I'll third it!

Thanks  Guys, you know this game better than most so...

That's utter crap....something possibly imagined by the non-creative....particularly when you consider the dross that passes for modern 'music' - synthesized drivel for doof-doof nightclubs.

Skinning [depending on the particular application] can take weeks or months....whilst modern music is 3 chords set on repeat [if you're lucky].

That isn't going to be a reality.  4 million downloads of a freebie does NOT make $1 million at 25c.

You can be absolutely CERTAIN that if it were 25c the number of PURCHASES would have been perhaps 1000.   The time and effort involved for a purchaser to actually go through the motions negates/dissuades most of the 'potential' market.

Now, with that as a more believable sale history...gee...$250 over how many years?....8?  Time to retire....

Fiddle with realistic sales levels...even slanted more as 'success' ...10 thousand....and it might even get to $300 a year.....

 Still a dead loss.

Duplicate accounts are not permitted.  This one is now defunct.

Hello I was told to check out this topic    
and this once again moved me to login and reply

Some good suggestions were made, sadly you guys speak to the wrong group.
These guys are settled and you do waste your precious time by trying to convince them to try it.

One thing I have learned here, never submit a proposal to a Skinner/"MASTER" that does not go in their direction, productive or not you end up as the uncreative fool. Only comment if you have to say something nice everything else is unwanted.
DO not do it, even if you´re experienced and had success doing so they will know better.
Some might say they were not born into life, no they simply appeared out of a fine haze of Dior blessed with wisdom.

However you may find some actual Masters and skinners here that are more open minded and will at least think about it without being snotty or telling you to become a master yourself first.

"That's utter crap....something possibly imagined by the non-creative....particularly when you consider the dross that passes for modern 'music' - synthesized drivel for doof-doof nightclubs."

Perfect example^
The compare was good, stop pounding a square peg into a round hole.
Doubtful the compare was about “sh;tmusic” and a skin, it was obviously about music and a skin done for windowblinds.
Questionable whether there is any comparison that would be accepted here

OK, I'll elaborate...it was 'utter crap' expounded by someone without the intestinal fortitude to post it under his real user name.  Criticism from the anonymous.

The 'compare' was NOT good.  There is no correlation between a Windowblinds skin [or any other kind for a computer GUI] and a piece of music for digital purchase/download.  Certainly NOT by market penetration, no matter what the price-point.

IF there were the same number of people on the planet with Windowblinds [or any other GUI/program skinnable] as there are with iTunes [or whatever] then there MIGHT be validation of the comparison, but there isn't so it's not.

Why, pray tell must Masters and skinners be open minded to price placement discussion?  Does your Grocer engage in jovial intercourse about what you'd like to see him charging for the bread you buy?

What....$4 million for that Jackson Pollock?  You can't be serious....it should be $500....he'll sell more...;)

This is totally biased. Money-wise,of course sellers want higher prices,whereas buyers want lower prices. I did not question/doubt the price tags as a user,but quantities. If you propose to master skinners about how many skins you're going to buy,I believe there would has more negotiation space than just one skin per person because the market for Windowblinds skinning is a niche which unlike songs. But,again,I am not a skinner,nor an Stardock of employee,even with good quantities,they may not budge on the prices,its their choices.  If you like to propose/being persuasive,at least being practical on the numbers. 

Maybe. How about you do the work,tell us which master skinner is willing to bite. I am,personally,curious about that and it's beneficial for us as users/buyers. 

This is totally a farce,same thing is looping again and again...... My last comments pertain to this topic. 

Not really...he's dead.

Besides...how much talent does it take to put paint in a can with a hole in it tie it to a string from a rafter and set it swinging? Right? Anyone could do it.

And he'd sell even more at $0.99/per...just dilute the paint.

RE: Neon6

"Facts:

-My goal set for amount of units sold is already met.
-My goal for revenue on this suite is already met.
-My hope for positive critique on these skins are already met. "

Your goal for the amount of units sold must have been miniscule indeed.

The revenue you made on this suite wouldn't buy you an ounce of B.C. Bud,  'Roller.'

Your hope for positive critique was only met because you had Negative Comments (such as mine) removed. -censored-

and they were much tamer and less personal than the posts on this thread.

and LightStar,  you are a liar, and came back twice to this thread to resume your Front-man role for this

dis-ingenuine, manipulative poser.

the master skinners probably sit by there computers for endless hours trying to perfect there vision and art.so that people can buy if they want to or not.an artist gets paid nobody questions wether or not its worth it.simply put if the price doesn,t suit then either create one ourselves or appreciate the artwork of all the skinners.neone6,vampothica and lightstar probably have full time occupations and really enjoy skinning in their spare time for other people to enjoy.their time and effort.all the skinners on this site deserve a little something.

No, what is unwanted is the stupid comments. If there was a comment that said for example. The min, max, close buttons are to high and part of them are off the top, The text on the start menu is not lined up. Also could be several others. These may have been missed by a new Skinner not knowing what to look for. Or just missed by an experience Skinner. These would be welcomed. This isn't what you get anymore as in the past years. Now you get this skin sucks, this is a piece of shit, the colors really suck. How do those comments help a skinner? They don't and if a person feels that way fine. However no need to post that crap.Some of these price statements aren't suggestions. The skinner is basically being told they are nuts and also told what they should do. 

There is a big difference with telling someone this or that should be changed to you liking. Rather then seeing something out of place and mentioning it so it can be fixed.

I don't know about this comment being removed. It however must have been really out of place because the only people that can remove comments are the Stardock people. I don't know what it said but what so many on here anymore call negative are just down right nasty. They aren't called for. What to make a nice constructive comment fine. I don't think a person will have a problem with that. If you don't like the skin just don't download it and move on. 

