Video: The Rise (and Fall) of Patreon

Hello all!

Here it is, my latest video: The Rise (and Fall) of Patreon.

A slightly weird one to be posting here on Patreon itself!

In fact, this has been a slightly weird one to make. The unique relationship that many creators (including myself) have with Patreon seems to shield it from even very light criticism. While I think there are many, many positives to come out of Patreon's rise, I thus wanted to try and view the company through a more detached, nuanced lens.

I've hesitated to include too many predictions about what might happen to Patreon next. My naive hope would be that they decide to refocus on the basics and building a sustainable business model using the features that made the platform so popular in the first place.

In the short term, though, I simply hope that the video can invite a more complex conversation about Patreon among both creators and fans!

Whatever questions I might raise about the company, know that I super appreciate all of you who support me on here. It really does give me some extra freedom on what I write and produce videos about knowing that there is some money which isn't tied to viewership or sponsorships.

I've got big, big plans for making more and better videos over the next year, and by being signed up to support me on here you are a huge part of making that happen.

Thanks as ever for your generous support!

Tom

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