troubled
patreon
Some Concerns.
🕑 Added 2018-01-31 18:55:17 +0000 UTCHello Everyone!
I just wanted to voice some concerns that I was having with my content being released prematurely, mostly through websites that promote pirating of content. Typically this wouldn't affect me because most of my content is usually released on a timed countdown of 14-30 days. However, to find myself on a website like this and that my higher tiers are finding their way on to the website, I'm left with a oddly bad feeling.
Piracy can be good in instances where you want to see what a content creator, or developer, has produced. Especially in the cases where there are no trials available, and you the consumer don't want to risk putting money into something that might not be there. But as we all know, piracy can also be terrible because there are the folks who will take that 'free' content then spread said content without giving a flying rats ass of where it came from.
Needless to say I entered into an artists slump over it. I started over thinking the following question:
If people could just willy-nilly take what they pleased, why should I continue to produce exclusive content for Patreon?
Eventually I created a poll (knowing what the answer would be before-hand) to examine what people actually desired, content that was supported by 'occasional' donors, or content they had to pay for. While the poll was overwhelmingly skewed towards donors supporting the content (77/23), I think the numbers would more likely be 60/40 towards donors supporting content being created for everyone.
So I'm asking you guys as the people who currently support me what should I do? Should I move towards a donor system, where folks do not seek rewards, other than content being created for their contributions? Should I keep things the same with my early access system, and the ignore the piracy? Other suggestions?
I would appreciate the feedback.
-Troubled
Comments
Jahith_Voice
As a Patreon I am thorn about this. On one side I enjoy your work on the other if I could get it for free I would not become a patreon. The piracy forces us to face a dilemma "is freedom of thought a good thing? Should humanity have free access to the sum of all human knowledge? The good The bad and The sexy?" We are moving towards fully automated society where most of our whims can be satisfied by robots. the problem? Creativity. Robots can't replace that. in a way robots are like pirates. Why pay a person to do work if you can just use a robot to copy it endlessly? Why work in such a world? well there are psychological reasons. humans need work regime to stay sane usually people who do not work even if they are provided for have whacked sleeping schedule and fall into depression. In a world in which we do not have to worry about living that is the only reason to do things.
Oneiros
I enjoy the early access system, but I don't think I could fairly ask you to just ignore the piracy when it's clearly bothering you. Whatever you choose should help you stay motivated, not stress you out.
Kabbalist
Well, Troubled, it sounds like you're feeling...troubled by this issue. Sorry, I had to make the pun. Now then, this is a prickly issue. I don't really see a clear solution for the piracy side of things. If people who legitimately have access to your work via Patreon want to download it and share it around the Internet (at which point it will continue to spread), I'm not sure if there's much that you can do about it. That said, they should at very least give you credit as being the artist and link people back to your Patreon, SoFurry, or other profile. Bear in mind, I'm not necessarily an expert in these matters. On the question of "donor" vs. "early access patron," I think that keeping your reward tiers is a better idea financially. I intend to continue donating even if you switch, but I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of folks choose not to donate if they don't have to in order to see your art.
