ThankYou.ru

ThankYou.ru was a Russian internet portal and digital record label that distributed creative content — music and, later, books — under a pay-what-you-want model. The site opened in 2010 and allowed users to download content freely and then, if they wished, pay the authors by clicking a "Thank you" button. It positioned itself as a legal alternative to conventional distribution, arguing that fans should be able to support creators directly, bypassing record labels, publishers and shops. The portal also pursued its own repertoire policy: an artistic council auditioned emerging bands and selected the most interesting ones for the site. The music section grew to host more than 1,600 albums by more than 550 artists, including well-known Russian and Russian-language acts such as Mashina Vremeni, Bravo, Garik Sukachev i Neprikasaemye, Vopli Vidopliassova, Aria, Mumiy Troll, Yu-Piter, Nochnye Snaipery, Kipelov, Neschastny Sluchai, Guf, Basta, Sansara, Zimavsegda, Vasya Oblomov, Kasta and Elena Vaenga. ThankYou.ru became a platform for exclusive digital releases, including albums by Lyapis Trubetskoy, Noize MC, Korol i Shut, Aleksandr F. Sklyar, Pilot, Gleb Samoilov and The Matrixx, Gornostai, Sansara and N1NT3NDO. It also released a small number of physical CDs. In May 2012 a literary section opened, publishing contemporary fiction across genres and hosting more than 200 books by nearly a hundred writers, including the electronic release of Aleksandr Prokhanov's novel "Chelovek Zvezdy." The portal operated a reward system for registered users, offering concert tickets, private autograph sessions, books, discs, T-shirts and signed posters in exchange for accumulated points. In 2011 the magazine Afisha called ThankYou.ru "the most representative internet label in Russia," and on 28 June 2012 the portal received Artemy Troitsky's Steppe Wolf prize in the "Resource" category. The site is no longer available.

ThankYou.ru opened in 2010 as a Russian internet portal distributing creative content on a pay-what-you-want basis. Initially the site operated only a music section, which grew to host more than 1,600 albums by more than 550 artists. Among the musicians associated with the site were Mashina Vremeni, Bravo, Garik Sukachev i Neprikasaemye, Vopli Vidopliassova, Aria, Mumiy Troll, Yu-Piter, Nochnye Snaipery, Kipelov, Neschastny Sluchai, Guf, Basta, Sansara, Zimavsegda, Vasya Oblomov, Kasta and Elena Vaenga. The portal became a venue for exclusive digital releases. Over its first two years it hosted exclusive releases of albums such as "Veselye kartinki" and "Rabkor" by Lyapis Trubetskoy, "Novy albom" by Noize MC, "TODD, akt 1. Prazdnik krovi" by Korol i Shut, "Vasya-sovest" by Aleksandr F. Sklyar, "Osen" by Pilot, "Tresh" by Gleb Samoilov and The Matrixx, "Vozdukh svobody" by the supergroup Gornostai, the self-titled album by Sansara, the debut album by N1NT3NDO and others. Although the project's main activity was online, its back catalogue included several physical releases: Fuck You Pay Me — Pay Day; Tarakany! — Sobachye serdtse; and Kirpichi — Novye Kirpy Moo Fok. In May 2012 the portal opened a literary section. It published current literary works across a wide range of genres, from "soil-bound" realism to postmodern avant-garde. By then the literary part of ThankYou.ru already included more than 200 books by nearly a hundred writers. The portal released the electronic version of Aleksandr Prokhanov's novel "Chelovek Zvezdy." The project's ideology held that pay-what-you-want was the fairest model for paying for creative labour: users freely downloaded content and then paid, or did not pay, as they wished. Funds transferred by users went to the accounts of rights holders, who could monitor download statistics and payment receipts. ThankYou.ru hosted only legal content and sought to conclude agreements directly with musicians and writers. Its creators considered it important that fans "thank" creators directly, bypassing intermediaries such as record labels, publishers and shops. This model was presented as an alternative to habitual ways of distributing content amid the crisis of record production and the growth of the internet. ThankYou.ru not only provided a platform for creative people to place their works but also conducted its own repertoire policy: an artistic council auditioned emerging bands, after which the most interesting were placed on the site. For registered users there was a reward system: depending on accumulated points, users could receive concert tickets and private autograph sessions, books, discs, T-shirts and signed posters. In 2011, summing up the musical year, the magazine Afisha called ThankYou.ru "the most representative internet label in Russia." On 28 June 2012 the portal received Artemy Troitsky's Steppe Wolf prize in the "Resource" category; other nominees were Kroogi, Yandex.Music, Far From Moscow and Zvooq. Notable facts recorded about the site include that the smallest payment in its history was 11 kopecks and the largest was 20,000 rubles; the average cheque in July 2012 was 212 rubles. The site is no longer available.

• 2012

  Literary section opens in May.

• 2012

  On 28 June, the portal receives Artemy Troitsky's Steppe Wolf prize in the "Resource" category.

• 2011

  Afisha magazine calls ThankYou.ru "the most representative internet label in Russia."

• 2010

  ThankYou.ru portal opens.

A legal, artist-direct pay-what-you-want alternative to conventional music and book distribution.

• Music section

  More than 1,600 albums by more than 550 artists.

• Literary section

  Opened May 2012; more than 200 books by nearly a hundred writers.

• Physical CD releases

  Fuck You Pay Me — Pay Day; Tarakany! — Sobachye serdtse; Kirpichi — Novye Kirpy Moo Fok.

1. 1ThankYou.ru — Wikidatawikidata.org
2. 2ThankYou.ru — Russian Wikipediaru.wikipedia.org