Platinum Studios Monetizing Drunk Duck with Stores

[Rob]

Apparently Platinum Studios has partnered up with some company called EZ Prints (anyone ever heard of them?) to offer all the Drunk Duck artists the ability to open stores. It looks like a kind of in house Spreadshirt or Cafe Press.

Platinum doesn't exactly have the best rep and there is no mention in the press release of anywhere that I've seen this story (several places) explaining how much the IP owner actually gets (percentage wise) if a customer buys a shirt with their design on it.

I suppose it could be a good thing but something in me is screaming that it isn't. Usually a comic had to reach a certain level of success and creativity before the creator had the income to jump up to that next level and start selling shirts and stuff.

By making it easier Platinum might be giving a little cash to some smaller webcomics but they also might be unleashing a torrent of crappy, unimaginative or just plain bad T-Shirts on the world.

I suppose time will tell. :-\

[raerae]

EZPrints is the printer that Deviantart goes through for their printshop. I always buy directly from the artist, so I don't know what quality DA's prints are.

[ran]

they're alright--someone bought me a devart poster once. I just don't see it as a fair compromise, though--toss my site's credibility by using their ugly templates for a few t-shirts? Eew.

[Dr. BlkKnight]

A bunch of DD people are really excited over this, but I have yet to see any of the Terms and Conditions...and frankly I'm not all that trusting of Platinum right now.

[amanda]

Yeah, I'm with BK.  There's an awful lot of buzz on the DD forums around it, but there isn't a lot of solid information.  Platinum is supposedly working on bettering the Duck in general, but I haven't noticed much improvement at all (if any).  The store setup seems about on par with CafePress and the prices are similar.

[Swinsea]

I don't know anything about Platinum Studios, but these seems like one of those... "good in theory, we'll see how it actually works" things. I have a mirror of my comic up at DD, but if I decide to make merchandise I'll definitely do it on my own.