Have artists and content creators finally found a ble alternative to YouTube? Portal co-founder Jonathan Swerdlin believes so.
YouTube doesn’t have a great reputation with the music industry or its own content creator community.
From tragically low payouts to harsher demonetization policies aimed at ensuring creators earn less cash, it seems Google’s popular video platform has done everything to alienate artists and the content creator community.
Now, one platform claims to have the solution. And, it has the funds to take on YouTube.
People who use the Portal app can purchase in-app currency, or ‘coins.’ $0.99 will net you 100 coins, $4.99 nets 500 coins, $9.99 translates into 1,000 coins, and so on. Users can then donate coins to their favorite creators and artists.
The Patreon-esque idea is designed to deliver artists fair pay for their work. In fact, several musicians form part of Portal’s team, including indie artists like Chance the Rapper. Andy Schuon, former Chief Digital Officer of Live Nation, also serves as an advisor.
Of course, I don’t personally endorse the platform. I haven’t even used it. But, Portal’s direct donations model provides a promising contrast to YouTube’s failed ad model.
Google – which recently removed its ‘Don’t be evil’ motto – doesn’t allow direct monetization on YouTube. In fact, the site purposefully made it more difficult for content creators to earn cash. For a new channel to finally make money from their content, it will need at least 1,000 subscribers or 4,000 total viewing hours.