Will Midjourney support artists financially?

Unfortunately it wouldn't work. The AI doesn't use any image or art to generate an image, it is trained on images to find patters, and this training produces roughly 1 byte per image (out of the millions of pixels of every image). But consider that it would be possible to associate each such byte used in a generation to an artist to pay. What follows is completely hypothetical as I have no knowledge about Midjourney's business.Say the average Midjourney users pays 100 dollars per year.Say there is an average of 10 million users per year. This means that all the money Midjourney gets is 1 billion dollars per year, out of which they have to pay everything, especially the servers and electricity.The AI is trained on billions of images. As far as I know, and this is actual fact, Stable Diffusion is trained on roughly 5 billion images. To be conservative, round this down to just 1 billion training images.All the money (1 billion dollars) divided to the number of images used in training (1 billion) means 1 dollar per training image per year is all Midjourney gets.If they pay 10% of what they make, that's 10 cents per training image per year.A recent micro-poll showed, and this is actual fact, that 50% of users prefer to generate photos, 50% prefer illustrations.Ignore the above and presume that the users focus much more on generating illustrations / art than photos, so only a small subset of 1% of the training images (= the illustrations / art) is used, so multiply the above 10 cents 100 fold. That's 10 dollars per illustration per year. This is what an artist could possibly get.People think that because it's possible to generate images with a look similar to what an artist makes, that's what millions of users do all day long. It would be good if artists were paid for the training data, but it wouldn't make a dent because this is a problem of automation of effort, not of art and artistic styles.

Midjourney

Image generation AI tool.

Added: 26 March 2024 / Updated: 26 May 2024

Show all + 1 image

Midjourney has become an industry leading platform for AI image generation and creativity.

Since its open beta launch on July 12, 2022, has been making waves in the world of digital art. Midjourney team has continuously refined its algorithms with new version updates. Each iteration brings enhancements, from improved image quality to better text rendition, ensuring that your creative journey knows no bounds.

It can be accessed through Discord bot commands. Tasks vary from just a fun-to-use tool to rapid prototyping for client presentations and inspiration in advertising campaigns. Plus, architects have found it invaluable for crafting mood boards, offering a fresh approach to project visualization without endless Google searches.

However, with innovation comes scrutiny. Midjourney's realism has sparked debates on bias and copyright concerns, as seen in legal battles and discussions around content moderation. Yet, amidst these challenges, Midjourney remains a beacon of creativity, pushing the boundaries of what AI can achieve in the realm of visual expression.

Pricing

Basic

$ 10.00

Limited generations (~200 / month)
General commercial terms
Access to member gallery
Optional credit top ups
3 concurrent fast jobs

Standard

$ 30.00

15h Fast generations
Unlimited Relaxed generations
General commercial terms
Access to member gallery
Optional credit top ups
3 concurrent fast jobs

Pro

$ 60.00

30h Fast generations
Unlimited Relaxed generations
General commercial terms
Access to member gallery
Optional credit top ups
Stealth image generation
12 concurrent fast jobs

Unlimited

$ 120.00

60h Fast generations
Unlimited Relaxed generations
General commercial terms
Access to member gallery
Optional credit top ups
Stealth image generation
12 concurrent fast jobs

Summary

Generates high-quality, stylistically diverse images from text prompts, making it a powerful tool for digital artists and designers. Midjourney requires a subscription with no free trial, and users have reported issues with customer service, including continued charges after cancellation. The platform's reliance on Discord can introduce additional privacy concerns, and its moderation system may restrict certain types of content. Ideal for digital artists, designers, marketers, and hobbyists looking for a tool to quickly generate and refine images based on text descriptions. It's particularly useful for those who want to explore creative visual ideas without needing advanced artistic skills.

FAQ

Is it possible to use Midjourney for free?

No.

It was possible before, but with limits. After gaining huge popularity developers decided to remove free features completely. Now the cheapest plan is $10 per month for approximately 200 image generations.

How to use Midjourney without Discord?

It is not possible by the time this information is posted. You need to join official Discord server or add Midjourney bot to your server to make it a little bit more private.