BitTorrent wants to monetize movies and music

BitTorrent is going to try again to monetize content. The company wants to have a sci-fi series crowdfunded by its users and start charging money for bundles, with which artists can distribute their work via BitTorrent.

The sci-fi series, called Children of the Machine, is made when 250,000 users each put in ten dollars. The pilot episode of the series will be uploaded for free, but the full season will only be available to paying users. BitTorrent has disclosed this to The New York Times. The series revolves around a group of teenagers who must survive in a future version of the United States that has been devastated by global warming.

At the same time, BitTorrent wants to offer artists the opportunity to ask for money for their bundles. Until now, bundles, which can be used by artists to distribute their music via BitTorrent, have been free. BitTorrent gets a share of the revenue from the paid bundles, although it is unclear how much. In 2008, the company, founded by BitTorrent creator Bram Cohen and owner of the popular µTorrent client, was also trying to monetize content. However, that flopped, partly due to high prices.

At the beginning of June, BitTorrent already removed the option to turn off advertising in µTorrent. That option was added just after unrest arose after the introduction of advertisements. In its own words, the company, which has 115 employees, is profitable.