First: Yes, we are all aware and keeping in mind that you are a company and need to figure out business models. But also please would those at Tapas media also keep in mind that your creators on here and especially those using the support programme are also de facto companies if only of one or two people and need to sort out business plans. Many of them HAVE already sorted out business plans once with inkblazers and again with your support programme. How exactly does your company and its employees feel when they're jerked around by other companies they do business with who provide essential services? What if your server supplier or domain company suddenly upped and changed policy and support for things fundamental for your company to run but had no feasible or easy alternative that didn't require a great deal of extra work on your part for the foreseeable future? Even as a heads up announcement it's not particularly thrilling that you didn't even consider the people using your support programmes as professionals heavily impacted enough to at least consult with them before you made the decision. Big issue here is not you figuring out a business plan that drops the support programme it's that you did this without consulting the other businesses (I.e. Creators) involved. You told them how it was going to be, you didn't ask them or work WITH them to create a new business plan that worked to all interested parties. The fact is you are not compromising here, you are making creators compromise and restructure to accommodate you wanting to go in a new direction. That's not a good business practice and just because it's industry standard with many tech companies doesn't mean it's still not a bad thing. A good practice would be to take feedback from the creators who use your site on board and actually let them AFFECT policy instead of just nodding along at a live stream and saying "Yeah, but we own this so you'll have to just restructure your end regardless of how you feel and all the extra work, pay, expense and lost man hours it means to you."
It's kind of like when the NCAA refuses to pay college football players. They have to work super hard plus extra hours for the "education" they're supposedly getting "for free" which is why they're not considered "professionals" even though with all the practice, meetings, gym, games, marketing and so forth they have to do they might as well be working a full time job since the pro league is just all that minus the "education". Yes, creators use your site and app and it is YOUR site and app, but just because for some of your users this is a hobby or just something they read doesn't mean that the creators impacted most by this, who are professionals, are no less professionals than people who work in the same building as you. What if Tapas media retired it's payroll management and gave all its employees a heads up that it's happening and suggest you all work a little extra harder on the side and you'll get your pay through that side? Because sending support programme creators to patreon or tip jar is pretty much the same thing.
I get it. I sound like a ranting, stubborn headed and cruel entitled female dog talking about this on and on and on, likely you're sick and tired of it because you think I don't get it. But I am really tired of social media websites being dictatorships instead of democracies just because "It's a business" as if any of the other businesses that use said site aren't.
Secondly: Curated only content sounds like a pretty much closed off section where you're just going to market established authors you've approached so I don't see currently that it would be in my interests to submit to Tapastic when there's amazon, lulu, createspace and people I know who are actual editors at existing publishing houses who would be open to my submissions and sites like fan fiction.net. Wattpad, fiction press so on that I can submit to on a more spaced out manner that would allow me to incorporate feedback from readers. I know this is just "to start" but as a writer this is an over saturated market where I already know where to go elsewhere and sites would give me same level of support if not exposure as Tapastic based on what I already know of your format with comics and the app.
We DO appreciate you, your site, your work. We're not here to rubbish that or be ungrateful. I am not ungrateful. But it's hard not to feel like maybe the creators here aren't really valued as much as the readers or existing members of your staff.