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.
Allens, wat ik to Pepper&Wuddel maken do, kann jedereen hier op de Websteed free rünnerladen. Ik behannel ji all glieks: mit oder sünner Geld. All de extra Togaven, de ik för mien Förderer maak, warrt dat ok hier för Jan un Allemann geven. Pepper&Wuddel warrt nienich vun di verlangen, dat du Geld betahlst oder en Abo afsluttst, üm ne'e Dingen to sehn.
Ik will Lüüd dat Recht geven, wat se dat, wat ik maakt heff, för ehr egen Projekten bruken köönt, ännern köönt oder sogor Geld dormit verdenen köönt. All Sieden, Kunstwarken un annern Kraam sünd mit fre'e Open Source Software op GNU/Linux maakt worrn un all de Dateien kannst du op de Websteed hier in dat Menü 'Originaldateien' finnen. Geern dörvt ji de Saken kommerziell bruken, översetten, wiedergeven oder Fan-Art, Drucke, Films, Videospelen usw. maken. Ji mööt man blots mien Naam - David Revoy - as Autor nömen. Wullt du mehr weten, kiek:
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.
Pepper&Wuddel is en lustigen Webcomic för Jan un Allemann, egal, wo olt. Allens is passlich för junge Lüüd, dat gifft keen Gewalt. Free un Open Source as Pepper&Wuddel is, is dat en stolt Bispill dorför, wo cool fre'e Kultur ween kunn. Qualität is för mi wichtig, denn "free" un "Open Source" heet nich slecht oder amateurhaftig. Ganz in 't Gegendeel!
Wiel dat weniger Arbeit för de Organisatschoon twischen Lesers un Künstler gifft, betahlt ji weniger un ik verdeen mehr. Ji geevt mi direktemang Stütt. Keen Redakteur/Verlag/Marketing un keen Mood kann mi dwingen, Pepper&Wuddel to verännern un an 'de Markt' antopassen. ... Worüm schull nich en enkelde Comic, de allerbest löppt, en Lawien in Gang setten, de de hele Industrie in de Knee dwingt? Laat uns dat versöken!
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