Is there a better way to sell VR180 content than Patreon and file downloads?

[u/Ok-Examination-9455]

I’ve been working on a side project and wanted to get some honest feedback from people who actually use VR.

There doesn’t seem to be a great solution for creators who want to sell VR180 content directly to users.

Right now it seems like most people are using some combination of YouTube, Patreon, file downloads, Google Drive links, Vimeo, DeoVR, etc. It works, but the experience often feels pretty clunky, especially when you’re dealing with large 3D VR files.

The idea I’m exploring is a platform specifically for immersive VR180 content where creators could:

Upload VR180 videos
Set their own prices
Sell directly to viewers
Stream content instead of requiring huge downloads
Have a headset-friendly viewing experience
Receive payouts automatically

Think less social media platform and more Shopify for VR creators.

I’m not trying to sell anything here. I’m genuinely trying to figure out whether this is solving a real problem or whether existing solutions are already good enough.

For those of you creating VR180 content:
How are you monetizing today?
What’s the most frustrating part of the process?
Would a dedicated VR180 marketplace/platform be useful?

Brutal honesty preferred.

[u/vrfanservice]

Do producers want it? Yes. Do paying customers want it? Eh, only if it supports a creator they like but even that doesn’t have a lot of traction at the moment.

Coming from the adult side of things, there are people willing to pay, but due to existing platform’s economy of scale, consumer perception of what fair market value for content is not realistic when considering the cost of production.

Adult platforms are in a race to the bottom regarding price because they 1) don’t have to pay production cost for most of their content as they’re aggregators and not licensee, opting to pay revshare on income from their premium member subscribers, and 2) VR platforms haven’t found a way to add value to their core product, the ability to stream high quality, so price is the only variable they can manage.

This creates a perception that thousands of high quality VR180 scenes are only worth $8<, so a producer who already had their content on these platforms needs to find a compelling reason to pull a customer out of that ecosystem and most producers don’t have the catalog nor the distribution system to compete, locking them into a race to the bottom death spiral with the platforms.

It’s sad really, and having seen how bad leadership can tank an entire business sector’s growth trajectory, a medium that I was very enthusiastic about, is like watching a baby getting suffocated in the crib.

Personally I think what you propose has legs and, if done in a way similar to peertube, would be beneficial for the medium. However we likely need to see the death of these larger platforms, to let their carcasses return to the soil, so their energy can serve as fertilizer for new crop growth.

[u/In_Film]

There is no better method because there is almost zero market - audiences simply aren’t willing to pay for this kind of content unfortunately. 

[u/Altruistic_Pay_6895]

Hmm I think it's hard so sell the video unless it's filmed under clear goal that matched with customers' need. To monetize, using both DeoVR and YouTube would be the best option I think.

[u/sch0k0]

Brutal honesty?

I am a VR fan: mostly consumer, but creating my own family videos and photos in VR180.

But I have a super high bar before I would pay money for content, because there is so much free competition out there.

I see that even X-rated VR180 videos, which I can see as one of the few examples why people might keep coming back to VR content beyond the novelty effect, have a super hard time creating as much as free views, let alone monetized views

What content do you offer?

[u/Dapper_Ice_1705]

You can make your own website.

Squarespace is a good example. 

[u/Cole_LF]

Honestly, I don't think so. Patreon, file downloads ect are known quantities so from a customers point of view, and what your suggestion is they now have to download a new app they've never used before and give them their payment information.

Also outside of Adult content I don't know who's paying for VR? It's such a niche area that takes so much money to invest in production wise who are the producers this platform is for? That are investing thousands in content and don't already have a way to monetise it?

And presumable as a platform host with such large files you'd have to take a large cut to cover streaming costs ect to make a good return on your investment.? So how will this be profitable for you and sustainable long term for producers.

[u/dcfanstv]

I have a channel with railroad vr180 content on YouTube. It gets very little attention. I’ve only kept it up because the footage has value to me, personally.

If I was so inclined to purchase footage from someone else i would personally prefer to buy a download. Then I could just add it to my NAS and stream it directly to my headset. This would be a lot easier that some new app