Blurbay: an innovative platform for monetizing online content launched in Estonia
Blurbay, a new platform developed in Estonia gives digital content producers the opportunity to reach a broader audience by reducing barriers between consumers and content. The platform tackles a longstanding challenge for many creators of online content, namely how to monetise their work.
Getting content picked up by a lucrative distributor is near impossible. Purpose-built platform Blurbay, however, distributes and sells content that everyone can easily access without ads or subscriptions. Blurbay can be used by companies and individuals, and it has transparent content curation. The platform works by showing users a trailer or picture on social media together with a link which directs them to purchase that content on BlurBay. There is no need for an account or subscription so consumers can enjoy the full content in matter of seconds.
“Blurbay has the potential to become the next great digital business to emerge from Estonia. It has created a means to solve the problem of monetising online content through an easy to access distribution and sales platform. It is designed to entice the viewer with a picture, video or trailer on social media where only part of the content is visible. The link then takes you to the Blurbay platform, where you can see everything you want, but at a fair price. Thus, the profit opportunities for creators of content do not only come from conquering mega platforms like YouTube or TikTok with millions of followers. It also opens opportunities for young, creative people to dip their toes in the digital world,” says Tomas Mikalauskas, investor.
“Our goal is to create a set of tools that allow anyone to distribute and monetise their digital content be it images or video. The existing platforms are all trying to become TikToks and thus creating an environment where everybody is chasing after the same pie. We believe there is a better way of doing things, where the rules are transparent for everyone and are applied to everyone equally. The goal isn't to compete with existing players in the market, but to offer a completely new way for content creators to earn money from their content,” says Mihkel Stint, CEO of Blurbay.
The company’s initial market will cover European countries, however, the ambitious plan is to expand the services for the US market, followed by the Indian market shortly after.
“We're in an interesting time where the film industry in the US is in a state of stagnation. The market is dominated by a few very large players and everybody else is left holding the short end of the stick. The EU has a completely different problem due to strong segregation. There is a lot of brilliant work out there that never makes it outside its domestic market due to limits set by their local publishers. By offering everyone the tools to succeed we'll be able to bring more market mobility by handing the keys of success to the actual customer,” concludes M.Stint.
Blurbay platform doesn't use subscriptions, instead it takes a very small percentage of each transaction. M.Stint explains: “Subscriptions often work as barriers between the creators and the potential buyers. As a buyer you generally want to know what you're getting for your money and as a creator you have a clear signal on how your content is performing with the fans. Cutting out the middlemen of traditional distribution creates transparency in the process and allows you to pocket the savings. As a result, everybody gets more control, more money and more transparency.”