Will You Be Joining The OAC?

[Laurie]

you're missing an option to be an alternating member, be a member for 1 month, get caught up on the episodes, then take a few months off of being a member.

If you be a member for 1 month, then take 3 months off from the club and repeat, you'll only ever be 3 episodes behind and the total cost for the year is $45, this is the plan that I'm probably going to go for.

IMHO $45 is just as bad as paying $25. No one should have to pay to listen to Adventures in Odyssey.

You have to be kidding. Things cost money to produce, package and distribute. How is Focus supposed to keep AIO going?

How much does Focus pay to keep its other broadcasts going? Nobody pays to listen to them. The other broadcasts cost money too.

[TigerintheShadows]

No, it is too inexpensive. I won't sign up unless they triple the cost.

Nor will I. They're practically giving it away at this point!

[Reddo]

you're missing an option to be an alternating member, be a member for 1 month, get caught up on the episodes, then take a few months off of being a member.

If you be a member for 1 month, then take 3 months off from the club and repeat, you'll only ever be 3 episodes behind and the total cost for the year is $45, this is the plan that I'm probably going to go for.

Is this a legit option? I almost added it, but I wasn't sure it was a yearly contract, especially with the subscription to Clubhouse thrown in there. If this did work, I might consider signing up each December to listen through the new episodes.
But the real dilemma would be that even though I'd be all caught up, I spent fifteen bucks just to listen to the episodes. I will still not own the episodes, whereas I could buy a full album on CBD for about the same cost.

As far as I know it's NOT not an option, I hope it's allowed, maybe the clubhouse thing is that they just send you a copy on a month by month basis. I'd also rather have a CD but for me listening to the episodes is better than missing out all together

[American Eagle]

you're missing an option to be an alternating member, be a member for 1 month, get caught up on the episodes, then take a few months off of being a member.

If you be a member for 1 month, then take 3 months off from the club and repeat, you'll only ever be 3 episodes behind and the total cost for the year is $45, this is the plan that I'm probably going to go for.

IMHO $45 is just as bad as paying $25. No one should have to pay to listen to Adventures in Odyssey.

You have to be kidding. Things cost money to produce, package and distribute. How is Focus supposed to keep AIO going?

How much does Focus pay to keep its other broadcasts going? Nobody pays to listen to them. The other broadcasts cost money too.

They don't cost nearly as much. It is insanely expensive to hire all the voice actors we know and love; to cover their travel costs; to package and ship all the Odyssey merch. There is a lot more involved than a Focus on the Family radio broadcast.

[jennifertwt]

I'm hearing a lot of people say they're against $180 for 12 episodes. Bt let's keep in mind that the cost covers Cllubhouse for the year and other things too...
That said, neither me nor my parents or siblings will be spending that much money. And personally I don't want to be part of helping OAC last any longer than the first year.

Since I do not need the streaming, I own all the albums and have them uploaded to my computer, I would just as soon buy a subscription to Club House if I lived in the US. I have not done so yet because there is not an option for "overseas shipping" on the website and I cannot believe they would ship it overseas free. I would be happy to pay an extra donation to cover the shipping especially if there is going to be "summaries" of the OAC eps. That would be a way to keep the fans informed as well as generate "interests" for those who can afford it.

-- 19 Oct 2013 11:13 am --

Making the OAC eps available on ITunes would eliminate much of the production costs, but I do wonder now if that is part of the "contract agreements" Brock mentioned on the other thread.

[Peachey Keen]

Absolutely not! I don't want to encourage them with thinking that I want a project that keeps more than half of their fans isolated from new episodes/albums that could easily be released as regular releases is a good idea. As I've said before, I hope they come to their senses before 2015 and keep making 2 seasons a year.

I know Focus has done something similar with JellyTelly. They have the AIO videos and the Last Chance Detectives videos amongst other original content for $5 a month. That, I think is a good idea. OAC, not.

[jennifertwt]

Absolutely not! I don't want to encourage them with thinking that I want a project that keeps more than half of their fans isolated from new episodes/albums that could easily be released as regular releases is a good idea. As I've said before, I hope they come to their senses before 2015 and keep making 2 seasons a year.

I know Focus has done something similar with JellyTelly. They have the AIO videos and the Last Chance Detectives videos amongst other original content for $5 a month. That, I think is a good idea. OAC, not.

Were there more than 3 Last Chance Detective vids? That is all I got before I left the US.

[WindowWasher]

in its current form? No. Another thing, this price isn't just to keep AIO going; it's to finance other projects. I would be more than happy to pay a little more per album if AIO had financial problems. I don't think this is a month to month subscription but a yearly one since Club House is included. I think they realize that people would try to beat the system by making it month to month.

[Jimmy Barclay Fan]

All but about 4 or so episodes will release

I am very very curious which 4. Where is Lights out at Whits End in that ? which 4 ??

[Reddo]

All but about 4 or so episodes will release

I am very very curious which 4. Where is Lights out at Whits End in that ? which 4 ??

Not confirmed but I can say with a fairly high level of confidence that these are the episodes that won't be released:
438b: the tell tale cat
439: btv grace
442b: sticks and stones
444a: career moves

[Jonathan]

I would expect You Go To School Where? to remain unreleased.

[The Kings Daughter]

I'm totally out of the loop. What exactly is OAC?

[jennifertwt]

All but about 4 or so episodes will release

I am very very curious which 4. Where is Lights out at Whits End in that ? which 4 ??

