Supporting Opus in 2019
For most of its existence, Opus had been entirely self-funded, which is fine because it started as a labor of love and remains one to this day. But in recent years, inspired by bloggers like Jason Kottke as well as the rise of crowdfunding and patronage platforms like Kickstarter and Patreon, I’ve offered ways for kind souls to support my blogging here on Opus.
Some of you have responded generously, for which you have my undying gratitude. But moving into 2019, I want to push this a little bit more. While there are numerous blogs out there writing about pop culture in its myriad forms, and many of them deserve your readership (if not your financial support), I do believe Opus has something special to offer that’s worth supporting.
For more than 20 years, I — along with a few collaborators back in the day — have been doing our darndest to shine a light on art and culture that often gets overlooked by the masses, but that nevertheless deserves recognition and support. For the last two decades, this has been Opus’ primary goal: promoting good, true, and beautiful art and culture that might otherwise remain unknown and unappreciated. To that end, I’ve written and posted thousands of articles, reviews, and interviews on the site.
So what does supporting Opus mean? Right now, it primarily means supporting the site’s continued existence. Don’t worry: this isn’t a “send me money or Opus goes away forever” ultimatum. But the fact is that Opus is read by thousands of people like you every month, and recent months have seen a steady increase in traffic. In fact, the site’s readership effectively doubled over the last 12 months.
That’s exciting and validating, but all that attention costs money. I’ve pared down the costs of running Opus quite a bit, but if Opus is to expand — if I’m going to make it more optimal for you, the reader — then that’s where your support can help.
And to sweeten the deal, I’m offering the following rewards and benefits for people who support Opus:
- All supporters will receive a semi-regular email newsletter that offers sneak previews of content that will be posted on Opus in the near future. (Don’t worry, you can unsubscribe at any time.)
- All monthly recurring supporters will also receive a monthly Spotify playlist compiled by yours truly. Each month’s playlist will have a different theme or focus.
- “Adamantium” supporters who give $25/month or more will also be able commission one post on Opus every 12 months. Send me a couple of ideas and I’ll work with you to identify the best one. (Click here for more info about commissioned posts.)
- “Mithril” supporters who give $50/month or more will also be able to help guide Opus into the future. I’ll be occasionally soliciting your advice on the site’s content and direction.
Additional rewards and benefits may be added as time and resources allow. Supporters will be notified as necessary when that happens. In any case, I want to make sure that Opus is worth your hard-earned dollars.
I confess, it feels weird and awkward to ask people to give money for something that often feels like a commodity these days. But good blogging, even in an arena as saturated as pop culture blogging, is worth supporting via clicks, shares and likes, and yes, even dollars.
So if you’ve enjoyed reading Opus — if you’ve ever found a new favorite album, movie, book, etc., through my writing — then consider becoming an Opus supporter today.