People pay for media every day through cable and satellite subscriptions, iTunes, and a hundred other outlets. I pay for HBO and love it.
I also like paying for things that individual artists make. Etsy has proven that it's a very viable business model too. I set up a shop in Etsy to sell "custom animations" earlier this year, but it never got any traction. Probably because I didn't promote it anywhere. This isn't a new idea. It just hasn't been successfully done yet with "new media" indy video yet. I'm glad you're trying it. *Adam Quirk* / Wreck & Salvage <http://wreckandsalvage.com> / [EMAIL PROTECTED] / +1 551.208.4644 (m) / imbullemhead (aim) On Tue, Aug 5, 2008 at 8:22 PM, ractalfece <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Jen, let me tell you more about my personal life. I work a menial job > that I love and don't make enough to live on (I know, I know move out > of LA). I take care of an elderly man, helping him with daily living. > His wife keeps on bothering me to get a raise. Get a raise. Call > the agency and ask for a raise. So I finally did. Everybody in the > office agreed I should get a raise. They said they'd look into it and > see what they could do. I was shocked! Apparently nobody has ever > asked for a raise? > > So I'm not making enough to live on doing my menial job. And I've got > tons of buttholes (term of endearment) on the internet asking me to > keep making videos. I just want to keep doing my thing. But it seems > impossible. So find creative solutions. > > I'm not expecting this one video to fix my financial trouble. But > maybe it will get the ball rolling in the right direction. Like > Schlomo said, how could anyone predict it'd provide the inspiration > for moneythong? > > Also it's part of the message. I mean, I want to get people > acclimated to the idea of paying. If nobody pays, the market forces > are there and the creatives will create with hopes of luring > advertisers. And I used the word "tax" for a reason. I don't know > much about grants, only that I've been denied. But I like the idea of > funding arts publicly to make art publicly available. > > - [EMAIL PROTECTED] - > > --- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.com, "Jen Proctor" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > wrote: > > > > I think what I'm still not quite getting - and what Rupert and Brook > > and Verdi have addressed - is why getting paid is such an important > > outcome? Is it compensation for dealing with the haters? Or is it to > > give the work some kind of palpable worth that it doesn't have > > otherwise? Certainly (street) performers have existed throughout the > > ages, playing for change, never making enough to live on, often doing > > it just for the love - is that all you want, some recompense - or are > > you talking about being able to live off this? > > > > I have to say - as much as I did find much to respond to in > > Information Dystopia, especially the first portion, (spoiler alert!) > > the request for money at the end made me feel like I had just watched > > an ad. Like an infomercial almost. I was disappointed by the > > attachment of money to it, which seemed rather counter to the message > > in the rest of the video. But maybe I just need to watch it again. > > > > > > > > --- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.com, "ractalfece" <john@> wrote: > > > > > > --- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.com, "Michael Verdi" > > > <michaelverdi@> wrote: > > > > > > > > On Tue, Aug 5, 2008 at 3:41 PM, ractalfece <john@> wrote: > > > > > --- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.com, "Brook Hinton" <bhinton@> > > wrote: > > > > >> > > > > >> Thanks for the link, John, I will look forward to seeing it > > when.... > > > > >> if.... it ever finishes reaching my computer. > > > > >> > > > > >> "> But what's wrong with being an avant-guard artist?" > > > > >> > > > > >> What does making something difficult for people who aren't > > > immersed in > > > > >> the tech world to obtain have to do with being an avant-garde > > artist? > > > > >> Most avant-garde artists spend a lot of effort fighting to get > > their > > > > >> work seen, not hiding it. > > > > >> > > > > > > > > > > I don't claim to be an avant-garde artist. And I don't take the > > word > > > > > artist lightly. I was responding to Verdi's line: > > > > > > > > > > "It's a little like the poor avant-guard artist who complains that > > > > > nobody (i.e. the "mainstream") understands his work." > > > > > > > > > > I get what he's saying but that line doesn't have any sting to > > it. If > > > > > someone called me a poor avant-guard artist, I'd say thank you. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Okay, let me try it again. I guess it's my personal pet peeve when, > > > > for example, a person makes esoteric work and then complains > that most > > > > people don't understand it. I was trying to relate (unsuccessfully) > > > > that idea to John's complaint about his audience. If you don't > want to > > > > make mainstream stuff, fine but don't complain when the mainstream > > > > doesn't want to watch. The cool thing is that the things I do that > > > > might draw a couple of dozen people (if that) to a live event > here in > > > > San Antonio can have an audience of thousands+ on the internet. > I also > > > > think that, given a bit of time, your videos will get the "right" > > > > audience - the one you're making them for. I don't think there is a > > > > need to put up a barrier. > > > > > > > > > > > > > I agree about people who complain about not being mainstream. > > > > > > But when you are an underground artist and your stuff goes mainstream > > > and you're not getting paid for it. Well, then I think it's time to > > > start throwing your weight around. > > > > > > I know some would argue I'm not mainstream enough. Or maybe that I > > > never was an underground artist. Because it's true I naively bought > > > the "online video revolution" hype. The new video deals with how I > > > became disillusioned. And it offers a solution. > > > > > > But maybe it won't work out the way I want it to work out. That's > > > life. I've got some other ideas up my sleeve. Gotta check out the > > > legality first. > > > > > > I used to think I had to bend myself to become successful at the > > > business of online video. But maybe business can be approached like > > > an art form. You know, like Robin Marks at the carnival. > > > > > > - john@ - > > > > > > > > > > Now if the idea is riff on > > > > old-school-word-of-mouth-punk-rock-zine-diy-distribution and to > > > > promote bittorrent because you like it, then who am I to argue with > > > > that? In that context it's fun. > > > > > > > > Verdi > > > > > > > > > > > > > ------------------------------------ > > Yahoo! Groups Links > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
