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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[–] Deceptichum@quokk.au 92 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (4 children)

$50 a year for wallpapers or I could go to wallhaven and get millions for free?

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

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

[–] Arbiter@lemmy.world 64 points 3 weeks ago (4 children)

It would almost be cheaper to commission an artist frankly.

[–] iAmTheTot@sh.itjust.works 27 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

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

[–] yggstyle@lemmy.world 18 points 3 weeks 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 3 weeks 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 3 weeks 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 3 weeks ago (1 children)

But that’s the best type of artist

[–] yggstyle@lemmy.world 5 points 3 weeks ago

... why are they always so goddamn hot.

[–] TheDarksteel94@sopuli.xyz -1 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Could just commission someone on Fiverr for an original artwork

[–] ilinamorato@lemmy.world 5 points 3 weeks 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 3 weeks ago (1 children)

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

[–] ilinamorato@lemmy.world 3 points 3 weeks 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 3 weeks 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 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

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

[–] JustEnoughDucks@feddit.nl 7 points 3 weeks 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 3 weeks ago (1 children)

It's 50%, which is honestly quite low

[–] JustEnoughDucks@feddit.nl 0 points 3 weeks 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 3 weeks 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 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks 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 3 weeks ago (1 children)

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

[–] Deceptichum@quokk.au 3 points 3 weeks ago

No one speaks for all X.

Use Muzei and either curate your own collection or pull in one of their pre-made ones.

[–] LainTrain@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 3 weeks ago

This. Hell you can generate literally endless wallpapers for free.

[–] ch00f@lemmy.world 3 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] 0x0@programming.dev 1 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (2 children)

The wallpapers are nice but the website is hideous and unusable.

Edit: typo

[–] noodlejetski@lemm.ee 1 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

the website is hideous and unusable

huh?

screenshot of digitalblasphemy.com viewed on mobile, a simple grid of thumbnails on a black background

[–] 0x0@programming.dev 1 points 3 weeks ago

Used it on desktop, had to create account, even after that kept giving me errors that i need an account...

[–] fjordbasa@lemmy.world 1 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] 0x0@programming.dev 3 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Typo, my bed

(intentional this time, it's late)

[–] fjordbasa@lemmy.world 3 points 3 weeks ago

Good night😴