14 DAY TRIAL // Vimeo has a well-earned reputation for being the best online place for video creators. Not the biggest, maybe not even the coolest, but the one with the biggest focus on the actual videos and the actual creators. Budding filmmakers and anyone experimenting with video creation has set up shop on Vimeo.
While the whole indie vibe is great for creativity, it doesn't help pay the bills. So Vimeo is taking a few steps in that direction as well, making it easier for video creators to make some money from their works.
"Today, we’re taking one of the most important steps in our evolution as a service, a company, and a community. We're proud to introduce Vimeo Creator Services, our new suite of simple, powerful tools to help creators make more money for doing what they do best," Vimeo said.
The first tool in the Vimeo Creator Services is the Tip Jar. As the name suggests, it's a way to encourage viewers to send something the artist's way if they enjoyed the video.
It's hardly an original approach, but it's the first time creators have been able to do this on Vimeo and it's a nice start. Nobody is going to get rich out of this, but most people would be glad to get beer money from the tips.
The second tool is more powerful and potentially more lucrative, a pay-to-view service. Artists will be able to charge viewers for access to their works.
Vimeo isn't saying much about this option at this point, it's landing in early 2013. But it sounds interesting if only because it's easy for creators to set up, it shouldn't be that much more complicated than getting your video on the site in the first place.
The site promises even more ways to make money on Vimeo, but isn't saying much more at the moment. Still, if handled properly, the new tools could transform Vimeo from a place to showcase your stuff to a place to make money out of it.