Posted March 15, 2022
By Sean Ring
Iteration After a Violent Government Intervention
- Russian writers are leaving SubscribeStar and Patreon.
- Thanks to sanctions, the writers cant get paid on those platforms anymore.
- Of course, theyve figured out a solution already.
Moscow, 2008
When I was a single man living in London, teaching the banking grads every summer, my hand was the first to go up when a foreign assignment came up.I loved the travel, and I got to teach in San Francisco, New York, Dublin, Paris, Abu Dhabi, and Moscow.Once I got to Asia, I expanded that list to include all the fantastic eastern hemisphere cities like Tokyo, Singapore, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, and Melbourne.I even got to Lagos and Abuja in Nigeria for a couple of trips.Pretty wicked stuff.Most of my colleagues werent interested in making the trips.Some disliked travel; some had families they didnt want to leave for a week or two at a time.Me?I was always up for it.I got to teach in Moscow four times between 2007 and 2008, before the world was about to learn what Lehman really meant.My favorite watering hole in Moscow was at the top of the Swissotel at a bar called CityScape.It was the highest bar in Moscow at the time, and it boasted a panoramic view of the city.I loved looking out at the Seven Sisters, a group of skyscrapers built in the best Stalinist style.And my bartender was a gentleman of particular taste.Inevitably, his name was Vladimir, and he taught me the proper way to make a martini.Now, if you want the best martini in the world, youre probably going to have to rush to the store to get the last bottles of Russian vodka.Most like Russian Standard vodka, but my favorite is Imperia Standard vodka.
Ingredients:
Imperia Standard Vodka
Noilly Prat vermouth
Lemon peel
Ice
First, put ice cubes in your martini glass to chill it.Then fill your mixing glass with ice.If youve got a proper American bottle top (the one with the hole in it), this next step will be more straightforward.Pour a twelve-count (or three shots) of Imperia over ice. Then add one drop of Noilly Prat vermouth.
Iteration
The vodka, seafood, and diamond ban will cost Russia a grand total of $1 billion.I dont mean to be sarcastic, but most Americans think Absolut and Grey Goose taste good.My God!So those exporters will feel a bit of pain, but its more like Dr. Evils pain than world-ending pain.
Club Orlov
I discovered Dmitry Orlov on Russia Insider a few years ago, and would read his stuff from time to time.I didnt realize he had a subscription-based writing business until a month ago.But when I found Club Orlov, I immediately subscribed via SubscribeStar, a platform similar to Patreon.I never liked Patreon, especially when they started deplatforming writers I follow.But any centralized platform is a risk these days.(Is substack next?)Anyway, via Club Orlov, Dmitry sent out a message saying he was leaving both Patreon and SubscribeStar because he cant get his USD revenue into Russian banks, thanks to the sanctions.So what did this smart writer/entrepreneur do?He left detailed instructions on how to cancel my SubscribeStar subscription and resubscribe via Boosty, a platform I never heard of before.And so I did.Boosty took my credit card just fine, and now I have access to the new Club Orlov.Sanctions evaded.Yes, it was *that* simple.Wrap Up
If a St. Petersburg-based writer can change directions on a dime, you can bet bigger organizations will figure it out sooner or later.And with China, Iran, and India not playing Washingtons game, theres going to be much more of this.I know its only one anecdote.But if hes doing this, so are many others.So lets hope Washington/London/Berlin wake up.The only people who these sanctions will hurt are their own people.In the meantime, get on the Economics For Business podcast, try some Club Orlov, and buy some real vodka while you still can!Until tomorrow.All the best,SeanThe Fading Fortunes of Famous Families
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