Make money with art and literature – Online
Is it possible to make money with art and literature online?
If you are an artist, do you know who is developing and presenting contemporary art and literature?
If you are an online cultural organization, do you know who your main competitors are?
Looking at Alexa, Best of the Web, and other sites, as well as from our own perspective, we’ve selected five key sites that bridge the gap between capitalism and contemporary art and design.
These are sites that use socialized internet tools like tags, comments, and blogs; sites that are wholly or predominantly based on the development and publication of contemporary art and literature; and sites that are developing and presenting new work. Above all, these are sites that earn a living directly or tangentially through their activities.
We make money, not art
The name says it all: spearheaded by Régine Debatty, this blog started in 2004 to investigate ‘how often companies that develop and manufacture technologies actually come across hackers and artists who have a more playful or activist approach towards them. Do these two different worlds collide? If so, how does it happen? If not, why not? Would there be any point in trying to change that non-communicative situation?’
One of the most linked blogs, with an Alexa rating of 34,431, over 30% of its audience in the US, and an up-to-date list of contributors, the site doesn’t actually generate revenue as a direct result of its advertising , but rather through Debatty’s writing and speaking fees.
Addicted
Based in Belgium, members collaborate on thematic projects and share work through online profiles. Divided into several different areas (addictlab, for example, which allows for more experimental interaction), there is great potential here to get involved in a wide range of new projects, either based on themes or through interaction with other users.
This is a site that has cast its net in terms of a business model, supplementing revenue from book and magazine retail with cultural funding, contextual advertising, and trade partnerships. However, with a net presence that seems to have existed since before the first bubble, there is no doubt that it is a powerful force.
stereo post
This is an organization that falls more on the design side than the pure art side: an online and offline magazine, they make their money through retail sales and deluxe editions of their high-quality magazine.
A bit like We Make Money…, Stereo claims not to be making money from this activity; They say that they are a non-profit organization that sets out to design new ways of developing magazines that are more creative. By including an online work-in-progress section for developing new projects, processes are more visible: a low Alexa score doesn’t hurt the fortunes of the group, which continues to churn out new work in a timely manner.
born magazine
Born has been around forever and consistently offers high-quality content, as well as some offline events. His focus is art and literature, leaning towards new media.
This is where we see a quite different model: Born is financed through sponsors and donations. This is a more organic cultural model, and once again shows that with low overhead it is possible to have a long-running arts and literature magazine.
Magwerk
Finally, having moved directly to the other end of the spectrum from We Make Money…, Magwerk is as close as you can get to a traditional publisher. Publishing a suite of lifestyle magazines including art and design, fashion, and music, these magazines are published as if they were physical, employing the kind of page-turning layout you can now get for free at Formatpixel.
It may not be innovative anymore, but it’s certainly making money. With full page listings from high quality luxury goods companies, strong business partnerships and sponsorship, Magwerk is definitely a force to be reckoned with.
Summary
We asked if it was possible to make money from art and literature online. These five organizations show that not only is it possible, but they make it look easy!
