And yes, it’s there so I can make more money! How’s that for honesty?
Remember how Frederick was trying to find ways to bring in more income from the site? Well, now that I own it, I understand why. This site takes a lot more time to run than you might think and the income it generates doesn’t justify the time spent. I think that frustration kept building up for Frederick and that’s what led to what happened last year.
Banner ads here are really cheap (they cost a fraction of what they cost on KVR or Gearslutz), but interestingly, many of the major orchestral-oriented companies (East-West, 8dio, CineSamples and a few others) won’t buy them. Even with their Commercial Announcements going to Tier 2, where a single potentially lost purchase would pay for months of ads, they still won’t bite.
I’m certainly no business expert, but that seems like an odd choice to me, but whether I agree with their reasoning or not, that’s the hand I’ve been dealt. Other than Spitfire, VSL and Orchestral Tools, the forum income is mostly small companies, so raising rates will be a tough ask. I could go to Google ads, which would be way easier and more profitable, but that would be kinda ugly.
Somehow, though, I need to increase the income here. So we’ve added this new sidebar ad position. Gearslutz and other sites have the same thing, so hopefully people here won’t think it’s too outrageous. FWIW, animation won’t be allowed, so it shouldn’t be too obtrusive.
Remember how Frederick was trying to find ways to bring in more income from the site? Well, now that I own it, I understand why. This site takes a lot more time to run than you might think and the income it generates doesn’t justify the time spent. I think that frustration kept building up for Frederick and that’s what led to what happened last year.
Banner ads here are really cheap (they cost a fraction of what they cost on KVR or Gearslutz), but interestingly, many of the major orchestral-oriented companies (East-West, 8dio, CineSamples and a few others) won’t buy them. Even with their Commercial Announcements going to Tier 2, where a single potentially lost purchase would pay for months of ads, they still won’t bite.
I’m certainly no business expert, but that seems like an odd choice to me, but whether I agree with their reasoning or not, that’s the hand I’ve been dealt. Other than Spitfire, VSL and Orchestral Tools, the forum income is mostly small companies, so raising rates will be a tough ask. I could go to Google ads, which would be way easier and more profitable, but that would be kinda ugly.
Somehow, though, I need to increase the income here. So we’ve added this new sidebar ad position. Gearslutz and other sites have the same thing, so hopefully people here won’t think it’s too outrageous. FWIW, animation won’t be allowed, so it shouldn’t be too obtrusive.
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