson: It's not social media we're frustrated with. It's with one another...

...While much of the content shared on existing social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare screams, "Look at me," Pinterest posts urge, "Look at this." At least for now, the site offers a refreshing haven away from the boosterism and boasting that plague so many sites...

...In short, too many of our posts come with the silent subtext "Here's how great I am." On Pinterest, the tone seems to be "Wouldn't this be great?"...

...
Of course, everything we share on any social network is a cry for attention.

Source: The Secret to Pinterest [Retrieved 15 February 2012]

JAM <---doesn't cry for it anymore ;)
 
there is a friend who I regularly play 1pocket with and to whom I often lend books and DVDs. I was thinking about not lending this one out -- it'd be like arming your opponent and telling them to just go ahead and wail away on you.

Lou Figueroa

Finally, the nub of the issue.

Power, control, selfishness. You fiddle with banks, whilst Romes burns...
 
People will spend $25 on a piece of chalk thinking that it will improve their game but you wince at $50 to gain knowledge that will last a life time and will definitely improve their game.

Yeah, yer right. Only in pool.

Of all the money I have spent and some of it wasted on pool over a short period of time, I wouldn't think twice on a 50 if it were to help my banking just a little.

The Kamui chalk analogy wasn't lost on me. It's also why I refused Lou's request to take this to another thread. I wonder how many who refused to even sanction the idea of buying Kamui chalk rushed out to buy a copy of this DVD. I also wonder what part good ole racism plays in this, too - foreign expensive muck Vs good old reliable homespun wisdom. Hmm.

Kamui chalk have made a product that's demonstrably different, that's unique. A DVD showing pool shots is not unique. If the content is noticeably better than similar products, it will sell more copies. It is the ultimate irony that people are saying it's the free market and JB can set whatever price he wants - it is not, it's price fixing and exploitative, willfully so IMO.

Where do we draw the line on the value we attach to content? Producers are exploiting us, and we line up to let them. Sooner or later, we need to stand up and say a big fat NON!
 
You should have one, you drink warm beer. And you guys also have little tea parties. And eat trumpets or whatever you call them.

It's a myth we drink warm beer. What we drink is cask conditioned ale, which isn't chilled. Given that Britain is a cold country, and the barrels are kept in unheated cellars, the beer is always fairly cool and sometimes very cold. This helps you to taste the beer itself, not just frozen chemicals.

Again, nope. No idea what tea parties are, never been to one. It is interesting though - many of my chinese buddies tell me they're having "high tea" and the like, which always gets blank looks from us Brits. :grin:

Crumpets. And they're great.
 
If you're saying the reason someone would steal is because of a $20 difference from $30 to $50, then their compass is way off and they are merely looking for an excuse to justify the action of theft.

An excuse to justify the action of theft? Yup.

Stone cold stealing? Yup.


The Stockholm Syndromers are out in force again.
The slaves are bending over and taking it from their masters again.
The turkeys are out actively campaigning for Christmas again.

No wonder they're charging $50 a pop. Pool players: saps and suckers everywhere.
 
Finally, the nub of the issue.

Power, control, selfishness. You fiddle with banks, whilst Romes burns...

Hey TT, why don't you produce an instructional series that contains all of your accumulated pool knowledge? I assume your knowledge is vast so you will need a couple of dvds. You can then give them away to the people. You can even eat the postage.

This rapid release of pool knowledge will empower the people, nobody will ever sell another overpriced instructional product again. What's next an e book?

Don't limit your reach, you can branch out and haunt a tennis or golf forum. Maybe NASA needs some help; they can get rid of some over priced consultants.

TT, the world is your oyster!

Gotta go, I need to order John's dvd.
 
Freedom of information is not going to change anything about pool and the pool world. It has absolutely no bearing on what will or won't happen in pool.

Just like people charging more then 10£ per DVD isn't going to cause mass rebellion, that leads to snookers subsequent collapse.

In pool's heyday, you had to pay for information, the hard way.

The only difference between now and then is this DVD's provides information to future champions for CHEAP. (who would also seek it out at any cost anyway if the DVD's weren't there)

But it's also made available to all the people who will never be champions, who just want something interesting to watch, who treat the information like it's some book of the month club, angry, because they didn't get the book on sale.

Granted, no one is forcing you to buy the DVD. But pool is not going to collapse because you don't.

To each their own.

Respectfully, that's wholly unconvincing. We're in danger of turning pool into an expensive members only club, where knowledge is controlled and accessible to only those with the money to buy it. $50 DVDs creates barriers to the game.

Pool is anomalous to the 'information' age.
 
This is all so funny and John should be jumping up and down and celebrating because of it. Economics be damned, any publicity is good publicity! What our antagonist (and his responders) may not realize is that the sheer length and duration of this thread is beneficial to John and the sales of his DVD! The longer this thread stays active the more DVD's John will sell. It's that simple, price be damned! Why do you think new pool book authors (me included) to do whatever they can to keep a thread about their book alive. SALES baby, sales!

And the potential market is a lot bigger than a few hundred people in the pool world. Worldwide it's many, many thousands who purchase pool products. From cues (almost all costing far more than $50) to cases to a zillion other pool related products, pool remains a fairly large market for many businesses who specialize in this area. Yes pool in the United States is shrinking in terms of large poolrooms, but it is alive and well in taverns and league play everywhere! There are literally millions of people who regularly play pool in America and countless millions more worldwide.

It is a fallacy to believe that this sport is drying up, and certainly the sales (or non sales) of one DVD will not appreciably change anything. John Brumback charging $50 for his DVD is not even a ripple on this pond. His pricing will not spark a trend that will damage pool in any way. To sincerely believe this line of reasoning is for fools and blowhards. All that said I also thought his pricing would work against him in the long run, offering that perhaps it would be better to sell 1000 DVD's at $25 each then 100 at $50 apiece. But maybe I was wrong.

Like anything else in life, everything is like everything else, but not always (read this twice please). This may be one of those exceptions where the higher price works better for John and his bottom line. That smooth country drawl may be a nice facade for a smart businessman. We call it Okie smarts. If that's the case I salute him. I also was reluctant to shell out fifty bucks, but when push came to shove I dug deep and paid the tariff. :rolleyes:

I'm well aware this is generating sales for him. I'm quite happy to be on commission. :grin:
 
This rapid release of pool knowledge will empower the people, nobody will ever sell another overpriced instructional product again. What's next an e book?

All 'knowledge' should be freely available, on this site and elsewhere. The fact it isn't, and you have to buy it at inflated prices, is to the shame of all those that endorse such a strategy.

Still, as long as it helps YOU. That's the important thing, right? :rolleyes:

But who will you play, Maxx? Who will you play?? When the last light's been turned off, when the last cue has woodworm, you can at least dust off the DVDs and have a good old reminisce.

Pool: stuck in the dark ages since 1927.
 
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