Most of us are aware of the “starving artist” cliché where an artist gets paid so little for their work and they put their own self in harm’s way to continue creating their art. Hopefully, this will become a thing of the past. Creators of artwork deserve to be compensated well enough for their creations. The internet makes it incredibly easy to illegally download music, movies, TV shows and books, and I’m even guilty of this. And while there are people on YouTube putting out free content, we still need to pay creators, because eventually there won’t be anyone to generate the entertainment we all value.
Almost everyone has illegally downloaded something. This isn’t a lecture on why you should be a better person, but in a world where a product is judged by how many million copies an album sells, opening box office scores, how many people stream a movie, etc., artists can live and die by these figures. These people pour their hearts and souls into making something as they dedicate their lives to their creative crafts. They deserve payment for their hard work, so buy movies and music. Rent movies online. Don’t steal them.
Getting into online creators like YouTubers and podcasters, it can be a bit more complicated to figure out how to support them. A fairly new way to help fuel such content is a website called Patreon. Patreon is a monthly subscription service where you can choose how much money to give YouTube and podcast creators each month. And then, the more you pay, the more benefits you can get. This is a simple way to help these people pay the bills and allow them to continue producing the entertainment they’re passionate about. But most people don’t use Patreon.
The simplest way to help people on YouTube or other services get revenue is to turn off AdBlock and similar programs. A lot of online revenue comes from selling ad space, but with apps like AdBlock, many creators are missing out on revenue. Ads are annoying, and pop-up ads are frustrating. But the least we can do is deal with a 15-second video here and there to ensure the content we love continues to stream. You are getting this content for free. Stop and think about that. People are making entertainment and just giving it away to you. It really won’t hurt you to turn off AdBlock when you go to YouTube or any similar type of online platform.
Everybody likes to have their hard work well recieved and feel like their creations are valued. Show artists and creators you value what they make for your entertainment. It does cost a bit more money, and it can be a little bit of an inconvenience, but at the end of the day it is worth it to do the right thing and support them.