A serious note about my feelings on crowdfunding (from a comment I recently posted on my own video). If you think Im begging for money and youre annoyed, Id hope youll read this before judging me: I dont understand why people come here and feel that Im begging for money. I dont know how much more I can say in the video or comments here that I appreciate everyone and NOT A SINGLE PERSON should feel pressured to contribute. I started this campaign at the urging of some of my viewers who observed and seemed to understand my situation. My situation is (if you read the details on my Patreon page) that I absolutely cannot afford to be a musician who releases regular content, produce a weekly Brain Log, and work a day job. Luckily (as Ive announced a few times now) due to the generosity of patrons who wanted to help of their own free will, I am quitting my day job and now have enough time and financial support to create Brain Logs again starting in August. I dont know if people think that I make a lot of money on youtube or something. The truth? On my best month these days I make $115. If I dont generate more than $100 they dont pay me until the next month (which happens most months). Youtube ads are not a day job income replacement unless you are quite famous. I work my ass off making music. It takes MANY hours a week. Probably way more than people think unless they are doing the same thing. The Brain Logs took an extra 20-30 hours out of my week and they were not getting me enough views to make enough ad money to warrant the time they took out of making music. Please understand that to just say make more content and youll be fine is absolutely a way more complicated suggestion than most realize. I also submit that if one looks at the details of the campaign, I offer products and special extra-mile rewards for Patrons. So you see, I am not just asking people for money, I am offering products. This is no different than enthusiastic viewers and listeners paying for albums and merchandise. I would feel awful just asking for money, and that is why they get access to vlogs and updates that others do not. This doesnt mean I will produce less content for the general viewer (actually it means more content even if you dont contribute). Im simply going out of my way to produce an extra amount of quick videos and photos for my patrons that would have otherwise never been posted or shared. This general disdain for crowd-funding websites is very frustrating for me to see as an artist who absolutely could NOT EVER afford to make art available to the public without earning money from it. I myself have many favorite artists on youtube who start Patreon campaigns. When I see their videos I usually am not in a situation to be comfortable offering them any of my money, And you know what? I dont have any problem with that. It does not make me think any less of them, and it does not make me assume that I am a lesser member of their community. I wish them well and continue to enjoy their content as I did before. People may grow weary of seeing rich and famous youtubers starting crowdfunding campaigns. It doesnt bother me, and I think they have every right to. But you should know that the true beneficiaries of these websites are the many struggling smaller artists and musicians who struggle every day with the question is it worth it? Is it worth it to work full-time hours perfecting my craft and spending thousands of dollars on creating videos and music that doesnt make me the income of a full-time job?. These websites are ushering our artistic society out of the dark ages of piracy. These websites are creating an actual way for young people to dream about being professional creators when they grow up. Sorry for the passionate post. I am not angry at you, just kept going and going lol. I felt the need to explain this for many commenters and viewers whom I deeply appreciate, but dont understand their distaste for something that need not even involve them if they so desire.
Posted on: Thu, 10 Jul 2014 16:48:41 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015