5 ms·
The better model for Creators isn't subscriptions but SuperChats, it's the digital version of "don't buy the CD, buy the concert". It's quite common to see peo
by OzzyB 6y ago
The better model for Creators isn't subscriptions but SuperChats, it's the digital version of "don't buy the CD, buy the concert".
It's quite common to see people drop $20 for their favorite Creator to read out their comments. It's fun and provides that direct/live link that fans crave.
This provides a unique monetization channel that's not available to regular businesses while helping Creators circumvent the pervasive "why should I give you $10/month if Spotify is $10/month" narrative.
- srtjstjsj 6y agoThat doesn't solve the absolutely fundamental unsolvable problem that digital has marginal cost so you make 0.01x revenue if you have .01x the audience.
- leetcrew 6y agohonestly I find this kinda gross. it feels a little too close to tossing bills around in a strip club. it's not so bad on music streams (eg, here's $5 to play my song), but I also watch a stream where a law student breaks analyzes current events. it's quite incongruous when they stop explaining the legal nuances to read some inane donation message out loud.
- ajuc 6y agoWell it's a business model most artist used for centuries before recording and mass production was possible. Busking is still using it to this day. I find nothing gross in it, it's actually better in many ways because you have immediate feedback so you can develop quicker (whether you want to develop in a particular direction your current audience wants is another matter).
- leetcrew 6y agomaybe this wasn't clear, but I was referring to a live performer with "music streams". donating to make a song request doesn't have that gross feel. it's mainly the paying just to have your comment read that seems weird to me. in the first case you're paying for a performance; in the second, you are basically just paying for a human's attention.
- jdmichal 6y agoDo you get the same impression from, say, paying for VIP tickets in order to meet-and-greet musicians at a concert?
- bentcorner 6y agoI get the same "ick" vibes from streamers reading comments too. (FWIW, I don't feel the same way about concerts or VIP tickets). This may not be a great explanation, but there's an element of "dance, monkey, dance!" when someone pays money to a streamer to say their message. The streamer will usually read the message (barring ToS). It's similar to how tipping at Cold Stone Creamery (an ice cream chain in the US) means the staff have to sing a short song for you. There might be fun intentions involved but if the people who you are giving money to aren't really into it, it feels wrong.
- burntoutfire 6y agoPeople do that?
- ajuc 6y ago> in the second, you are basically just paying for a human's attention. Or for having your question answered?
- jdmichal 6y agoIsn't that the essential essence of all live entertainment events? Tossing money at people to entertain you? What's the difference between that and a concert: that you prepaid the concert ahead of time?
- Dirlewanger 6y agoI see the value in subscribing to streamers, especially if you watch them as much as you'd watch Netflix, but there's no expectation of direct interaction at a concert. As booming of a business model as it is, very few streamers will talk about how they actively exploit their audience into thinking they're your friend. These parasocial relationships are unfortunately a sign of the times and how lonely and isolated individuals have become in the age of the Internet (the pandemic has only worsened this).