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> On the contrary, users are consistently willing to pay more than advertisers when given the option.

Problem is: there is a huge difference between paying even one cent and not paying. If you ask for $0.01, you will probably get the same result as asking for $0.10 or even a dollar. And if the only thing you have to offer is a mildly interesting blog post, no one will give you a dollar, so, if you want that cent per view, putting an ad is the only option. Micro transactions turned out to be largely a failure.

Another option is to find an editor/platform that gives you a share of a larger subscription. But even then, most people don't want to pay. For example, the usual reaction when I mention YouTube Premium is "why would I pay for something free?". And it gives even more power to large platforms: YouTube can reasonably ask for $10/month given the amount of content, it is much harder for a small player.

So what is the solution? Braved tried something with BAT, but it is still an ad-based solution, and I don't really trust it. Carriers tried it with the equivalent of premium-rate phone numbers. Governments suggested tax-based solutions, none of them convincing.



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