It's funny: Both Bandcamp and Patreon had the easiest and most straightforwardly long-term profitable business models imaginable: Sit between indie creatives and their fans, provide some basic services for mediation (comment sections, media posts, semi-global payment) and take enough of a cut of any payments to cover the costs and then some.
But because that business model wouldn't scale forever, they are instead being gutted, because ever _increasing_ growth is the only model capital accepts
Incidentally, this also harkens to one of those times that Matt Levine Doesn't Understand Capitalism - he's been repeatedly stumped by why crypto firms like Coinbase or Tether keep making risky bets with customer money when they could just.. Not do that, and still make a handy profit from putting customer money into liquid rate-making bonds and live off the interested (since the customers see zilch of that).
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@pettter I was disappointed to see it sold a second time to a music licensing company. Don't know much about them but hope they aren't there to change the way it works.
But Bandcamp is/was a great model and service to bands.
@pettter I read that today. But yeh as you mentioned perfect business. With a united workforce. But no one was thinking of the shareholders! Step one is always fire staff.
I just love the service and hope it can still serve it's purpose to the artists
@bovaz @andrewt @arcadiarhod @pettter
And some reaons might be simply things like loans, public grants, etc.
In most cases, you have to define a "scalable", "profit-oriented" business model to get funding.
A few months back, I tried to apply for a public grant to start a company that provides IT services to non-profit organizations.
The grant was about "social entrepreneurship" and had all the buzzwords ("inclusive", "social justice", etc.).
Main critique point in the feedback to my application: Not scalable "enough".
@vanderZwan @pettter @arcadiarhod
Me too!!
@sbi @vanderZwan @pettter @arcadiarhod
Most co-operatives fund themselves, or issue long-term bonds to raise their starting capital.
@sbi @pettter @arcadiarhod There's an entire cottage industry of crowdfunding platforms through which people have successfully launched projects that suggests otherwise.
If I'm a customer for the service they provide then that's a form of investment, isn't it?
@vanderZwan @sbi @pettter @arcadiarhod
I think the key would be getting enough critical mass of artists on, who would hopefully be networking with others currently on bandcamp. Also, bandcamp isn't bandcamp without the editorial team. You need people who just honestly love music writing those features, otherwise it's just ad copy.
You can do all that with a co-op, but it wouldn't be easy to get it self-sustaining, both in terms of organizing and initial funding
@jaawerth @sbi @pettter @arcadiarhod I think I get what you mean: you don't want a situation that is basically Monty Python's "constitutional peasants" played out unironically, right?
OTOH, I think the "passionate editorial team" part is likely easier to maintain in a coop than in a company where you know your new bosses are more interested in maximizing their profits than in music
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