Or, you just might have something that you think would cost you too much in bandwidth to give away. That’s the case with the excellent and free game If Monks Had Macs… which was extremely popular back in the early 1990s, now given away for free from RiverText.

File sharing sites though present a problem because they make it very easy to share pirated items. Every content vendor I know who sells their products independently sends a steady stream of DMCA notices to these sites. To the credit of almost all of them I have interacted with, Meshbox has received polite and efficient responses from most of them.

But what happens when one files site allegedly pretends to be associated with another? That’s something that we discovered today on a site with links back to DepositFiles.  DepositFiles insists that the other service is not associated with it at all, yet almost all site links point back to DepositFiles, INCLUDING the links to contact DepositFiles for advertising opportunities. I see a few possible reasons for this -

• This file sharing site has nothing to do with DepositFiles. There are a growing number of pirate loving search engine sites out there that have some plan for generating revenue. Usually, its through direct revenue generation through linking up with an internet ad site. The problem with this site is that it doesn’t appear to be advertising any other site besides DepositFiles.
• This file sharing site is associated with DepositFiles. DepositFiles staff insist this site has nothing to do with them. But if it were, then there would be some benefits. After all, if this site is not associated with DepositFiles, then DepositFiles could disclaim all association with it, ignore any DMCA notices that come in about pirated content.

There is some benefit for file sharing services to distance themselves from copyright issues. In 2009, a German court found against Rapidshare in playing a role in music piracy as brought about by GEMA. GEMA’s reasoning is contrary to that of the Digital Millenium Act – and for good reason – DMCA has too many holes in it to deter IP theft.

I am looking forward to seeing how this issue with DepositFiles evolves. They now know about the other site. They know I know about the other site.  What will their response be? I will let you know.

Not many 3D vendors are using Twitter, though its a great way to announce your product. Just check out the excellent posts from Andolaurina.

1. Sign into your account on Twitter2. Make a new post
3. Go to your profile and locate your tweet
4. Locate and click on the time stamp
5. This will open up the individual tweet

Now you are on the page of the individual tweet in the timeline. You can copy the tweet from the URL shown in your web browser.

Plus, we have more staff than other vendors and we’ve been more creative about what everyone does. But not everyone who creates, publishes or resells 3D content has been able to do this.  Many smaller brokerages are having to revert to just being themselves, and some brokerages like 3D Commune are simply out of business. A lot of our brother indie vendors out there are going the way of 3D Commune.

Id like to share with you, as artists that consume 3D content what you can do to keep your favorite vendor going.

1. Find a Way to Buy Direct. Some artists only work through brokerages. That is usually because either they don’t have the business acumen to do it on their own or the revenue stream is just right.  Many independents sell direct and if they do, it means their business depends on direct sales. If you know they sell direct, buy direct. Some brokerages take a very portion of an artists revenue, and very small changes in how they do business can radically impact a vendors sales.
2. Buy More Expensive Items and Get More. A lot of artists offer value packs. Meshbox has its Complete Edition system, whereby you usually receive a bonus model and a big discount on all models in a pack.  Because most overhead charges begin with a small fee plus a percentage, the larger the transaction, the more money the receiver keeps. Expecting to spend $1.99 per transaction because big brokerages do it is one reason why vendors are losing their shirts (do the math on credit card  transaction fees).
3. Spread the Word. A lot of vendors either do not have the resources or the knowledge of how to use blogs, Twitter, DIGG, Facebook and other social media venues.  Well, they should learn, but at the same time, if you like someone’s work, spread the word. A lot of venues that sell content (some, but not all brokerages) forbid indie promotion, but not your recommendations.
4. Make Piracy an Enemy. In all the arguments about the recording and entertainment industry and the DMCA, the vendor you know is being killed by piracy. Vendors goods appear on content warez sites very rapidly, and the anonymous nature of many brokerage sales makes it really hard to find out which user is sharing the vendor product. The problem isn’t the single pirate, its the thousands who download and do not pay, and that the pirating sites are generating money to support themselves now through the help of internet advertising.
5. Ask and Expect to Receive, But Expect to Pay. In hard economic times, all vendors of all kinds need to be on their game. They need to do more, because money is tight for their customers. You should expect some kind of innovation, but you shouldn’t expect such cut-throat discounts because the 3D content market isn’t nearly as volume driven as you can imagine. The only folks who benefit from the $1.99 product are the largest brokerages, because they can sell you more stuff, things they own and other vendors products.

Have some suggestions of your own?

Without going into great detail, Content Paradise just implemented two big features Ive been asking for, and it is already clear that my upload/update times for new products is about 25% of what it was only two weeks ago. If you were frustrated after the June 1 update, you should check out the new additions to the back end of Content Paradise.

If you haven’t purchased from Content Paradise before, check it out by visiting the Meshbox Design store there.