“

Dear Digital Content Platform Leaders,

We are 10,000 creators advocating for the millions of digital artists, writers, musicians, filmmakers, podcasters, streamers, and many others who form the backbone of your platforms, and enrich our digital landscape with their creativity and hard work. The digital era has ushered in unprecedented opportunities for content creation and distribution. Yet, the financial framework within which these creators operate remains disproportionately skewed against them.

The ever growing creator economy spans over 200 million people and $100 billion in annual revenues. As you are well aware, within this economy, a significant portion of digital creators struggle to achieve financial sustainability. The startling reality is that 88% of creators earn less than $50,000 annually, with a staggering 97% not making enough to surpass the U.S. poverty line. It takes the average content creator six and a half months to earn their first dollar. These figures are not just statistics – they represent countless real stories of human hardship and a crisis of value recognition within the digital ecosystem.

The core of the issue lies in the existing monetization structures – plagued by high payment processing, platform, and broker fees.  High fee leakage is further compounded by the challenges of subscription abandonment, decreasing ad revenues, and delayed payouts. Creators are often at the mercy of opaque algorithms and shifting policy landscapes, leaving them in a state of perpetual uncertainty about their income. These hurdles not only discourage creators but also undermine the very essence of a fair and thriving creative economy. 

Moreover, platforms too are heavily reliant on advertising revenue and subscriptions. Many potential users either cannot afford or are unwilling to commit to regular subscriptions, leaving behind a huge unserved market. With growing use of ad-blockers and increasing concerns over data privacy, ad revenue is becoming less reliable. 

In light of these challenges, we urge you to consider the integration of micropayment capabilities on your platforms. Micropayments enable direct, instant ‘one-click’ payments from viewers to creators without need of user login, registration, subscription, or need to share identification or account data. Micropayments can also be chained together - a consumer pays 50 cents to view a video, and in the next second the content creator or licensor can be micropaid their agreed distribution.  The speed improvement to the cash cycle and removal of legacy administrative costs significantly increase margins for all parties. By adopting micropayments, you have the opportunity to foster a more equitable ecosystem where creators are fairly compensated for their digital content.

Micropayments also address the underserved market segment – viewers who are either unable or unwilling to commit to subscriptions or large one-time payments. By enabling micropayments, platforms can tap into a new complementary revenue stream to traditional digital ad markets and subscription models, providing a more diversified and stable income source. In an era where consumers are increasingly experiencing subscription fatigue, micropayments offer a pay-as-you-go model that is both attractive and sustainable for users and audience seeking personalized content, and provides an alternative higher margin revenue model for platforms. 

This is not merely a financial decision; it is a moral imperative and a strategic opportunity. By supporting fairer compensation for creators, platforms can attract better content, and improve their public image and relations with content creators. By empowering creators, you enhance the richness and diversity of content on your platforms. This positive perception can be vital in an era where providing fair market access is increasingly important to consumers and creators alike. 

The benefit is not just to platforms and creators, but consumers as well. Users who make micropayments are more engaged, as they have a direct financial stake in the content they consume. This increased engagement can lead to higher retention rates. Micropayments can also power a new data economy where consumer micropayers have control of their data and ability to consent to data sharing in exchange for rewards or compensation.  Platforms can gain granular verifiable data through fair exchange about what content users are willing to pay for.

In conclusion, we are not just petitioning for a feature addition – we are advocating for a fundamental shift and evolution in how the digital creative economy operates as a win-win market for creators, platforms, and consumers alike.

We are eager to engage in further dialogue on this matter and to collaborate on effective implementation strategies. Your leadership in this endeavor could set a precedent for the entire industry, heralding a new era of fairness and empowerment for digital creators worldwide. Thank you for considering this critical issue. We look forward to your positive response and to a future where every creator is justly rewarded for their contributions to our digital world.

Respectfully,

Free The Creator.