1 00:00:04,400 --> 00:00:07,800 Speaker 1: Welcome to Tech Stuff, a production from I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:11,760 --> 00:00:14,280 Speaker 1: Hey there, and welcome to tech Stuff. I'm your host 3 00:00:14,400 --> 00:00:17,040 Speaker 1: job in Strickland. I'm an executive producer with iHeart Radio 4 00:00:17,239 --> 00:00:21,479 Speaker 1: and how the tech are you today? It's time for 5 00:00:21,600 --> 00:00:25,200 Speaker 1: another tech Classic episode. This one is called Patronage Makes 6 00:00:25,320 --> 00:00:30,760 Speaker 1: a Comeback. It was originally published on September and this 7 00:00:31,000 --> 00:00:35,680 Speaker 1: is an episode about services like Patreon that allow people 8 00:00:35,720 --> 00:00:40,280 Speaker 1: to directly support creators of all types and not go 9 00:00:40,479 --> 00:00:43,400 Speaker 1: through things like ad revenue. But it becomes more of 10 00:00:43,760 --> 00:00:47,120 Speaker 1: a sort of a direct subscriber kind of approach. So 11 00:00:47,400 --> 00:00:51,520 Speaker 1: let's sit back and listen to this classic episode. I've 12 00:00:51,560 --> 00:00:56,080 Speaker 1: covered topics like e commerce before web advertising, We've covered 13 00:00:56,120 --> 00:00:59,720 Speaker 1: multiple times on this show. We've even covered crowdfunding stuff 14 00:00:59,760 --> 00:01:03,040 Speaker 1: like Kickstarter in Indiego Go. But I really wanted to 15 00:01:03,080 --> 00:01:06,960 Speaker 1: look at patronage because it's interesting to see it come 16 00:01:06,959 --> 00:01:10,600 Speaker 1: back so strong. That's not to say that patronage is new, 17 00:01:10,840 --> 00:01:13,720 Speaker 1: even new on the Internet. It's not. It just seems 18 00:01:13,760 --> 00:01:17,319 Speaker 1: to be rising in prominence right now. The idea of 19 00:01:17,360 --> 00:01:22,120 Speaker 1: patronage dates back to the Renaissance, and I gotta be 20 00:01:22,160 --> 00:01:26,280 Speaker 1: honest with you guys. I debated briefly but I did 21 00:01:26,319 --> 00:01:30,880 Speaker 1: debate on describing Renaissance patronage in the style of the 22 00:01:31,000 --> 00:01:33,959 Speaker 1: character I used to play back when I was an 23 00:01:33,959 --> 00:01:39,160 Speaker 1: employee of the Georgia Renaissance Festival. But then I figured 24 00:01:39,160 --> 00:01:42,560 Speaker 1: you guys would probably unsubscribed so fast that you'd actually 25 00:01:42,680 --> 00:01:46,360 Speaker 1: hear the whishing sound of the wind filling in the 26 00:01:46,480 --> 00:01:50,680 Speaker 1: vacuum of missing listeners. So I'm going to spare you 27 00:01:51,080 --> 00:01:54,840 Speaker 1: the corny Renaissance festival character for now. But if you 28 00:01:54,960 --> 00:01:58,040 Speaker 1: really want to hear me, cut loose as a Renaissance 29 00:01:58,080 --> 00:02:02,520 Speaker 1: festival idiot, stick a round to the very end, and 30 00:02:02,560 --> 00:02:06,120 Speaker 1: then you'll get a treat, or maybe you'll think of 31 00:02:06,160 --> 00:02:08,480 Speaker 1: it as something other than a treat, but at any rate, 32 00:02:08,520 --> 00:02:10,120 Speaker 1: it will be at the end, so that way you 33 00:02:10,160 --> 00:02:13,320 Speaker 1: can not listen to it if it bugs you. So 34 00:02:13,480 --> 00:02:18,720 Speaker 1: getting back to Renaissance and the era of patronage, when 35 00:02:18,720 --> 00:02:21,960 Speaker 1: you look at the Middle Ages in Europe, the period 36 00:02:22,280 --> 00:02:27,919 Speaker 1: preceding the Renaissance, the primary social system in place was feudalism. 