Quoting HawkPunk7, reply 60

RE: Neon6

"Facts:


-My goal set for amount of units sold is already met.
-My goal for revenue on this suite is already met.
-My hope for positive critique on these skins are already met. "

 

Your goal for the amount of units sold must have been miniscule indeed.

The revenue you made on this suite wouldn't buy you an ounce of B.C. Bud,  'Roller.'

Your hope for positive critique was only met because you had Negative Comments (such as mine) removed. -censored-

and they were much tamer and less personal than the posts on this thread.

 

and LightStar,  you are a liar, and came back twice to this thread to resume your Front-man role for this

dis-ingenuine, manipulative poser.

lol

I'd categorize 'dis-ingenuine, manipulative poser' as personal attack and thus in violation of the TOU.

Your comment wasn't 'negative' it was sexually inappropriate.

Time for some introspection.

really... the whole topic is rather a moot point...people can charge what they like... they'll figure it out....

what's more of interest to me is the use of these 'models' in masterskins as the wallpapers are included in the sale package...

given that the rule of thumb has always been.... masterskins must be completely "the artist's own original work"...  I just find this area of it a little confusing...

at the very least they should be credited in the description so they're not represented as "the artist's original work" especially as that has been the standard at WC all along for masterskins and it's what people expect when they buy...

either way... they don't really belong in a masterskin sale package..... they should be uploaded separately, free, to the gallery so the waters don't get muddied...

IF you want the PSD AND 3D model it's yours

Such an assumption will not be tolerated.
My King, please do not let such spot ruin the shine of your pride.
This unworthy peasant simply does not know, that such scorn will not remain unpunished.
Only a true loving subordinate knows, that only a true King like Joffrey Baratheon Lannister of Wincustomize is as creative and powerful enough to create something as magical as displayed by your hand no need to show us the files we are simply not worthy enough to gaze upon such talent.

Please do not chop my head off.

wow, do you think that just possibly all of this could have been handled slightly better???

hi,
did sell a theme pack for 45 usd. it do
prices are not that fixed. 

a skin takes about 12 h to make.
now imagine how much time is spent on a master skin.

20 usd was sure a bit  high, but prices are not everything.

b.t.w i ' ll sell skins at 2 usd 99 if i ever get a master here. 0. 99 does not help to get money you know. tested that myself and thats irrealistic. 

better providing more personal   support and a higher price( below ten usd)

regards bluedxca93 

Having spent countless hours on skins a few years ago when they were far easier to create, I have a real appreciation for the effort put in to a high quality skin that gets all the details right.  There were times when it took a few days or a week to fix a single rogue pixel that just didn't look right, or to create an image that when applied gave the visual perception I was looking for.  I did it for the challenge and fun of it and uploaded them for free use, but that was my choice.  Didn't have to share them, but wanted to.  Couldn't charge for them because I wasn't a Master.  I strived for the exquisite beauty and detailed perfection of an essorant or MikeB (among many others, even Jafo in his day), a fool's errand if there ever was one.

The complexity of skinning for Vista, 7 & 8 increased dramatically, to the point that I couldn't devote the time necessary to do a skin justice and my nascent skinning career came to a halt.  The skinners who have created and shared a body of work qualifying them for Master designation have earned the privilege of charging whatever they like for their original art work.  They'll figure out what pricing works or their skins won't sell.  They are under no obligation to put skins up at all and those of us who enjoy creating and using skins should be grateful they do.

Which is why I found this thread, already at 3 pages, a bit sad.

And to reference PixelPunk's OP, skinning was never about the 'betterment of the community'.  It was about doing something personally enjoyable and rewarding and sharing it with the community.  'Betterment', if it occurred, was a fortunate byproduct.  That some are now able to be compensated for their contributions to that community is something to be celebrated.

no thanks... I don't doubt you made the wallpapers at all.... my question was more of free download / purchased models used that have appeared in both of your work previously.... as to whether they belong in a masterskin with those previous WC guidelines that masters have had to follow?.... will we now start seeing Daz type models in masterskins making work more of a compilation than 100% original down to the last pixel?.... more of a Jafo question really... just interested in having it clarified by those in the know..

really Syd...

.

that is impossible. Just  imagine the border image pixels.  .

This thread is such utter nonsense in so many ways, people talking out of their rear about things they have limited to no real knowledge about..

Conjecture and hypothesis at its most ridiculous written by rebels without a clue.

It really doesn't matter what those of you claiming to be marketing experts think.. unless u know the figures behind the scene.. your numbers are fantasy.

Oh and also..cmon, a PSD and \ or a model doesn't prove anything, anyone can load up an image, a model, gotten from anywhere, save it as a PSD or Daz 3D file and claim as their own.

For me, the main thing is coming up with ur OWN, original ideas, then bringing those ideas to life, using ur own resources and skills.

This certainly isn't the case with the headphones start menu in Kitty's theme which was quite literally taken, and reproduced without any credit given at all from someone else's work. Now some may call it 'inspired by'... I find it to be quite a bit more than that.

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/axent-wear-cat-ear-headphones

Yes, this ^^ may sorta 'skirt' the rules here, and if so, more power to ya.. but.. it is noticed by some and certainly doesn't lend itself to earning the respect of other artists who don't subscribe to such practices.

Personally i think u both have super imaginative minds, but for me and I'm sure others, its spoiled somewhat by the aforementioned.

Anyway, a lot of this nonsense here is why I don't bother very much anymore with it.