A good time to start?

I like that proposal.
I put the following text on my proile page:

I do not support Envato Elements

Envato Elements, like every subscription service, devalues the work of a creative artist in an aggressive and unfair way. Please support all musicians, who spent a lot of time, creativity and patience and buy regular licenses on AudioJungle for a fair price.

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Well if everybody write this in their profile, this could be a good a common action :slight_smile:
I have nothing against Envato element in itself, but I prefer they split the 2 market. And not advertise it from AJ

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Yes, same here. It’s just that banner that annoys me. It’s like saying: “Hey, do you really, really, really wanna pay 29$ for this ONE item?? Why not get ALL YOU WANT for only 16.50$!”.

There might be lots of music that’s interchangeable on stock music sites (especially corporate tracks, explainer video tracks, and the typical orchestral tracks). They sell a lot of volume and it doesn’t matter if you get it from artist A or B.

But then again, there’s also a chance to create something unique that hasn’t been heard everywhere. And why not charge extra for it. I’ve raised my prices from 29$ to 99$ now. If people want something like my songs and pay little money - fair enough … - get it somewhere else. But if they want MY EXACT song, then they’ll need to value it a bit more.

That’s probably the good thing about music: every song is 100% unique.

EDIT: If they go low, we go high…
Hahahahahaha :smiley: :rofl: :joy:

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It just blows my mind to see authors not having a problem with this exploitative scheme. It’s siphoning our sales, it’s been confiscating our collective earnings and handed it over to a select few, it’s the nail in our collective coffin… but ain’t nothing wrong with that, I guess!

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$99 for a standard license…good luck with that.
AudioJungle is not that kind of boutique library where buyers want to spend that kind of money for standard licensing. Higher tier licensing sure - charge a high price, I do, but AudioJungle does not really cater for buyers that are willing to pay large prices for standard licensing.
Also Elements has all the typical corporate music so it really requires authors to really think about the portfolio they have to offer buyers.
The Elements advertising with that goddam banner has really appalled authors and now we just ride out the turning of the tide as Envato slowly dies.
Of course we anticipate the end of year report that heralds how community earnings have grown when we really have seen authors revenue has shrunk - come on Envato be honest with us.

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I originally studied music (funny that it’s also usually one of the most expensive degree courses) but later switched to business and now I’m in the very fortunate position of not having to live from it.

Artists get ripped off left and right. Spotify brings 1 Cent per play and Envato starts to get in that area too (while you also sign away many of your rights).

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If it were a different product, then why not. There are others doing it already (albeit: they are charging much more than the 16.50).
But using Audiojungle to advertise it that brutally is the nail in the coffin.

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With all that being said: there have always been starving artists and wealthy ones. Especially since modern art and all it can’t solely be the quality of their work.

This begs the question: what was the difference between the two?

Just as an anecdote: The chinese artist Ai Weiwei presented one of his artworks at an exposition in Frankfurt around the 2000’s. When a thunderstorm came and destroyed his piece, he gave the German news magazine “Tagesspiegel” an interview, stating that it fell apart in quite an aesthetic way and that he’d be doubling its price.
Source: Kunstschau: Unwetter zerstört Documenta-Turm - Kultur - Tagesspiegel

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This is not what I said.
But what can we do more ? We are not unionize, and this won’t happen. Market is now like that, and we have to find solution by our own, so at this time I have nothing against Envato elements in itself (subscription based service in a more general way If you prefer). Because being angry against them all the day will make me spend my energy in a fight that I can’t win and that I prefer to spend on finding solution

It’s not about being angry all day, it’s merely about acknowledging it for what it is, and not trivializing this type of harmful sociopathic exploitation.

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I’m agree, I’m aware all of this, but as I said I can’t do nothing against that, me alone :man_shrugging:
There’s solution outside Envato Market and far way from Envato elements, and I always share it, but no one want to listen that non exclusivity is the best solution to face Envato elements and lack of sales on AJ in the near future. Despite the fact that all market are impacted by these hard time. Everyone want to stay stuck at sharing cut which is higher from some other market. But if there’s no sales, and no future here, what is the point?

Envato element is the main issue for Audio Jungle but not for the whole stock music industry. COVID was !

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100% that.

As I said above: some competitors have subscription based models too. But nobody as low as 14.50€. Fun fact: Before I started uploading my own music onto Audiojungle, I subscribed to Elements too. In fact I still have an active subscription there. I use it for my main job in SEO and internet marketing … :joy:
Now check what they offer there: Aabbe – Digital Marketplace WordPress Theme by QuomodoTheme on Envato Elements
:joy:

Thing is: I’ll just try to build up my own brand. And offer my stock music on my own and on several market places. If marketplaces start to charge high fees cause of non-exclusivity, then I raise the price on their platform to make up for it. So users of that platform have to pay more than on other platforms. Probably makes sense to let them know about it.

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I keep replying to myself… but what about this:

  1. Get own marketplace on Wordpress and sell own music at a good price (the best price on the market for your own music)
  2. Also put your music non-exclusively on different marketplaces and charge a higher price. Make sure to position yourself as a brand, so users know that it’s not just any old music.
  3. Register all music on Identifyy.
  4. Start own YouTube channel, where all new songs are uploaded without watermark (if they get nicked, you will still earn money via PRO and Identifyy) + from there you can link to your own stock website rather than one of the big ones.

At least that’s a diversified risk with the option of getting follow up sales from loyal fans of one’s own style.

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This is the best thing to do yes. Still a long time work, but I’m working on it, with the same idea as you have ! I just need to compose far away more at this time, to bring diversity ! I would like to have the own website set up for September 2022

Some author has already start this way, some elite too here from AJ ! (Infraction for example)

You can add:

  1. Custom music service
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Yes, I don’t even know if being very diversified is the best way to go. Cause in the end if you’re a brand, people would come to you to get a specific sound. Imagine being able to go to HansZimmer.com and getting typical Hans Zimmer sounding stock music. It would be heaven for many creators. But only if they’d get music in the style of Hans Zimmer there.

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That’s a good questioning to have. it’s depend on what you aim I guess ! Both strategy are great I think, especially if you go to more custom music later ! Specific sound will interest customer who like your skills on some genre, more varied will help to you to reach more people and will help you to be able to answer at more customers. I don’t know yet :slight_smile:

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Essentially this is almost the same then as the traditional publishing market

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Well… it’s more like using stock music sites as one of many income streams, compared to using one platform as the one and only (which gives them the power to define our future).

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Hi, I read the thread and I completely agree with you guys about Elements and its devaluation of our work. I recently opened Youtube channel and I would like to open my webshop for my music.

I was wondering do you need to open your own business to sell your music on your own marketplace and what is the proces of starting your marketplace?

Thank you in advance :smiley:

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