37 00:02:27,960 --> 00:02:30,560 Speaker 1: And in case you're not familiar with feudalism, what the 38 00:02:30,600 --> 00:02:33,560 Speaker 1: concept is or how that worked. This was where you 39 00:02:33,600 --> 00:02:37,320 Speaker 1: would have a centralized power figure of some sort to 40 00:02:37,440 --> 00:02:41,480 Speaker 1: whom everyone in the region would swear fealty, and this 41 00:02:41,520 --> 00:02:44,840 Speaker 1: was a two way relationship. It wasn't just someone lording 42 00:02:45,040 --> 00:02:48,920 Speaker 1: over a lot of peasants, although that could happen. The 43 00:02:48,960 --> 00:02:51,720 Speaker 1: person in charge was supposed to make big decisions on 44 00:02:51,840 --> 00:02:57,160 Speaker 1: behalf of the entire region, and in the best case scenarios, uh, 45 00:02:57,320 --> 00:03:00,440 Speaker 1: they would actually take great pains to protect the people 46 00:03:00,520 --> 00:03:04,200 Speaker 1: they ruled over. In fact, if you look at stuff 47 00:03:04,240 --> 00:03:08,240 Speaker 1: like the old epic poem Beowulf, you hear about the 48 00:03:08,240 --> 00:03:11,520 Speaker 1: the job of the king is to hand out rings, 49 00:03:11,560 --> 00:03:15,360 Speaker 1: which is essentially the symbol of wealth two loyal subjects 50 00:03:15,360 --> 00:03:19,480 Speaker 1: who have have contributed in some meaningful way to the 51 00:03:19,560 --> 00:03:25,440 Speaker 1: area's success. That was the basis of society for centuries 52 00:03:25,639 --> 00:03:29,919 Speaker 1: in Europe. But once you start getting toward the end 53 00:03:30,080 --> 00:03:33,160 Speaker 1: of the Middle Ages, things start to change. Now, during 54 00:03:33,200 --> 00:03:36,320 Speaker 1: the Middle Ages, you know the peasants really their job 55 00:03:36,440 --> 00:03:40,960 Speaker 1: was to essentially make enough food for everyone to stay alive, 56 00:03:41,320 --> 00:03:44,480 Speaker 1: including the person in charge. But at the end of 57 00:03:44,520 --> 00:03:48,160 Speaker 1: the Middle Ages, the system of feudalism began to fall apart, 58 00:03:48,640 --> 00:03:52,360 Speaker 1: and it also marked the first time people really begin 59 00:03:52,680 --> 00:03:58,200 Speaker 1: gan to move in great numbers from the pastoral countryside 60 00:03:58,440 --> 00:04:02,520 Speaker 1: and farms in to cities. This was the era of 61 00:04:02,560 --> 00:04:06,880 Speaker 1: cities having an enormous population booms, so places like Paris 62 00:04:06,920 --> 00:04:10,160 Speaker 1: and London had their numbers swell, and out of that 63 00:04:10,280 --> 00:04:14,960 Speaker 1: change grew something brand new, the middle class, or the 64 00:04:15,000 --> 00:04:20,480 Speaker 1: bourgeois in other words. And as professions became lucrative, as 65 00:04:20,520 --> 00:04:25,200 Speaker 1: people began to find ways to create things, to make 66 00:04:25,360 --> 00:04:29,640 Speaker 1: goods or provide services that were valued within the cities, 67 00:04:30,520 --> 00:04:32,719 Speaker 1: people began to make money. The middle class began to 68 00:04:32,760 --> 00:04:36,240 Speaker 1: make serious money. Sometimes the people in the