The Pepper&Carrot project is entirely supported by the generosity of patrons from around the world. By contributing financially, each patron plays a vital role in enabling the creation of new content, and in return, they have the option to receive a special credit at the end of future episodes. Thanks to this system, Pepper&Carrot can stay independent and never have to resort to advertising or any marketing pollution.
Tha a h-uile susbaint a chruthaicheas mi mu Pheabar ⁊ Curran air an làrach-lìn seo no air a’ bhloga agam saor agus ri fhaighinn dhan a h-uile duine. Tha meas agam oirbh uile, airgead ann no às. Foillsichidh mi gach stuth sònraichte a bharrachd a gheibh na pàtranaich an-seo cuideachd. Chan iarr Peabar ⁊ Curran airgead no fo-sgrìobhadh ort idir ach am faigheadh thu inntrigeadh do stuthan ùra.
Thug mi romham cead a thoirt do chàch ach an co-roinn iad an obair a chruthaich mi, gun cleachd iad ’s gun tog iad i agus fiù ’s gun coisinn iad airgead leatha. Chaidh gach duilleag, obair-ealain agus susbaint a dhèanamh le bathar-bog saor ’s le bun-tùs fosgailte air GNU/Linux agus gheibh thu a h-uile bun-tùs dheth air an làrach-lìn seo sa chlàr-taice (putanan “Bun-tùs is ceadachas”). Bhrosnaichinn cleachdadh coimearsalta, eadar-theangachadh, obair-ealain luchd-leantainn, clò-bhualaidhean, filmichean, geamannan video, co-roinneadh agus ath-phostadh. Cha leig thu leas ach urram iomchaidh a thoirt dha na h-ùghdaran (seo an luchd-ealain, an luchd-ceartachaidh ’s na h-eadar-theangadairean a bha an sàs san obair-ealain a tha thu airson cleachdadh), ceangal a sholar dhan cheadachas agus innse an deach atharrachadh a dhèanamh air. Faodaidh tu sin a dhèanamh air dòigh iomchaidh sam bith ach chan ann air dòigh a chuireadh mun aire gun do chùl-sgrìobh na h-ùghdaran thu fhèin no do chleachdadh. Gheibh thu barrachd fiosrachaidh mu dhèidhinn an-seo:
Ceadachas Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International.
’S e dealbh-èibhinn-lìn a th’ ann am Peabar ⁊ Curran a tha iomchaidh dhan a h-uile duine air aois sam bith. Chan eil susbaint inbheach no fòirneart ann. On a tha e saor ’s a bhun-tùs fosgailte, ’s e eisimpleir moiteil a th’ ann am Peabar ⁊ Curran air dè cho smodaig ’s as urrainn do chultar saor a bhith. Cuiridh mi m’ aire air a’ chàileachd o nach ciall dha stuthan saora is le bun-tùs fosgailte gum biodh iad dona no mì-ealanta. ’S e an caochladh a tha fìor.
Air sgàth ’s nach eil daoine eile eadar an neach-ealain agus an luchd-leughaidh, ’s ann nas lugha a phàigheas tu agus nas motha a’ bhuannachd a gheibh mi fhìn. Cuiridh tu taic dhomh gu dìreach. Chan urrainn do dh’fhoillsichear no sgaoileadair no sgioba margaidheachd no poileas fasain sam bith sparradh orm gun atharraichinn Peabar ⁊ Curran ach am biodh e a-rèir an lèirsinn-san mun “mhargadh”. Carson nach dèanadh ball-eisimpleir soirbheachail diofar beag air bheag air gnìomhachas a tha ann an staing gu lèir? Chì sinn dè thachras…
As I look back on the lines I wrote on the homepage ten years ago − "A free(libre) and open-source webcomic supported directly by its patrons to change the comic book industry!" − I'm struck by how much the industry has changed. Was Pepper&Carrot a catalyst for some of these shifts? The internet was a vastly different place back then. Webcomics relied on a single business model: selling merchandise and accepting one-time donations via PayPal. The concept of recurring patronage was still in its infancy.
I'm proud to say that Pepper&Carrot was one of the first webcomics to join the Patreon initiative, pioneered by YouTubers who sought to revolutionize the way artists were supported. Today, patronage platforms are the norm, and it's rare to find an artist without one.
However, not all of my innovations have taken off. My decision to use only free, libre, and open-source software licenses, and to create the entire comic using these tools, remains a rare approach. Many artists have opted for a more traditional model, where they create copyrighted materials and rely on patronage to support their work. While this model often provides "free access" to content, I believe it's a flawed system because it doesn't guarantee it.
In my model, readers don't just fund the creation of content – they also gain guaranteed, irrevocable access to it, along with the right to reuse and modify it, even commercially. This approach ensures that the work remains free and open, rather than being locked behind paywalls or proprietary licenses. In short, what is funded by the audience should belong to the audience.
As I look around at the current state of the industry, I'm more convinced than ever that my approach was the right one. Proprietary software is increasingly plagued by privacy issues, and features (eg. Blockchain/NFTs/AI) that nobody wants except investissors. Meanwhile, artists are struggling with copyright issues, being owned by publishers, platforms, and facing restrictions on where they can publish their work.
That's why my philosophy remains unchanged. I still believe that using Creative Commons licenses and free, libre, and open-source software is the key to true freedom and creativity. My tagline − "A free(libre) and open-source webcomic supported directly by its patrons to change the comic book industry!" − remains a guiding principle for me, even if it's still a minority view.
I know that I'm just a drop in the ocean, but I'm committed to continuing to push for a more open, more free, and more creative industry. I'm proud to be part of a movement that's slowly but surely making progress, and I'm grateful to my patrons for supporting me on this journey.
− David Revoy