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Fediverse creator payment platform sub.club is shutting down
In a sudden turn of events, sub.club, the creator payment platform designed to support the growth of decentralized social media platforms, has announced its shutdown. The platform, which launched in late August, allowed Fediverse creators to offer paid subscriptions and premium content.
According to an announcement made by the sub.club team, the service will begin winding down over the next few weeks, with feeds expected to stop working by the end of January. Although the news is disheartening for those who relied on this platform, the company has assured that all creators using the service will be “fully paid” before the shutdown.
Sub.club’s demise comes as a result of the project running out of funding. The team behind the initiative, The BLVD, was unable to quickly achieve sufficient traction and attract investors or partnerships. Despite more than 150 creators being on board with the platform, it seems that the financial support necessary to sustain the project was not forthcoming.
The decision to shut down sub.club is a significant blow to the decentralized social media landscape. The service had been seen as an innovative way for Fediverse users to monetize their audiences without having to migrate to other platforms like Patreon. However, it appears that this dream remains unfulfilled.
In related news, The BLVD has also announced that two other projects, Mammoth and moth.social, will be discontinued due to lack of funding. Mammoth was an open-source iOS app designed for Mastodon, while moth.social served as a companion server for the same platform.
As the dust settles on this development, many are left wondering what this means for the future of decentralized social media. One potential glimmer of hope comes from Anuj Ahooja, an adviser to sub.club, who suggests that the need for a subscription service that allows user portability and is protocol-based may arise in the future. It remains to be seen whether any new initiatives will emerge to fill this gap.
In the meantime, creators using sub.club will have to find alternative methods of supporting their work.
Source: www.theverge.com