middle class 69 00:04:36,279 --> 00:04:40,640 Speaker 1: were far wealthier than anyone in the nobility class. There 70 00:04:40,640 --> 00:04:45,480 Speaker 1: are plenty of examples of nobles who were arranging marriages 71 00:04:45,520 --> 00:04:49,640 Speaker 1: with wealthy middle class families because the middle class families 72 00:04:49,880 --> 00:04:53,120 Speaker 1: lacked a title, but they had money, whereas the nobility 73 00:04:53,160 --> 00:04:58,839 Speaker 1: had titles but no money. So it became this weird relationship, 74 00:04:58,880 --> 00:05:03,039 Speaker 1: particularly in places like England. Now, some of the people 75 00:05:03,040 --> 00:05:06,719 Speaker 1: in the middle class wanted to use the money they 76 00:05:06,760 --> 00:05:13,320 Speaker 1: made to do various things, including supporting artists of various types. 77 00:05:14,279 --> 00:05:17,640 Speaker 1: Maybe they found it rewarding to support an artist's work, 78 00:05:17,720 --> 00:05:20,360 Speaker 1: or maybe they got some other sense of value from it. 79 00:05:20,839 --> 00:05:24,599 Speaker 1: At any rate, they became what we call patrons of 80 00:05:24,640 --> 00:05:28,599 Speaker 1: the arts. And there are lots of examples of various 81 00:05:28,640 --> 00:05:32,520 Speaker 1: patrons who were really famous at the time. The Medici 82 00:05:32,600 --> 00:05:36,359 Speaker 1: family is probably the best known patrons from the era 83 00:05:36,440 --> 00:05:41,440 Speaker 1: of the Italian Renaissance, particularly Cosimo de Medici and his 84 00:05:41,520 --> 00:05:45,680 Speaker 1: grandson Lorenzo de Medici. These two Medici's were famous for 85 00:05:45,720 --> 00:05:50,920 Speaker 1: their patronage of various artists. Uh. Together they supported some 86 00:05:51,080 --> 00:05:56,159 Speaker 1: really famous ones like uh. Well, names that would seem 87 00:05:56,160 --> 00:05:59,560 Speaker 1: familiar to anyone who watched teenage mutant Ninja turtles because 88 00:05:59,600 --> 00:06:02,680 Speaker 1: they boarded artists like Donna Tello, Leonardo da Vinci, and 89 00:06:02,760 --> 00:06:08,680 Speaker 1: michel Angelo and Uh. The patronage actually gave these wealthy 90 00:06:08,720 --> 00:06:12,640 Speaker 1: people a certain social status. It allowed them to associate 91 00:06:12,720 --> 00:06:17,880 Speaker 1: themselves with the most talented, brightest people of the age, 92 00:06:18,480 --> 00:06:20,920 Speaker 1: and it also created opportunities for the artists to make 93 00:06:21,000 --> 00:06:24,120 Speaker 1: amazing works of art, ranging from paintings to sculpture and 94 00:06:24,160 --> 00:06:29,160 Speaker 1: other stuff. Often the artists were working on a commission 95 00:06:29,480 --> 00:06:31,960 Speaker 1: by the nobility, so they didn't really have a whole 96 00:06:32,000 --> 00:06:33,920 Speaker 1: lot of choice in what they were able to make, 97 00:06:34,640 --> 00:06:37,039 Speaker 1: but the money they made from that allowed them to 98 00:06:37,120 --> 00:06:40,719 Speaker 1: fund other things. Famously, Da Vinci came up with lots 99 00:06:40,760 --> 00:06:45,840 Speaker 1: of different stuff. Meanwhile, theater companies also had patrons. William 100 00:06:45,880 --> 00:06:49,279 Speaker 1: Shakespeare belonged to the Lord Chamberlain's Men during Queen Elizabeth 101 00:06:49,320 --> 00:06:53,480 Speaker 1: the First's