Posted in: Comics, Recent Updates | Tagged: Comics, comixology, diamond, diamond digital, digital

Diamond Comics Closes Their Digital Distribution Line

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2014 20:00:22 -0600

One of the surprising stories of late is that digital sales in a number of markets are shrinking in growth or hitting a plateau. Even shrinking. How will that affect digital comics?

Well, digital comic distributors are exceedingly stingy about information regarding sales numbers. So the only way you can tell what's what is when a company goes under.

Such as Diamond Digital, the digital comic distribution line from Diamond Comic Distributors which exclusively distributed digital comics through comic book stores, as a series of codes which could be sold over the counter.

Well, Hollywood Reporter has stated that participating retailers have been told that "18 months after its launch, results indicate that Diamond Digital has not gained enough traction in the marketplace to continue."

Part of the problem was that they weren't able to sign up Marvel, DC or Dark Horse to the scheme, leaving them with a small percentage of the market to sell. The comics sold weren't compatible with more popular apps like ComiXology, who have a monopoly on Marvel and DC titles. And they weren't even DRM-free, like Image titles.

The final week of sales is February 28th, though a few stragglers may remain.

And now it appears they have been squeezed out. Some will find it ironic that Diamond was queezed out of a market by another monopoly distributor.

Existing digital purchases will be maintained by iVerse, so the comics in question won't just all go away. Not while, at least, iVerse is around….

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