How creators are

thriving digitally

Leah Wells

With the rising usage of technology and overall

increase in media consumption and availability of

digital content, artists and other content creators

are given a new way to share their work.

The new digital platform allows artists,

filmmakers, animators, writers and more

to find new ways to get seen and profit

by posting work online.

A new site that is widely used is Patreon, which allows

fans to register to automatically donate a set amount

of money every month to the creators they follow.

Patreon is extremely accessible and allows

consumers to get exclusive content from their

favorite artists.

The patreon model makes it near

effortless for consumers to give

money to their favorite artists.

With how easy Patreon

makes it for consumers to

give money, popular digital

artists can earn a real living

with this platform.

Pictured are Patreon pages of the

artists Sakimi Chan and Kuvshinov

Ilya who earn $28,000 a month

and $3,100 a week, respectively.

The ease of donating is key for success –

consumers only have to put thought into

donating once, then they automatically

support the content they love for months.

It was found in 2014 that people

are spending 21% more of their

time consuming media, but it

was noted that much of that time

is allotted while multitasking.

This sort of media consumption is

perfect for artists that publish their

works to certain social media sites

such as Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr.

These sites allow users to simply scroll

for their content, making them

common sites to use while multitasking.

With the rise of sites that make it easy

to post, view and share media, such as

Tumblr (which reported 227 million

registered accounts in 2016) it is much

easier for digital artists to get noticed.

Content creators can thrive off of

“earned media”- getting free

publicity by simply having their

work shared on social media.

Despite many creators having the majority

of their work available online for free, there

are still ways for them to make money.

One way is for

the content

creator is to

simply monetize

their website.

Hosting advertisements is

an easy way for creators to

make revenue by simply

having consumers view

their web page.

Another way of monetizing an

artist’s intellectual property is

often done with merchandise.

Buttons, pins, toys, shirts,

accessories and prints are

commonly sold to supporters.

A survey conducted in 2008 discovered

that the majority of millennials still prefer

print to digital. Such consumers are

willing to pay money for otherwise free

content to get it in the form they prefer.

Writers and webcomic

creators often choose to publish their works in

print as well.

Creators may also lock their content behind a

paywall.

Content creators may sometimes opt to give access to exclusive content that is only

available to paying consumers, while also having a free sampling of the content for

all users. Fans who want more will feel pressured to pay for this bonus content.

Many digital artists will offer

commissions, or create custom

work in exchange for money.

Having custom content from

favorite creators is an extremely

desirable luxury to more affluent consumers.

Youtube is a platform that has become lucrative for

filmmakers and comedians.

Creators may earn 68% of ad revenue on their

videos, so for larger channels this can translate to

revenue from $2,000 to $100,000 monthly.

The most popular content creator, known online as

“PewDiePie,” has earned $124 million since 2010.

Popular content

creators may also

gain attention of

corporations, and

gain sponsorships

in exchange for

advertising their

products.

Crowdfunding is a commonly used tool for larger

projects, like games and developing products.

With sites like Gofundme, Kickstarter and Indiegogo,

large amounts of people each pledge small amounts of money towards projects that they are interested in.

If consumers care about

your cause or project,

they will donate, and it is

possible to fund large

projects using online

crowdfunding.

The crowdfunding industry is worth

$34 BILLION.

Using crowdfunding sites, content creators can

amass large amounts of money for projects

that are not yet tangible to consumers.

Supporters use their money this way to dictate

what content they will see in the future.

And so, with so much more time spent

consuming media and so much more

media consumed, the ability to monetize

many forms of digital content is extremely

valuable for artists who wish to make a

living by creating.

Image sources

Cover image designed by webdesignhot - Freepik.comSlide 2 Designed by Creativeart - Freepik.comSlide 3 Designed by Molostock - Freepik.comSlide 4 Designed by FreepikSlide 5 Designed by Creativeart - Freepik.comSlide 7 Designed by Yanalya - Freepik.comSlide 8 Designed by Yanalya - Freepik.comSlide 10 Designed by D3images - Freepik.comSlide 19 Designed by Dooder - Freepik.comSlide 11 Designed by Pressfoto - Freepik.comSlide 12 Designed by Bedneyimages - Freepik.comSlide 15 Designed by Jcomp - Freepik.comSlide 21 Designed by FreepikSlide 17 Designed by FreepikSlide 23 Designed by Photoduet - Freepik.com

Screenshots taken from :

patreon.com (slide 6)twogag.com (slide 13)topatoco.com (slide 14)kickstarter.com and Indiegogo.com (slide 22)

CitationsExternal Sources

Andrew, Amy. "How Start-ups Can Tap Cash from Ordinary People and Give the Prospect of Huge Profits in Return... What Is Crowdfunding and How Does It Work?" Thisismoney.co.uk. Dailymail, 3 Feb. 2015. Web.

Data T. "Tumblr."Www.statista.com. Statista, n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2016.

"Crowdfunding Industry Statistics 2015 2016." CrowdExpertcom. Crowdexpert.com, 2016. Web. 23 Oct. 2016.

Hill, Alun. "How Much Does YouTube Pay Partners for Their Content?" Quora. N.p., n.d. Web.

Balanescu, Razvan. "How much does a YouTuber with 1 million subscribers earn in a year?” Quora. N.p., n.d. Web.

Dong, Michelle. "PewDiePie Net Worth 2016: How Much Is PewDiePie Worth?" PewDiePie Net Worth 2016: How Much Is PewDiePie Worth?Coed, 09 May 2016. Web. 23 Oct. 2016.

Course Readings

Bennett, Shea. "Paid, Owned and Earned Media: What’s the Difference? [INFOGRAPHIC]." SocialTimes. Adweek, 23 Oct. 2014. Web. 23 Oct. 2016.

Krashinsky, Susan. "Four Ways Canadians Are Consuming Media Differently."The Globe and Mail. The Globe and Mail, 04 Dec. 2014. Web. 23 Oct. 2016.

Jabr, Ferris. "The Reading Brain in the Digital Age: The Science of Paper versus Screens." Scientific American. N.p., 09 Apr. 2013. Web. 23 Oct. 2016.