Distribution : Amazon Slate / Prime no longer accepting new accounts (self-distribution) by Al Carretta

Thanks for letting everyone know, Al Carretta. Hopefully indie filmmakers who don't have Amazon accounts will be able to find other platforms to self-distribution their films on.

Wow, this is a big shift for indie filmmakers. Cutting off new account setups completely is a major barrier for those looking to self-distribute. It’s a reminder that relying too heavily on a single platform is always risky, especially when policies can change overnight. For filmmakers exploring distribution, this might be the time to look more seriously at alternatives like Vimeo On Demand, Apple TV, or niche streaming services that actively support indie content.

Today I got an email from Filmhub that alerted me to this change. If you don't already have a publishing account with Prime Video, it seems you need to go through Filmhub or another aggregator now.

Amazon has always had a few more hoops to jump through for indie filmmakers, but I love the fact that they have a method for us to sell videos without fees or middlemen.

I'm already managing several Prime Video Direct / Slate accounts, so I should be okay for the time being. But it's a bummer for anyone who still wants to get in with their first movie.

I am wondering if they are gonna spilt thier stocks? Create a new streamer service for discount server and data rates. They could open open a free /create studio streamer like YouTube has and compete for that demographic?

When they first opened Prime to independents, I saw a lot of YouTubers complain that it was to hard to use, the caption requirement was a burden, they didn’t want to fill out tax forms, etc. I saw that as Amazon wanting to distinguish themselves from YouTube. They didn’t want a million short form cat videos or pirated content next to legit movies, so they had barriers to entry. Be a professional and well treat you like a professional.

Over the years, they’ve backtracked a bit, showing less interest in accommodating independent filmmakers. For a while, they stopped accepting documentary uploads, although I think that has opened up again.

As I said, I’m safe for now, but I bet they’ll shut me out at some point. I don’t think they’ll split and then expand to the wide-ranging format of YouTube.

If you make a great film and do selective marketing that doesn't give away too much of your film's premise, a self-created buzz around your film will attract distributors to you. Remember the more work they do to promote your film, the more hidden costs they can add. If you make their jobs easier, they should appreciate the efforts. If they don't, more times than not, they're upset they can't implement their hidden fees.

I remember back in 2016/7ish when CreateSpace (the DVD based service) became Amazon Prime Video. Those were exciting times. I only made my debut feature in 2010 when I knew it might have a chance at distribution but back then the streaming players with the website tech were in the tens. Now, the channels are in their thousands and I get a different start-up every week emailing me but I just don't see where the money is. Having followed pretty much every development in streaming I can safely say it's all gone backwards in the past few years. The best and worst platform has always been Vimeo. Great because of its simple model and transparency, awful because you can't search a catalogue with any hope of finding a film. I've got 22 films out with Filmhub, with about 9 overlapping on my Amazon account. A few years ago, self-distribution looked positive. Now, the tools are being taken away at an alarming rate...

Al, for the “9 overlapping” films, does that mean you have 9 films that have double listing on Amazon? Don’t Amazon and/or Filmhub stop you from doing that?

(I remember using CreateSpace as well, although I think it was just for print on demand DVDs)

Hi Mike, answering the above; yes we still have many double listings on Amazon due to me releasing on Amazon first then uploading separately to Filmhub weeks after. This is how I did it from 2017 onwards and moved onto the FH overlap around 2018. Filmhub changed their T's & C's around late 2022/early 2023 so my 4 films since Eight Hundred Dollar Value in Autumn 2022 have reached Amazon through FH. Everything before was dual release as (then) FH was a non-exclusive agreement when it came to other distribution deals.