Real World Podcasts is a new content creation platform built atop Bitcoin SV. Content creators can upload videos to the platform, earning per view ($0.15) or a monthly subscription model for $7.77. The platform integrates the HandCash wallet for payments, as well as notifications and communications with the creator’s following. I caught up with the creators to learn more about the platform.
@handcashapp 👋👋👋https://t.co/1M2A9LnjWP pic.twitter.com/iPmwo0PFg5
— Real World Podcasts (@realworldBSV) September 23, 2022
Why did you create Real World Podcasts?
Jay: We are fans of new tech. We wanted to come up with some way to flip the structure of a website where content creators are paid directly and given their fair earnings. Our job is to keep podcasters happy, and we are rewarded when we give their user a great experience and purchases on our site are made. There is no master plan. We kept hearing people yelling “Build” with no one really building, so we said f*** we’ll do it.
Rae: We were on a trip to Tennessee and were talking about creating simple apps. One of our goals was to help make everyone money and Real World Podcasts became one of those ideas.
The paradigm between the pay per view for $0.15 or monthly subscription of $7.77 is interesting; how did you come up with that pricing model?
Jay: We asked a lot of content creators their thoughts on pricing and found a happy middle ground. The 7.77 comes up to around 25 cents per video a month. This is for people that want to give a little more because they really enjoy a podcaster. Also, it lets the podcaster know when someone is buying a membership or just videos, making membership buyers more noticeable to the podcaster.
Have you considered a more dynamic pricing model where creators can set pricing per video/podcast?
Jay: No, the model is set up to drive competition with our leaderboard. If people set their own price, we can’t justify to our sponsors that numbers are valid. If you are in the Top 5 of podcasters, you get a shirt deal where you can get your logo on a shirt and sold in our shop, where you make $2.00 a shirt with no overhead whatsoever.
Maybe way down the road, but we are basing this off competitive nature of content creators wanting to be the best, then getting rewarded for it.
Leveraging the HandCash wallet for notifications and messaging is very interesting, as opposed to building those functionalities into the platform. Can you explain how the Bitcoin wallet features being in place helped your implementation?
Jay: The notifications was something I always thought about. It could be used on many sites, but for ours we wanted our podcasters to know who’s buying their content. This allows them to build a HandCash friends list.
This they can use to pay their audience for using their time to look at an alert. It seems just better than endless emails. Direct communication is best. Plus, we are (only) two people and it seemed easier (laughs).
Rae: HandCash recently updated their docs and their pay link which helped greatly. Jay liked the idea that you can put notes into the transactions by HandCash and the auto login. For myself, it took a long time to get on board since I’m used to other methods for managing users.
After testing it out, I do love the idea of how easy it is to use our site if you have the HandCash wallet app installed on your smartphone. We wanted to make everything simple as possible and work on your smart phone so it will have a good user experience. Payments are super easy and quick because it is all HandCash.
The info page reads that you want creators “to still be able to make content on other platforms.” Why is this the case?
Jay: We are new. We want people with large audiences to keep making money on other platforms. We are asking for your show that you’re afraid will be shut down. Your bonus content. This to help ease the transition in bitcoin. I mean with Twetch you can just use Twitter honestly, but your videos, “bonus footage etc.” can’t be replaced by another website. It’s you and your fans that will do things to support you, so keep doing your thing on other platforms.
Drop you HandCash invite link to get 15% then bring them over for more content. $5 gets you like 30+ views on the site, but there will come a day where a podcaster gets 30,000 views on a show and realizes he made $4,200 directly. That’s the game changer, then hopefully we get more and more permanent people on the site.
Rae: We know we are not huge like YouTube or Bitchute. However, we also know users are looking for something new and they can now experience being a content creator by making a small amount of money. Personally, I have a ghost hunting YouTube channel and know I will never get enough views to earn money through YouTube. I also like to continue using my YouTube channel in tandem with Real World Podcasts.
We want this to be another way to create content, not be the authority on where to put your content. If we are good, people will continue using our website. I have the opportunity using RealWorldPodcasts to earn a bit and bring in new people from conventions that in their mind, they never thought they could make any money off their content. So, we don’t want to push people away by saying they can only use our website.
How does the T-shirt sponsorship work?
Jay: If you’re in the top 5 you’re in! Plain and simple. We will reach out when you’re in that ranking and get your shirt logo then people will be able to buy your t-shirt from our shop using HandCash. You get 5M, 5L, 5XL, sizes to start. Shirts will be made in America and for each shirt sold the podcaster will be paid $2.00 in Bitcoin SV. If you fall out of the top 5 then your shirt goes off the market until you get back up in the rankings again. We do this because it builds confidence in our sponsor because these podcasters have a proven fan base.
How are the Top 5 Podcasters determined for sponsorship, over what time frame?
Jay: By Total Views for your whole channel. From the time you upload a show. Views can build up quickly if you have the right show to sell.
In communications you mentioned: “We are going more for a Spotify with Patreon additives”—could you elaborate on that?
Jay: We want to have fun and see how we stack up. As of now we already pay content creators directly which isn’t done on their end, and I just think our model is better honestly. We can add so much more to the site, but we are a small team and need to make sure the backbone is solid first.
Rae: I see this as we all like to have hobbies and some of those people get lucky on YouTube and turn that hobby into their full-time job. Some of us don’t want to spend all that time but still want to make a little bit of income on something we enjoy.
So, we want to go beyond that thought of having to throw down $5 for an episode like the usual subscription and content-based sites behave. We want to show how BSV can provide microtransactions for an episode which allows everyone to enjoy your content, not just people who have a bunch of extra money to throw around.
Are additional content types such as text, image or audio planned to be supported?
Jay: We thought of adding an independent film area. Those would be a different price if we did that. People could just add audio shows if they wanted as long as it was in MP4 I guess.
Thank you to Real World Podcasts for taking the time to answer my questions. I hope the readers learned more about the platform. Check out the platform today.
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