reign uh. The initial patron of that theatrical 102 00:06:53,560 --> 00:06:56,400 Speaker 1: company was a man named Henry Carey, who was the 103 00:06:56,440 --> 00:07:00,920 Speaker 1: first Baron Hunston uh, the Lord Chamberlain to the Queen. Now, 104 00:07:00,920 --> 00:07:05,159 Speaker 1: eventually that company would become the King's Men because Elizabeth 105 00:07:05,279 --> 00:07:08,479 Speaker 1: passed away and James the First rose to the throne 106 00:07:08,920 --> 00:07:12,640 Speaker 1: and became the new patron of this theatrical company. So 107 00:07:12,680 --> 00:07:15,600 Speaker 1: they provided the budget that the artists needed in order 108 00:07:15,600 --> 00:07:17,120 Speaker 1: for them to do their work, and then they would 109 00:07:17,120 --> 00:07:21,600 Speaker 1: also reward the artists themselves. Um and this approach allowed 110 00:07:21,600 --> 00:07:24,600 Speaker 1: ours to protect practice their craft without worrying about selling 111 00:07:24,640 --> 00:07:27,840 Speaker 1: the finished product to buyers, though that could also happen 112 00:07:28,240 --> 00:07:31,960 Speaker 1: depending upon the artist. So generally speaking, it was a 113 00:07:32,000 --> 00:07:35,720 Speaker 1: work for higher sort of thing. It wasn't an idea, 114 00:07:35,880 --> 00:07:37,640 Speaker 1: you know, create a product and then go to the 115 00:07:37,640 --> 00:07:40,840 Speaker 1: market and try and sell the product. Today we still 116 00:07:40,880 --> 00:07:43,360 Speaker 1: have patrons of the arts. A lot of wealthy people 117 00:07:43,720 --> 00:07:46,440 Speaker 1: will end up funding arts in some way. There are 118 00:07:46,440 --> 00:07:50,000 Speaker 1: a lot of foundations that also provide funding and others 119 00:07:50,000 --> 00:07:52,800 Speaker 1: who donate to museums or to theaters. But when it 120 00:07:52,840 --> 00:07:58,000 Speaker 1: comes to supporting individual artists, patronage had largely faded away 121 00:07:58,160 --> 00:08:02,440 Speaker 1: until relatively recently. But now we're in a new era 122 00:08:02,720 --> 00:08:07,560 Speaker 1: of patronage. And it also makes sense because honestly, the 123 00:08:07,600 --> 00:08:10,760 Speaker 1: era of advertising is starting to come to an end. 124 00:08:11,120 --> 00:08:15,080 Speaker 1: We've become tired of ads, so making money through ads 125 00:08:15,280 --> 00:08:20,160 Speaker 1: has become increasingly difficult. It's a challenge. It's still very important, 126 00:08:20,520 --> 00:08:24,960 Speaker 1: but it's harder to do, largely because the audience itself 127 00:08:24,960 --> 00:08:28,840 Speaker 1: has become cynical or tired of ads. Uh, you can 128 00:08:28,880 --> 00:08:31,640 Speaker 1: try to sell stuff in an online store instead, and 129 00:08:31,640 --> 00:08:34,000 Speaker 1: that might work great for certain types of artists, like 130 00:08:34,400 --> 00:08:37,320 Speaker 1: people who do graphic design work and maybe they do 131 00:08:37,400 --> 00:08:40,160 Speaker 1: sketches or paintings or comics or things of that nature. 132 00:08:40,280 --> 00:08:43,160 Speaker 1: They can sell different prints or posters. That sort of stuff. 