http://www.penguinmagic.com/subscriptions.php

For $50/month you get 3-5 lectures (to watch live and download).

That's a pretty good deal. But the crazy thing to me is that if you commit to 6 months ($300 total) you get access to the upcoming IMX conference AND you're registered for EMC as well. That's insane. But according to that page you only have two more days to get in on those bonuses.

So far I've seen the David Regal, Gregory Wilson, and Oz Pearlman lectures and they've all been very good. And I couldn't be more psyched for the upcoming Bro Gilbert lecture who is perhaps the only magician I really identify with when it comes to performing style and I think he's got some great effects from the few I've seen.

Generally I don't care about turning my fellow magicians on to things I think are great, I'm happy to keep those things to myself (it's a character flaw, sue me), but in this case I want this to be successful so it can go on for a while.

I'm probably going to pick up one of these all access passes tomorrow. It's fun to go to magic lectures in person, but it's also nice to have these ones online, especially since you can download them and go back and reference things you might have missed. So you don't have to scribble down notes (or buy notes) like you would at a lecture you attend in person. Plus now no one can complain when I watch a magic lecture with no pants on. (what? it's a convenient place to put my rubber bands)

Oh, and to answer the question posed in another thread, the magicians I would like to see lecture are:

Tyler Wilson
Rich Aviles
David Williamson
Chad Long
Richard Sanders
Michael Weber

People who don't already have a ton of DVDs out would be great.

Also, one minor suggestion would be for Penguin to nudge the lecturers to include at least one or two new items (that haven't been on dvd already) in their lectures. That way even super-fans of a performer will be getting something new. (Although even when I've been familiar with all the material, the lectures I've seen have still been informative.) I'm looking forward to the upcoming Joshua Jay lecture but I already own everything that guy has ever released on DVD so I'm not counting on finding much new in the lecture (maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised).

With this and Real Secrets it's nice to have new magic tricks and lectures flowing in all the time.

What penguin is doing and to a lesser degree paper crane is great for magic. I know the idea of an online lecture is not new but penguin is putting a lot of effort into making sure its done right. The lectures are going well but they need support so spread the word and keep it alive.
Ps thanks to the opening post

I have only seen the Shawn Farquhar lecture so far, but it was phenomenal. I must say, a Chad Long lecture would be an instant purchase for me!

Chad Long would be a gold standard. He's a true working professional that KNOWS what works to entertain. No pipe dreams from him.

Will certainly buy the Live All Access Pass if they have guys from the new gen like Wayne Houchin, Denis Behr, Yigal Mesika, Ponta the Smith, Eric Jones do lecture

and if the contents are more never released before items

Does the all access pass provide you access to all the previous lectures or only the current ones released in that month you have paid for?

Now, think for a minute. Only the current month. If it was all, then you could just wait a few months and get a better deal.
James

You only get the lectures from when you start paying. I bought the pass in the middle of April, and was not allowed access to previous lectures in April .

It is absolutely wonderful. I love it. Easily worth double what I paid.
So you know virtually every lecturer goes almost double as long as they were supposed to, so you are getting a TON of value for your money.
However,they have got to cut it into smaller pieces. It would be awesome if they could cut it into tricks. I understand that's a ton of work, but even if they could cut it into 20 minute segments it would make life a lot easier. I don't have the memory to download them all and watching a random trick I loked from the middle of the lecture or watching the lecture whenever I have time, continuing from where I left off, is out of the question unless I set it loading an hour before I'm ready with my internet connection, which is insane. Acar said he is going to fix that eventually. Can't wait.

I am very happy this seems to be working for Penguin. I have found the season pass to be well worth it! I was subscribing to each lecture from the beginning or nearly the beginning and have saved a little by taking advantage of the season pass. I know they weren't the first but so far they seem to be the best & are really getting the job done. I know others have tried....they took my and others money, made promises to deliver a little something extra for our money after deciding to toss in the towel... but never delivered on their promises, instead just took the $$ and walked...Not to say they made a bunch of money on us... but that's not the point. They went belly up and promised something they weren't able to deliver. Some reputable people seemed to have been involved so I thought my $ was safe, it wasn't......

However, this is completely different... the quality and quantity has been there.....I hope Penguin can keep them coming.....it's the best $50 in magic I've spent in a long time! In my opinion, it's a good bet! Good luck Penguin....

