I have been using Superhive (formerly Blender Market) as both a customer and creator for over 5 years now. Crazy, time flies. While not selling products as a full-time job, I‘m active enough to watch the customer dynamics and economics evolve over time.
But for the past couple years, it’s been shifting. Dramatically.
Here’s the TL:DR, from the Superhive CEO himself —
In our many conversations with creators (e.g., Creator 4 Creator interviews) and in the metrics we observe on the marketplace, … many are facing a slow-moving crisis…. each year the symptoms become more visible.
Blender Creators are being squeezed between declining sales and an ever-increasing number of customers who expect ongoing updates and support.
With good intentions, creators support more people every month while rarely earning additional revenue from them. Many are working harder than ever for less income.
We conducted several in-depth case studies and reviewed performance data across virtually all top sellers in recent years. There is remarkably little deviation. This is not a small group of popular creators reacting to a temporary downturn. The pattern is consistent across categories, product types, and audience sizes.
Jonathan’s goal is to start this discussion with fellow creators as well as customers. Determining if any existing solutions serves both well. If not, what can be done.
Anecdotally, I have seen this shift for other creators, even those not on Superhive Market. Both big and small creators.
Several have moved from a product-oriented revenue stream to subscriptions, often via Patreon or YouTube memberships. This also includes ads and brand partnerships.
While I get some (small) earnings from Superhive, I haven’t really committed to earning revenue from any of these. I can’t even make money from YouTube.
Now, “pay upfront, free support and updates” isn’t a bad thing. Because let’s think about why it’s affecting Blender product owners.
Less Revenue Per Customer
From the analysis on their blog post, creators are consistently gaining customers. Which is good, it means creators and Superhive are doing their job of attracting customers.
Despite that, overall revenue is declining.
From Autotroph’s blog post
This could be caused by a multitude of things. I asked my stats-studying wife, who mentioned this could be customers purchasing more but cheaper products, meaning less overall income despite purchases continuing. The data shown here lacks some context.
Superhive also has adopted the “you bought it, you keep it forever” as the default. And that includes updates. This also means it’s not always sustainable for the many creators dedicating themselves to a single, albeit large, product.
Customers spending less, or creators hesitant to make more expensive products. Possibly both, caused by the other.
I'm not saying this is the cause. We’re all speculating. The point is Autotroph wants to start a discussion around this, with creators as well as businesses.
My Theories
Oh, you mean it? You want to know my theories?
To keep myself from ranting, I’ll boil it down to bullet points:
In a volatile economy, people less willing to pay more for subscriptions and products. Creators trying to comply with cheaper products. The standard for product costs lower. Cycle continues
GPL means anyone can maintain code, leveling the playing field. Why pay a subscription for updates when I know I can fix it myself?
Lack of B2B opportunities, at least non-NDA ones. Not many studios utilize Blender, let alone publicly say so.
What to Do?
But what do you think? Am I wrong?
Let them know. Seriously. That’s why we’re doing this.
Reach out to me, other creators (fine, I see how it is), or Superhive itself to give feedback. They have literally said they’re open to it.
For my content creators (the few actually reading this), ask your audiences. Get some data, even anecdotal. What they’re still buying, what they chose not to buy. And why.
Talk to you later.
