this post was submitted on 24 Sep 2024
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Marques Brownlee, known as MKBHD, faced backlash over his new wallpaper app, Panels, due to its high subscription cost ($49.99/year) and concerns over excessive data permissions.

Brownlee acknowledged user feedback, promising to adjust ad frequency for free users and address privacy concerns, clarifying that the app's data disclosures were broader than intended.

The app, which offers curated wallpapers and shares profits with artists, aims to improve over time, despite criticisms of its design and monetization approach.

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[–] iAmTheTot@sh.itjust.works 40 points 1 month ago (3 children)

The "shares its profits with the artists" part is relevant here.

[–] Arbiter@lemmy.world 64 points 1 month ago (4 children)

It would almost be cheaper to commission an artist frankly.

[–] iAmTheTot@sh.itjust.works 27 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Almost is doing a lot of heavy lifting in that sentence.

[–] yggstyle@lemmy.world 18 points 1 month ago

Nah it'd be cheaper to commission the artist for a dozen or so pictures for 45 bucks:

First you need to blow some ungodly amount of money on breaking the time/space barrier.... Then travel back to the 1920s and find a starving artist. Then pitch him 45 bucks for some art. Easy! 45 bucks to them is like 800 of our today dollars.

Sarcasm aside- it seems people really are disconnected on how much a commission or art costs. Sure you can buy prints reasonably priced but any commission that isn't a speedy doodle is going to clock in a helluva lot higher.

[–] MagnyusG@lemmy.world 19 points 1 month ago

For a single piece sure.

I presume the idea here is that you have access to their full library. Personally, I fail to see why I would change my wallpaper enough to warrant even a free app to change it, let alone 50 bucks.

[–] yggstyle@lemmy.world 10 points 1 month ago (2 children)

If you know an artist doing commissions that cheap they are depressed, desperate, or want to fuck you.

[–] Arbiter@lemmy.world 13 points 1 month ago (1 children)

But that’s the best type of artist

[–] yggstyle@lemmy.world 5 points 1 month ago

... why are they always so goddamn hot.

[–] TheDarksteel94@sopuli.xyz -1 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Could just commission someone on Fiverr for an original artwork

[–] ilinamorato@lemmy.world 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Fiverr is the worst. They enable abusive clients to find victims, and AI con artists to find marks.

[–] yggstyle@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

So that sounds exceptionally awful. You have any more info on that?

[–] ilinamorato@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago

There's also this infamous story. And also this one. I recognize that anecdote is not the singular of data, but there's a pretty substantial paper trail on Fiverr.

[–] yggstyle@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago

One piece digitally drawn in an hour or two maybe. Otherwise it is likely premade, generated, or not their source. Yeah- if you are talking backgrounds for a phone they could be more abstract or start with a base but for 45 bucks? That buys you an hour or two of that artists time- three if they like the idea or you.

[–] Evotech@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Just use a free wallpaper app and pay a random artist 25 bucks

[–] JustEnoughDucks@feddit.nl 7 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Did he disclose an amount?

5% to artists is very different than 40% to artists.

Or is he adopting the Spotify bottom line?

Only pay artists after X downloads and only pay a few cents after thousands of downloads and use the rest for profits

[–] morrowind@lemmy.ml 6 points 1 month ago (1 children)

It's 50%, which is honestly quite low

[–] JustEnoughDucks@feddit.nl 0 points 1 month ago (1 children)

50% is quite decent and is 20% higher than most other "decent" services including physical stores. Building and keeping an app up to date with ever changing content requires at least a part time developer which is expensive.

[–] morrowind@lemmy.ml 4 points 1 month ago

Well the baseline is that most wallpaper apps, which don't pay artists afaik, charge like $5 a year, so if you're gonna charge me 50, I expect 90% to go to artists

[–] Deceptichum@quokk.au 3 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

I’m an artist who has uploaded many of my works to wallhaven entirely for free online, alongside the games I put out and any other creative venture I’ve pursued over the years.

That part is problematic not relevant.

[–] iAmTheTot@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

okay, cool, but I am going to assume you don't speak for all artists.

[–] Deceptichum@quokk.au 3 points 1 month ago

No one speaks for all X.