I was looking at joining a postal games renting club today. My last XBox games have all been played finished and left never to be played again. I have a DVD postal style club 15 pounds per month getting through 30 DVDs a month. So I thought I'd throw some rough ideas how we might get the benifits from a similar club style.
My thoughts are members pay a fixed amount each month.
$8 - one rented product at a time.
$10 - two rented products
$12 - four rented products.
The user would be given by the members server a code which activates the game or utility.
When they want to deactivate one so they can rent another, the application tells them the deactivate code which they type into the server. To make it clear they have PocketPC in hand and are using any web browser.
I think that is all as securable as giving RPN codes.
The advantages. It doesn't involve the 40% eating resellers. Once a member is activated you have checked thier card pays. So you are not dealing with unknown buyers all the time as payments repeat. If a customer has trouble with software they can unrent, no bad feelings. Older products get money when new products are "played out" - they paid might as well use something. I think everything gets the money it deserves no more no less.
The developer gets the share by time of how long the person uses your thing. So a high user on $12 a month has one "personal killer" app, say an online game or file util or DVD ripper player, that developer gets $12/4 product every month - 10% costs = $2.70. A cool game which lasts 10 days gets that money from almost all members. Members put regular money into the scene and feel valued. Non members buy from resellers it doesn't stop money from that source at all.
I base some of my beliefs on my 2 years of belonging to a DVD club. I love the way I go to the site and if I'm slightly interested I click rent. It costs me no extra money, so I rent things I haven't heard of and at 50p a day treat it like cheap pay TV.
Hopefully it is worth some comments.
I wouldn't be building the website.
