Oh boy, here I am woken from the dead to throw my hat into this ring.
I think if any comic artist sees their work in a comic dub and they weren’t asked for permission, then sure call that person out. If an artist wants compensation for the use of their work, they should definitely ask for that.
My feelings on the subject are...mixed. Making money off someone else’s work is and has always been a tricky place, both morally and legally. Everyone from comic dubbers, to people who sell IP based merch on Etsy, to people who have patreons where they create work based on pre-existing IPs exist in a huge gray area. Just as dubbers can make money from their monetized videos, artists can make money from making Undertale merch.
If Toby Fox treated his IP like Disney, there wouldn’t be UT or even UT-derivative merch on Etsy or at conventions. Those artists would be slapped with cease and desist orders and shut down. But he doesn’t do that, so artists are free to make and sell money to fit the fandom’s demands, even though lots of quality official UT merch already exists.
I’m not about to say Toby Fox and an artist trying to make it on Etsy are the same thing. The impact unofficial merch has on Toby Fox’s revenue and ability to keep doing what he does is not on the same scale as the impact stolen work can have on an individual artist.
I think it’s up to every artist to weigh the pros and cons of collaborations, and what limits/terms they want to set, if any. Do you want an amount upfront, or are you fine with them linking your Etsy store? That’s up to you. Most dubbers I know are not money-grubbing content farms. They’re amateur voice actors expressing themselves and honing their skills, and genuinely want to make sure the original artists are visible and recognized in what they do. I know there’s at least one artist I found through watching comic dubs, who I’ve gone on to buy merch and commission works from.
As far as monetization, yes Youtube does make it easier (in a sense) to “make money” off of works than having physical works printed/manufactured and sold to customers online. But the amount is not great, and the way the money is disseminated isn’t really conducive to a “percentage cut” sort of setup. Youtube Adsense will basically gather the money on your account over time, and once it hits a certain amount it will dump the total into your bank account. The minimum is $100, and until you reach that threshold you will get no money.
I have been very inactive recently, so I haven’t gotten anything from Adsense in well over a year. I recently renewed my Soundcloud Pro Unlimited account completely out of pocket just to make sure all of my audiobook chapters stayed up for people to listen to. And even at my most active, I got maybe 2 or 3 ad revenue dumps over the course of a year.
Now, is that more money than the artists and writers got? Yes. And while I have only lost money on my Youtube venture, between Soundcloud, what I pay for my editing software, and what I’ve paid for equipment like mics and sound baffles, I’m not about to say that’s an excuse for getting free money off of someone else. But I explained my channel, that it’s monetized, and how I would be crediting them, and they agreed to it.
What I don’t want to see come from this is the Tumblr Mob Brigade going on youtube to harass people en masse. Don’t assume you speak for every artist, and don’t assume you know anything about the arrangement between the artist and dubber unless you were directly involved or know them personally. And don’t browbeat other artists for not agreeing with you on this subject in either direction.
If someone is being skeezy, call them out. If you want monetary compensation, then ask for it. But don’t go painting either artists or dubbers with a wide brush. We are members of the same fandom and community, all working from the shoulders of works and characters we didn’t originally create.
I agree this is a conversation that should be had, but the way dubbers are being painted as shitty content farms making money hand over is irksome and incorrect. Hell some dubbers aren’t even out of high school. If someone asks for permission incorrectly or insufficiently, don’t automatically assume they’re trying to screw you. Ask the questions you need, and if they don’t answer or you can’t come to an agreement just don’t give permission. And if someone uses your work without permission, report them. It’s that simple.
dailybridgerton
kianamaiart
yousharknotpass
