Streamers and The Problem with “Donations”
We live in era when the prevailing view — in many ways, the vehement and passionately held view — is that content can and should be free. I could spend a lot of time talking through the origins of and problems with this particular sentiment, but nevertheless, the view prevails. We’ve been taught from our youth that content is to be consumed without giving anything but our time and our attention.
The problem is that at the other end of every piece of content we consume is a content creator, who spent time, energy, effort, and resources to create that piece of content. If I’m unwilling to pay for that content — to recognize its value with my dollars and cents — then the content creator must find other ways to support their efforts.
Historically, content creators have relied on their ability to leverage their audiences with those seeking to reach them: brands, marketers, and advertisers. Before the internet, this was a winning strategy. Mass content was limited, and networks could command huge prices, supporting the content creators under their umbrella.
With the advent of the internet, and more specifically the emergence of YouTube, media became democratized. Millions of entertainers now sought out niche audiences. Millions of content creators all seek the same advertising dollar, which is cut into more and more pieces.
Content should be free, sure, but content creation costs money. This is the fundamental conflict at the heart of online media. How can you keep content flowing and the creator fed? Advertising only goes so far. Where do you turn when the ad dollar falls short?
For the past several years, content creators of all types have struggled to answer this question. At first glance, the solution seems simple: sell it. Sell copies of your videos, your literature, your art. Make money the old fashioned way. But the aforementioned mentality continues to prevail: you can’t monetize your content directly. No one will pay for it. Content should be free.
But if the content — the thing we would all agree is valuable — can’t be turned into dollars, what is a content creator left with? What do they monetize?
Failing to come up with a good answer to this question, content creators were faced with one option: ask fans for money. Ask for support. Ask to be able to continue doing what they love. Give your resources to make sure your favorite content creator doesn’t have to give up content creation.
On its face, it sounds great. But what’s really happening here? If a fan’s payment is a donation, then they still haven’t recognized the value of what’s happening. Out of the goodness of their heart, they’ve chosen to help out. They’ve chosen to not let a content creator face the age old question: quit or starve. Is that really what fans are doing? Is that what content creators want them to do? Simply get involved because they feel bad for the plight of the content creator?
The answer can and should be a resounding and unequivocal NO. Content creators are not and should not be looking for sympathy in the form of dollars. Content creators should not hold themselves in such low esteem that they feel the need to live on the good graces of their audiences. No.
Content creators do something amazing every day. They create the content that enraptures fans for hours. They keep their fans laughing, crying, excited, and terrified.
When a fan gives their money to a content creator, they should never be doing it to ‘help out.’ They should give because they value what’s in front of them. There is no such thing as a donation to a YouTuber or broadcaster. It is and should be a tip: an expression of appreciation for the service provided. Or, even better, make it a subscription: a monthly payment recognizing the value of the stream or videos provided day after day for a fan’s enjoyment.
As long as the idea of donations continues to pervade this ecosystem, the true value of this kind of content and the people who create it can never really be understood. Online content creators must take themselves seriously enough to say: “I don’t need a hand-out. I need you to understand and appreciate the value of what I do, not just with your time, but with your pocketbook.”
Once we establish the idea that who you are as a broadcaster and what you do on stream is itself valuable, we can start to start to take this industry seriously the way it deserves. It starts with changing the language. Removing the concept of donation or pledge or anything that takes away from the fact that you are a talented, hard working professional who deserves to earn a living from your work.
I believe that we can do it. That we can help this ecosystem grow up. And we can start by understanding the value of broadcasters and what they mean to the future of media.
Originally published at blog.gamewisp.com. Apr 1, 2016 9:47:11 AM
