Hello,
I am finishing up a font, and I have no experience in selling fonts. MyFonts seems to be the obvious choice; however, many on TypeDrawers seem wary of MyFonts. Should I use MyFonts to sell my fonts, or should I use some other platform. Also, if I were to sell on MyFonts, could I put my fonts on Adobe Fonts or another reseller platform?
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I would advise you to sell licences from your own foundry’s ecommerce website, and market through social media such as Tik-Tok and Instagram, generating sales material with AI.
After all, distributors are not going to market your fonts beyond an initial introduction, if that, and if you are going to do most of the work in producing sales material, why not reap the benefits directly?
I've been doing some research on the latest (freshest) platforms for selling fonts, and I've discovered that there are many more options available than what's commonly discussed. Each platform offers unique advantages and caters to different audiences. In light of this, I highly recommend considering a variety of platforms, especially since MyFonts has become quite saturated and their terms appear to be shifting towards more conservative policies.
Here are some notable platforms to explore:
It's 2023, and the notion that MyFonts is the only viable option for font distribution is definitely outdated. Today, you also have the flexibility to distribute your fonts independently using platforms like Gumroad for the download delivery.
It's much easier now than it was a decade ago to get your fonts into the market, and there's no need to be locked down by some of the new restrictive terms coming out.
I hope this information helps you in exploring new avenues for your font distribution.
- Neue Helvetica® by Linotype
- Gotham® by Hoefler & Co.
- Helvetica® Now by Monotype
- Avenir® by Linotype
- Univers® by Linotype
- Gilroy™ by Radomir Tinkov
- Akzidenz-Grotesk® by Berthold
- Frutiger® by Linotype
- Helvetica® by Linotype
- Neue Haas Unica™ by Linotype
- FF DIN® by FontFont
- Maison Neue® by Milieu Grotesque
- Avenir® Next by Linotype
- Neue Haas Grotesk™ Display by Linotype
- TT Norms® Pro by TypeType
- Futura® Now by Monotype
- DIN® Next by Monotype
- Knockout® by Hoefler & Co.
- Franklin Gothic™ by ITC
- Brandon Grotesque by HVD Fonts
- Neue Frutiger® by Linotype
- Campton by René Bieder
- ITC Avant Garde Gothic® by ITC
- Recoleta by Latinotype
- Trade Gothic® by Linotype
The ones marked in bold all have something in common.Boring old mid-century “modern” sans fonts?
Apparently this is what the market wants!
+ this is all Monotype fonts...
Rip the webfont, convert it back to desktop, and post the pirated font takes less effort than using stolen information to purchase a font. So you might want to rethink your made up piracy theory, because MyFonts looks the least secure because of this. Saying the maximum that can be stole from them is you just making up random ideas.
I have no interest in those platforms, I simply provided alternatives to MF/Monotype, since that's where the thread was going. But you took my input and twisted it into something else about piracy and how great MF was, which you are still making abstract assumptions about. But hey, we can keep going in circles...
I would still suggest those platforms (and a few others) for new foundries to explore, as they have large audiences with value to a foundry trying to make a living.
Your last statement, could also be said for a search on MyFonts...
Our contract allows us to adjust pricing to "maximize your overall performance", to "help secure additional revenue on your behalf", and to "maximize sales or revenue on your behalf."
I believe the only time we've adjusted pricing in this way was to enforce minimum pricing thresholds, moving pricing up instead of down.
When Fontspring sought to increase our web font and application license pricing tiers in February of this year, we did so by notifying foundries in advance, made it optional, and made it very easy to switch back to original pricing if you didn't opt out.
To my knowledge we have never offered a "steep discount" against a foundry's wishes, but if you have a specific example of CM or Fontspring doing that, I'd like to know. That's not the way we run our businesses.
I am afraid, and I think I'm not alone, that Fontspring was great until it wasn't anymore.
Is my understanding correct?
If so, I am still totally willing to believe that current management wouldn’t do that. But if the contracts allow it, and it might be in the interest of the platform to have some loss-leader deep discounts, it is entirely reasonable to worry about the longer term.
What price controls can be put into a foundry-distributor contract that can be reassuring to the foundry but will not be liable to a legal charge of price fixing?
I would not be shocked if the kind of contractual guarantee that some folks on the foundry side would like, is in fact an RPM and in violation of state laws in some states. Probably in some other countries too.
Not that I am a lawyer. This might be a good time to consult one, if one was considering such terms.