Inside Patreon, the economic engine of internet culture
1–10 of 433 posts
Re: Inside Patreon, the economic engine of internet culture
#2I like patreon but at the same time I'm a bit uncomfortable with how the interaction aspect of it sometimes works. Lots of artists are essentially charging for interaction with them rather than a product. From the article: "In this system, it’s almost impossible to separate a work of art from its creator — or, at least, its creator’s public persona. Is there a future for someone who wants to be a musician, but not a personality? “No. I don’t think so,” Hollens says. “I don’t think the reclusive thing is going to happen anymore. That’s not the world we live in."
While that works for plenty of artists I'm sure there are others that can't handle it. In addition it seems really exhausting.
Re: Inside Patreon, the economic engine of internet culture
#3The article is well-done but speaks mostly from the artist's side. From the patron-side, I think an important factor in Patreon success is that it gives the donors the good feels for very little cost. I fund several web-comic artists whose work I enjoy at a trivial level, $0.25 per new comic for instance, or for some, the minimum $1/month. For a few $ a month, I get regular doses of warm fuzzies from knowing I am actually helping good artists continue to make art.
Re: Inside Patreon, the economic engine of internet culture
#4I like patreon but at the same time I'm a bit uncomfortable with how the interaction aspect of it sometimes works. Lots of artists are essentially charging for interaction with them rather than a product. From the article: "In this system, it’s almost impossible to separate a work of art from its creator — or, at least, its creator’s public persona. Is there a future for someone who wants to be a musician, but not a…
Has it ever "worked"?
Re: Inside Patreon, the economic engine of internet culture
#5I asked this before, but it wasn't really the place:
1. To those who donate to Patreons, how do you budget/think about/justify your donations?
2. Do you have a set budget? What if you really want to support someone suddenly, do you stop supporting someone else to do so, or reduce how much you give them?
3. When do you stop/reduce Patreon support? How long do you typically support someone? Until you feel they no longer need it?
Re: Inside Patreon, the economic engine of internet culture
#6I like patreon but at the same time I'm a bit uncomfortable with how the interaction aspect of it sometimes works. Lots of artists are essentially charging for interaction with them rather than a product. From the article: "In this system, it’s almost impossible to separate a work of art from its creator — or, at least, its creator’s public persona. Is there a future for someone who wants to be a musician, but not a…
> Lots of artists are essentially charging for interaction with them
It's just marketing. Not all artists on Patreon provide this kind of interaction, and a number of artists on YouTube do. Peter Hollens' opinions are amplified because of his popularity, but his is not the only model of operation.
And ultimately, if a personal interaction is what the audience wants, aren't those artists simply playing to those desires? If I'm paying for a ticket to a rock festival, I'd like to hear rock, not country.
Re: Inside Patreon, the economic engine of internet culture
#7I have seen so many content creators go full time and create awesome work because Patreon gives them a format to incentivize their followers to pay them. The economics are beautiful — turns out just 1,000 people (a pittance on internet mass media websites) donating $5 a month will totally change the way you run your life. And even better, these artists are independent in a way no artist has ever been before. You’re not beholden to advertizers. You’re not beholden to the whims of a few patrons (church or people). You only need the loyalty of people who value your work.
Before Patreon, internet content creators (from the BBC to a little indie band) were in a dangerous place. Paygates couldn't sustain growth but ad-supported free media couldn't sustain revenue (now more than ever with ad-blockers). Now there is an answer.
I am totally convinced Patreon (or the patreon model) is the future of content creation. Ethical, decentralized, economically viable flourishing of the arts.
If anyone at Patreon reads this, I would love to come work for you, please contact me sparrowmaxx at google’s email service. :)
Re: Inside Patreon, the economic engine of internet culture
#8I asked this before, but it wasn't really the place: 1. To those who donate to Patreons, how do you budget/think about/justify your donations? 2. Do you have a set budget? What if you really want to support someone suddenly, do you stop supporting someone else to do so, or reduce how much you give them? 3. When do you stop/reduce Patreon support? How long do you typically support someone? Until you feel they no longe…
1) Entertainment - just like cable, Netflix, movies, etc.
2) The amounts I donate are so small on a monthly basis - around $3 per artist - that adding a new artist isn't a pain point in my entertainment budget.
3) When I stop consuming the content. Usually after getting the monthly breakdown of my contributions in my email, I say "I'm not listening to/watching this anymore, so I'll go ahead and cancel it."
Re: Inside Patreon, the economic engine of internet culture
#9The article is well-done but speaks mostly from the artist's side. From the patron-side, I think an important factor in Patreon success is that it gives the donors the good feels for very little cost. I fund several web-comic artists whose work I enjoy at a trivial level, $0.25 per new comic for instance, or for some, the minimum $1/month. For a few $ a month, I get regular doses of warm fuzzies from knowing I am act…
Agreed. Clickspring is my goto example. Stupidly high quality videos with full subtitles, good filming, and a well narrated explanation of a really niche activity. There just aren't a lot of detailed videos about clock building from end-to-end out there.
And it's all effectively funded by Patreon. $3 a video is well worth it.
Re: Inside Patreon, the economic engine of internet culture
#10I asked this before, but it wasn't really the place: 1. To those who donate to Patreons, how do you budget/think about/justify your donations? 2. Do you have a set budget? What if you really want to support someone suddenly, do you stop supporting someone else to do so, or reduce how much you give them? 3. When do you stop/reduce Patreon support? How long do you typically support someone? Until you feel they no longe…
1) Entertainment
2) Same budget as entertainment
3) I only do one, there's a weekly extra for subscribers so it's worth it