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Posted by violetknot on February 5, 2013
The article “Interrogating ‘Free’ Fan Labor,” raises the question that if fans should be paid for their work, and if so how could this be conducted? First of all, I completely disagree with fans being paid for their labor which I will discuss in length later. However, referring to the “how” of the situation, Andrew Hussie, creator of “Homestuck,” is able to effectively accomplish this feat, to an extent. Homestuck is a web comic that has a very small, but powerful fan base. With the medium being internet based it’s impossible to find any sort of memorabilia in a physical store and even the online stores are limited. This is due to Hussies’ stipulations toward the use of his comic. “Homestucks” must directly contact Hussie and submit a proposal for permission to sell their fan made items. If they are denied and wish to sell their items anyway, all profits must go to charity. This is a wonderful way to ensure that everyone is happy within reason; however there are issues with this. Homestucks have a tight knit community that’s continuously growing daily. In no time, this process will become infeasible due to supply and demand, not to mention the keeping of copyrights in check.
Referring back to the topic of whether fans should be paid or not, it is impossible to keep hold of the situation. With the increase of technology, fandoms have increased as well. This raises the issues of the multitudes of media outlets available to the masses. In turn, a media outlet and the creator must come to a compromise of how much share of profit each one receives. Furthermore, too much time and funds would be necessary to monitor even a singular social website to decrease copyright infringement.
Another issue that arises is a difference in opinion. As stated in the article, the beauty of fan created products is that they are able to focus on any part of a story and run with it. The problem with this is that shipping, casting characters into roles not designated in the work, characters is not always ethical. These ships can involve incest, bestiality and pedophilia. Creators that endorse fan made works run the risk of lawsuits and protest from activists groups.
samford said
To your point, there are all sorts of questions that are raised with how the owners of intellectual property engage with transformations of their property, and how creators connect with and respond to fan labor. Of course, some questions of “compensation” or fair treatment might not be monetary at all. In fact, there are plenty of cases where fans are greatly offended by being offered $$$ for their labor. We’ll talk about this more on Thursday in relation to the concept of the “gift economy.”
andyarnoldpopculture said
This topic is fascinating. I am a former fanfiction writer with friends who love to read and write fanfiction. Though I’ve moved onto original fiction I still have a soft spot for fanfics. And my best friend Mel is an avid Homestuck fan, so your post wins points for me with that.
I would wager than ninety-five percent of fan artists – of ANY kind – do not see themselves as trying to establish an artistic name for themselves. Rather, they’re paying tribute to the fandoms which are stuck in their head. Fanfiction writers don’t see themselves as copyright breakers. They see themselves as paying tribute at the altar of their fandom.
I think there would be a lack of interest in payment if offered – and it creates too much of a hassle with copyright laws, as well as possibly unethical ships, as the original poster indicated.