Paid access
Paid access lets you sell or rent individual videos, or sell a whole course, through your own Stripe account. Long Play never handles the money.
To set it up, see Selling and renting videos with Stripe. Courses are covered in Selling a course or series as one purchase.
Setting up paid access automatically turns off Ad Manager ads on that video, even if you run sponsor ads on the rest of your catalogue - a buyer who paid for the video never also sees an ad on it.
Managing buyers
The buyer dashboard at Video edit → Manage buyers (or /me/videos/{id}/access) shows everyone who has access to a video.
Checking access
Enter an email address to see whether that person has access, what type (purchase, rental, promo code, or creator grant), and a timestamped history of every access event for that email. This history is append-only and is intended to help you handle any payment or access dispute.
Granting access manually
Use Grant access to give someone permanent purchase access or a rental without requiring payment. Useful for:
- Honouring a refund while still letting someone watch
- Giving a reviewer or collaborator access directly
Revoking access
Use the Revoke button next to any buyer record to remove their access immediately. The revocation is recorded in the audit history. If you revoke someone in error, you can re-grant them access from the same page - the full history is preserved.
Importing buyers from CSV
If you have an existing list of buyers, upload a CSV file on the Import tab (one email per line, or a column labelled email). Long Play grants permanent purchase access to every address in the file, skipping any that already have access. An audit log entry is created for each new grant.
Promo codes
Promo codes let you give viewers free or discounted access without a payment - useful for giveaways, press access, or letting specific people in.
Creating a promo code
Go to Video edit → Manage buyers and open the Promo codes tab.
- Give the code a name (or let Long Play generate a random one)
- Choose whether it grants permanent purchase access or a rental
- Optionally set a max uses limit and an expiry date
- Save - the code is active immediately
Share the code with whoever you want to have access. They enter it at the video gate alongside their email address.
Deactivating a code
Return to the Promo codes tab at any time and deactivate a code. Anyone who already redeemed it keeps their access; the code stops working for new redemptions.
Share links
Use share links for press, screeners, or anyone you want to admit for free. Share link access is separate from purchase and rental access - either one lets a viewer in.
Access for buyers who already have access
Viewers who have bought or rented a video can open it at any time by entering the email they used. Their session is remembered for 30 days so they don't have to re-enter it each visit. See Watching a purchased or rented video.
Your responsibilities as a seller
If you sell or rent access to a video on Long Play, you must be contactable by your buyers. Buyers need a way to reach you if they have payment or access questions.
Before you start selling, go to Profile settings → Creator contact and:
- Enable creator messages
- Add at least one contact email (or enable the option to use your account email)
Long Play will not let you start selling unless creator contact is enabled. Your contact details become visible to logged-in viewers on your creator profile.
Payment disputes and issues
Long Play does not process payments and cannot assist with payment disputes. Payments go directly between the buyer and the creator through Stripe. If you have a billing issue:
- Contact the creator directly from their Long Play profile - they can verify your purchase and grant access manually if needed.
- If the creator is unresponsive, raise a dispute with your card issuer.
Removing paid access
To stop new sales, select Disconnect Stripe on the video or course. Existing purchases and rentals are kept, so buyers who already paid keep their access.