Im gonna speak an uncomfortable truth about brokers and why they are so successful on vgen. Its the Clientèle, aka mostly Vtubers.
Most clients these days do not want to pay individual artists rates and prices and resort to the cheapest option available, which is brokers. The success of brokers (including jruhub) is due to the fact that the demand for cheap and fast art is big. Vtubing is expensive and i know not everyone can afford art but by going to brokers and buying cheap art, you fuel the system.
Most ppl dont want to admit that they take part in this tho or try to talk themselves out of it with excuses , cuz admitting you fuel this, means admitting that you take part in artist exploitations. Ppl prefer to keep their vest clean of it all.
I must Admit, i accidently commissioned a broker account recently for a small piece, but i didnt know it was a broker. They got the broker label after i already paied for the commission, so it was my fault for not checking more thoroughly. Nonetheless , i also invested into a broker, may it be by accident or not, i added to the suffering of another artist and feel bad about it.
This is why i want ppl to be More aware of what brokers are and what it means to get commissions from them. Just cuz they are cheap doesnt mean it doesnt come with the suffering of someone.
I need vtubers especially to be more mindful of how they spend their money. If you cant afford an individual artist, then save up until you can; just like anyone else does. Dont fund artist exploitation and then try to wash your hands clean.
Excuses like „im poor“ „the economy is rough“ or „artists are to expensive“ don’t slide with me. Im the poorest mf on this planet and even i manage to save up for 1 or 2 Commissions a year. Yes its not much but it feels more rewarding and worth it. Being poor is no excuse to exploiting artists.
If we want to fight brokers, we must start at the behavior of each individual buyer. If theres no demand theres no supply. Consumerism and capitalism are that simple.
I know the truth hurts but sometimes you need to swallow it to make progress