Ask HN: What's a side project you built to make money that hasn't?

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> Honestly, as a 3D modeler, what is your value proposition for me to have my assets on your platform? Why should I choose your platform over a platform where i get tens or hundreds of dollars for a single sale, compared to a Spotify model, where i might or might not get few dollars a month.

You're right, the value proposition is not great for modelers. Probably one of the reasons why the site currently isn't a good idea.

> 3D modeling is a labour intensive job and the market is way smaller than music or movies, meaning its way harder to get an audience large enough for this kind of service. Even with a audience large enough, could you guarantee I would receive as much as from other services?

You're right, I would not be able to guarantee that. Modelers are still free to post any asset to other services.

> Also, at $5 a month pricepoint you’re primarily going to attract below average modelers. Such a low pricepoint means the creator is not going to get much, considering the processing fees & comission and sharing the revenue with other creators. However, as a consumer I like the idea. But as a creator I really don’t like it. If the subscription would be $50+, i would consider it.

This is really great feedback. You're right - the creators/modelers need to get paid more. This would mean charging more a month, like you mentioned. Thanks again for taking a look and giving some great advice.

> I definitely wouldn't buy one based on the two sentence description and the short video you have on the product page

Quite right. We've done all our advertising so far through Instagram, which is a much more visual medium.

> 1. Is the app required for setup or can I just plug it in?

You can just plug it in. It'll cycle through its patterns

> 2. Do I need the app to change modes, or are there any buttons on on the light? Does it even have an on/off button or does it need to be unplugged or turned off with the app?

There's one button at the back that does both! Holding it down changes the brightness, and pressing it once changes the pattern.

> 3. Does it stand by itself? How thick is it? Can I hang or lean it on the wall? Or is it thick in the middle and I need to hide it in a corner like in your video?

It stands by itself, and it has a hook on the back. Both look quite nice, but hiding the cable is a little tricky on the wall. I need to figure out white cables.

> 4. The front looks clean and simple, but what does the side and back even look like?

It's a "shadow box". The sides are white, the same as you can see on the front. The back is a piece of hardboard with the controller mounted to it.

> 5. Can I have it display a solid white light if I'm reading and don't want all the changing colors? (I'm assuming the answer is "Yes" now that I viewed the editor tutorial)

Actually yes, the app has a mode where you can set a colour with a colour picker. It makes a surprisingly good reading light.

> 6. How bright is it? Like a typical monitor?

It's brighter than that. It's very bright and eye-catching. Most people run it at about 50% battery.

> I can't find answers to these questions, any contact information to get those answers, or any photos of the light. I can't possibly buy it. On a side note...

The website is much more of a placeholder. We have found that advertising on Instagram is much more effective! We've mostly sold these lights to Instagram fans and friends of friends. Which works great for the quantity we're producing. I wouldn't want to sell too many too quickly and have to support them. It's still a work in progress.

> 1. The editor looks really cool. I'm surprised this isn't showcased on the site anywhere, or any examples from the gallery. Once I viewed the editor and some examples, I realized what is actually possible.

Thank you! It's very powerful. There is actually a demo on the homepage, but it's only visible on medium-to-large displays because of the way it renders.

You know what, I see what happened here. You've hit our Store homepage instead of the main website homepage. https://www.soulmatelights.com/ has much more info for you. I need to do a better job of linking them!