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Website Builder Wix Acquires Art Community DeviantArt For $36 Million (techcrunch.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the mergers-and-acquisitions dept.

An anonymous reader quotes a report from TechCrunch: Wix.com has made another acquisition to build out the tools that it provides to users to build and administer websites: it has acquired DeviantArt, an online community for artists, designers and art/design enthusiasts with some 325 million individual pieces of original art and more than 40 million registered members, for $36 million in cash, including $3 million of assumed liabilities. Wix said that it will continue to operate DeviantArt as a standalone site, but it will also use it to boost its own business in a couple of ways. First, DeviantArt users will get access to Wix's web design tools to build out more dynamic online presences. These tools do not only cover design, but commerce and other features for running businesses online. Second, Wix will open up DeviantArt's repository of art and creative community to the Wix platform, giving Wix's users access to that work to use in their own site building. The deal will also include putting further investment into developing DeviantArt's desktop and mobile apps. (Today, that desktop experience is based on a very simple, pared-down interface that is reminiscent of the 2000 birthdate of the startup itself.)

8 of 63 comments (clear)

  1. The end is nigh... by StarryEyed · · Score: 5, Informative

    ...time to move.

  2. Well well well by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    Look at all that royalty free art work they just acquired. PAINT YOU MONKEYS!!! WIX NEEDS MORE ART!

  3. There's art on DeviantArt? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I only visit for the amateur nude photography.

  4. And so it goes... by WheezyJoe · · Score: 5, Informative

    Dice buys Slashdot, and there was not much rejoicing.
    Even weird 4chan's been bought from its founder, and yet is running out of money in spite of being flooded with ads.
    This is not a good trend. Has web site hosting just gotten too expensive to keep a good site alive anymore? or is it just a matter of getting too big and popular to keep costs down? DeviantArt is (was) a pretty cool site and community, but experience suggests little hope Wix is going to keep it that way... Wix has to make its ROI. That means the artists probably have to move somewhere else, which is fine I guess, unless it's only a matter of time before the new site gets too expensive to run and either dies or gets sold off.

    --
    Take it easy, Charlie, I've got an Angle...
    1. Re:And so it goes... by backslashdot · · Score: 2

      When a company grows, they usually end up hiring an MBA for $300K who will tell them they can save $250K by firing two developers.

  5. Might want to move providers... by tlhIngan · · Score: 3, Insightful

    It might be a good idea to change art hosting providers then... I'm sure every artist has given deviantArt a (non-exclusive0 icense to commercially display and use the artwork shown on the site, which means Wix can use that. And chances are, they'll let customers use some of that artwork on their website, both as a hook and a retainer (because the art can only be used on Wix hosted websites without obtaining a license).

    And only Wix has access to unique artwork that only Wix customers can use, so it's more attractive to join Wix.

    Meanwhile, everyone who posted art on the site sees their work ripped off and used on customer's web sites.

    1. Re:Might want to move providers... by CrashNBrn · · Score: 2
      16. Copyright in Your Content

      DeviantArt does not claim ownership rights in Your Content. For the sole purpose of enabling us to make your Content available through the Service, you grant to DeviantArt a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to reproduce, distribute, re-format, store, prepare derivative works based on, and publicly display and perform Your Content. Please note that when you upload Content, third parties will be able to copy, distribute and display your Content using readily available tools on their computers for this purpose although other than by linking to your Content on DeviantArt any use by a third party of your Content could violate paragraph 4 of these Terms and Conditions unless the third party receives permission from you by license.

  6. Too Cheap by darkain · · Score: 3, Insightful

    40 million users for $36 million? It has been quite the long time since I've been a site sell for well below a dollar per user. dA really sold themselves really fucking short on this one.