With Internet, artists are facing the challenge that people don’t need to buy material supports to enjoy their work. I believe that it is a very good thing as it allows to sell any piece of work for a Free Price while enjoying the freedom of the web. Thus, the next technical challenge is to make it as easy as possible to pay a free price for anything you like. I’ve already told you in length about Flattr, which allows you to “like with money” anything on the Internet.
But what if you really like an artist, a blogger, a filmmaker? What if you want to encourage a creator to do more or to keep going? Here’s come Patreon.
The principle of Patreon is very simple: for every piece of work by a given creator, you pledge a given amount. The more she/he releases, the more you spend (but you can fix a monthly limit). And, as for Kickstarter, you can have some extra with your pledge. Just see my page for an example.
The idea is so simple that, unlike Flattr, I don’t see how I will be able to make awfully long blog posts about the subject for months.
Of course, Patreon is not perfect. A given creator cannot have multiple projects (what if you are a blogger and a video maker? Or what if you have two blogs?). A credit card is required (Bitcoin support would be awesome). I will probably find more flaw but the idea is really nice and complementary with Flattr.
I don’t really hope to attract patrons but, being curious, I had to give it a try. If you like the idea too, don’t hesitate to test and become my patron.
Picture by Martin Beek