Best,

Bk

I can't believe each individual lecture isn't $50. Penguin ROCKS!

Sorry but for the life of me, I couldn't get excited about watching an 'on-line lecture' - even if it was free.

Is this really the way that magic is heading? People sitting at their to watch a lecturer; rather than attending a magic club meeting or convention? Nothing beats attending a LIVE lecture/show for the buzz; and also the friendship with other magi.

Sign of the times I guess. Order fast-food deliveries rather than spending time visiting a restaurant. Order groceries and have them delivered for you. Sorry but it all just smacks of people today being too lazy to get up and doing things for themselves in my honest view. No wonder people's social skills these days are increasingly lacking.

Please someone - invent a time machine and get me back to the 1970's!

Eh, I guess if your idea of socializing is going to a magic lecture, then yes, this is not good in that respect.

For me it's a means of learning new material and new presentation possibilities. And it's not like you can just "go out" to a magic lecture anytime you want. If I wanted to see Gregory Wilson lecture it was either see it online at a time that was convenient for me, or wait for him to pass by my area -- maybe sometime soon, maybe 5 years from now. Those options aren't equivalent.

But as I said, my primary goal at a magic lecture is not to socialize. I prefer to socialize with people whose company I enjoy, not just people with whom I share a common hobby.

Hey Merc, glad to see that you haven't gone soft!

Its been a couple of years since I've been able to go to Blackpool. When I saw Shawn Farquhar perform at the McMillan convention, he didn't lecture... So for me, these are great (or at least the couple I have picked up)
I think you get a greater insight from these lectures than some books or DVDs. Some of us just can't see certain people lecture.. Keep up the good work, I say!

Charlie

Magicsquared - I'm not saying that I'd want to spend my entire private life with everyone at my local magic club - BUT I'd prefer to be in THEIR company at a magic lecture as opposed to sitting alone in my bedroom looking at a VDU whilst spinning a pack of cards around in my hand.

My best friends AREN'T magicians actually - they are my family, relatives and other people who's company I enjoy whilst socialising in pubs and restaurants - something that I possibly do a lot more than your good self!

Merc Man,

You're confused. The option isn't "go see Joshua Jay lecture on May 7th live or see him online." The option is "Watch Joshua Jay lecture online or don't see his lecture at all." Given those options I'd prefer to see him give his lecture online.

As a man with such an active social life as you profess to have, I would think you'd want to spend your time with your loved ones rather than creating an argument online against an opinion that --so far-- no one has taken.

It's not an argument whatsoever. Just my honest point of view.

If I think that something is dross then I'll say so.

I won't lose any sleep whether people agree with me or not; and I don't post on here to score brownie points or make internet friends.

Oh just to add that today I've been shopping with the Wife to buy carpets, then we had a pub lunch, then earlier this evening (6.30pm to be precise) I had a game of badminton. And you know what mate? I haven't seen another magician all day......not even one performing on the internet!

And how was YOUR day? x

I've had a lovely day. Thanks for asking. I had a work-related meeting this morning. Had an outdoor lunch with friends at the Shake Shack (cheeseburger, fries, black & white milkshake). Went to see The Raven (Edgar Allen Poe/horror movie -- not very good). Messed around on the computer for a little bit. Went to Central Park with an old co-worker and tossed around a baseball. In about an hour I have a date, we're going to get a quick bite to eat then see an improv comedy show, then we're going to a bar called The Frying Pan, which is on a lightship in the Hudson River (the ship was built in 1929, sank in 1986, it was raised a few years later and eventually sailed to NYC where it's been turned into a bar/restaurant). Then later we're meeting up with a few other friends for a midnight showing of The Avengers. I live a charmed life.

The irony is that your first post in this thread bemoaned people's lack of "social skills" and their laziness. But that entire post is predicated on YOU misunderstanding people's posts in this thread, because NO ONE has said "I'd rather see a lecture online than see a live one." So perhaps your magic club meetings haven't honed your social skills to quite the level you think they have.

And even if someone DOES prefer an online lecture to a live one. So what? You shouldn't let that disturb your rich life.

goodnight!

Many people don't have a magic club close by so a lecture is not an option. Also I think we do a good job of creating the live experience for the customer watching online in their home.

Can you purchase individual lectures?