Where is this quote coming from? and what are we talking about here?

[Reddo]

I would expect You Go To School Where? to remain unreleased.

It was released a few years ago on the official blog though, anyone who wants can download it, there's no reason to not include it in the club

-- 20 Oct 2013 05:54 am --

All but about 4 or so episodes will release

I am very very curious which 4. Where is Lights out at Whits End in that ? which 4 ??

Where is this quote coming from? and what are we talking about here?

The quote came from Brock on Facebook, but has since been removed I believe.

[Knight Fisher]

I would expect You Go To School Where? to remain unreleased.

It was released a few years ago on the official blog though, anyone who wants can download it, there's no reason to not include it in the club

Besides the general horrendousness of course.

[jennifertwt]

I can sorta see his point concerning contracts and how that would cause an issue.

I don´t understand this part either. Contracts with whom? the writers? the actors? how do residuals work with AIO? If the actors continue to be paid based on sales, then public distribution would definitely be the way to go. If they are getting a percentage of the club "sales", they may be disappointed.

[American Eagle]

I'm totally out of the loop. What exactly is OAC?

The Odyssey Adventure Club.

Basic facts:
1) You can stream almost any episode in Odyssey history if you're a club member
2) An album per year will be exclusive to the club, so only members will know what is going on in Odyssey
3) It costs $15 a month, so $180 per year
4) An unknown amount of the money will go to towards missions, there will be some behind-the-scenes stuff, and I guess Clubhouse Magazine is included

[Jimmy Barclay Fan]

i got an email back from focus.

Thanks for your recent e-mail. It’s a pleasure to get back to you, and we trust you’ll accept our apologies for the delay; we’ve been dealing with a high volume of messages the past few weeks.



It was good of you to contact us with your concerns about the Odyssey Adventure Club. Honest feedback like yours is always welcome here at Adventures in Odyssey headquarters, especially when it comes from long-time fans who’ve demonstrated their loyalty to the program. The questions you’ve raised deserve an answer, and we intend to address them to the best of our ability. Bear with me while I attempt to explain what the club is, who it’s for, and why we have found it necessary to charge a membership fee.



As you may already know, the Odyssey Adventure Club is available for $15.00 per month. That includes up to five accounts per subscriber – one administrative and four user accounts. The administrative account includes all the same features as the user accounts but also controls billing. If a household needs an additional subscription, they can get five more accounts with another $15.00 per month. Club membership can be accessed via any computer or by way of an iOS mobile app for the iPhone (by the way, five episodes can be stored on the mobile app for those times when users are on the go but outside of network coverage).



Subscribers will receive access to the following benefits, all included in the monthly membership fee:



· Unlimited streaming of the entire Adventures in Odyssey Audio Archive – 726 + episodes. Exclusive Odyssey Adventure Club episodes will first appear here, with brand-new episodes each month, along with non-canonical content beginning in 2014 (Family Portraits, Officer Harley episodes, AIO videos, Last Chance Detectives audio and video, and special limited-time releases of Focus on the Family Radio Theatre dramas.)



· An exclusive-to-the-club benefit called the Adventure of the Month. Each new monthly episode will be accompanied by a live-action video documentary telling the real story behind the audio drama, a number of related “WebQuests” activities (language and cooking lessons, bonus documentaries, interviews, comic books, etc.), and an area where fans can share their thoughts and interact with each other.



· Daily devotions designed to supplement the episode stream with encouraging spiritual content. The first two years of devotions will take fans from “Episode 001: Whit’s Flop” through the most current release.



· A monthly issue of Clubhouse magazine for each participating household.



· Social cause involvement. This feature is central to the entire program. Each month a percentage of the membership dues will be donated to our alliance ministries and organizations. These funds will help them spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ through child sponsorship; medical assistance; provision of food, clean water, livestock; and Bible distribution in needy communities across the globe. Members will receive regular reports on the impact the club is having worldwide.



It’s important to understand who we had in mind when we were developing plans for the club. The target audience is families consisting of parents with children between the ages of eight and twelve years. Our research indicates that, generally speaking, these families do not own all of the Adventures in Odyssey episodes. For them, the club will be a huge bargain, costing only $900.00 over the five years during which their kids are in the targeted age range. In comparison, the total price tag for the fifty-seven Odyssey albums we have to date is more than $1,500.00. And, of course, that’s not to mention the additional bonus material and brand-new content we’re offering in return for the membership fee.



Finally, we know that kids spend many hours a day online. We desire to develop and deliver trusted and safe content for the digital platforms where kids are consuming media today. However, there are significant expenses associated with this endeavor. As a non-profit organization, charging the monthly fee allows us to pay our ever-increasing production costs for new delivery systems while also providing an opportunity for families to take part in ministry literally around the world. Ultimately, our desire for the Odyssey Adventure Club is that it will encourage families to grow deeper in their relationship with Jesus and recognize the calling He has for their lives.

We hope this reply has clarified our intent and addressed your concerns. Thanks again for caring enough to contact us – and please don’t hesitate to let us know if we can be of any further assistance. God bless you.

Craig Johansen

Focus on the Family

[jennifertwt]

so the harley files will only be available to the club? that makes me sad. I have waited for those for 25 years.

-- 20 Oct 2013 08:03 pm --

I can see many of his points but will still not be joining until we have fulltime permanent jobs and I am sure it will work in Europe.

[Reddo]

it will work in Europe, or at least that's what I've been told.