In a further bid to re-brand itself as a legit medium rather than a mere playground for content pirates, Bit Torrent has teamed up with Brooklyn-based youth culture juggernaut Vice Media to distribute original video content.
The Vice x BitTorrent Bundle series aims to “offer an inside look at the creative process” that will include original videos, music, archival content, and behind-the-scenes footage from artists. The series’ first bundle will be released on BitTorrent in mid-November with additional releases to follow.
This isn’t Vice’s first partnership with BitTorrent. Last month, BitTorrent teamed with Madonnato release her short film secretprojectrevolution as part of the singer’s Art for Freedom project that was curated by Vice.
Beginning as a humble print magazine for jaded hipsters, Vice has evolved to bring its unique voice to various mediums. The company gained an audience beyond its snarky subculture with its self-aware Web documentaries that have spawned a number of full-length indie docs and inspired an excellent Vice-branded HBO documentary series (they’re the ones who organized Dennis Rodman’s recent trip to North Korea).
If BitTorrent is truly looking to become a medium unto itself, the partnership with Vice is a good first step to accessing a new tech-savvy, culturally aware demo.