133 00:08:43,800 --> 00:08:46,880 Speaker 1: Also makes sense for musicians who might sell things like 134 00:08:48,040 --> 00:08:51,960 Speaker 1: albums or individual songs that kind of thing. But there's 135 00:08:52,000 --> 00:08:54,640 Speaker 1: some types of creative work that do not lend themselves 136 00:08:54,640 --> 00:08:59,320 Speaker 1: to merchandise easily. So for example, maybe you do a 137 00:08:59,440 --> 00:09:03,200 Speaker 1: series videos like you have a web video series, and 138 00:09:03,240 --> 00:09:07,200 Speaker 1: you might have some merchandise options, but generally speaking, those 139 00:09:07,200 --> 00:09:09,440 Speaker 1: are probably not going to bring in enough money to 140 00:09:09,520 --> 00:09:13,000 Speaker 1: support your work, So what do you do? Well, that's 141 00:09:13,000 --> 00:09:16,440 Speaker 1: where patronage comes into play. Now. The best known service 142 00:09:16,559 --> 00:09:21,120 Speaker 1: right now is Patreon, and that service allows creators to 143 00:09:21,200 --> 00:09:25,480 Speaker 1: build a profile for their work. Fans can contribute money 144 00:09:25,559 --> 00:09:28,520 Speaker 1: on an ongoing basis. Creators can set up a Patreon 145 00:09:28,559 --> 00:09:32,160 Speaker 1: account so that the pledges are collected monthly or every 146 00:09:32,200 --> 00:09:34,600 Speaker 1: time there's a new piece of content for an audience 147 00:09:34,640 --> 00:09:37,440 Speaker 1: to enjoy. So, in other words, if I'm a creator 148 00:09:38,280 --> 00:09:41,160 Speaker 1: and I want to create a Patreon page, I could 149 00:09:41,320 --> 00:09:43,320 Speaker 1: do it. Let's say I'm doing a web video series. 150 00:09:43,520 --> 00:09:46,720 Speaker 1: I can do it where I say pledge x amount 151 00:09:46,840 --> 00:09:49,920 Speaker 1: per month, and you might say a dollar or five 152 00:09:50,000 --> 00:09:53,880 Speaker 1: dollars or whatever that might be. Or I could choose 153 00:09:53,920 --> 00:09:58,040 Speaker 1: to say pledge x amount per video, so every time 154 00:09:58,080 --> 00:10:01,880 Speaker 1: an episode comes out, you would end up contributing however 155 00:10:01,960 --> 00:10:03,800 Speaker 1: much you had pledged, whether it was a dollar or 156 00:10:03,800 --> 00:10:08,480 Speaker 1: five dollars or whatever amount. Those are the different options. Uh, 157 00:10:08,559 --> 00:10:11,400 Speaker 1: it's kind of like a subscription service, only you aren't 158 00:10:11,440 --> 00:10:15,760 Speaker 1: necessarily buying something. You're supporting the work of someone who's 159 00:10:15,840 --> 00:10:20,200 Speaker 1: stuff you like, so you're not necessarily getting something that 160 00:10:20,240 --> 00:10:22,679 Speaker 1: no one else can get although that can play apart 161 00:10:22,679 --> 00:10:25,040 Speaker 1: two and I'll talk about that in a second. But 162 00:10:25,200 --> 00:10:28,520 Speaker 1: really what it's all about is saying I like the 163 00:10:28,559 --> 00:10:31,200 Speaker 1: stuff you do. I want you to continue to be 164 00:10:31,400 --> 00:10:34,280 Speaker 1: able to do the stuff you do, and I'm willing 165 00:10:34,320 --> 00:10:38,440 Speaker 1: to pay money so that this happens. And it's interesting 166 00:10:38,559 --> 00:10:42,760 Speaker 1: because at least for some people it works. Now, in 167 00:10:42,760 --> 00:10:45,320 Speaker 1: the interest of full disclosure, I wanted to let you 168 00:10:45,360 --> 00:10:49,920 Speaker 1: guys know I support to Patreon campaigns right now, and 169 00:10:49,960 --> 00:10:52,880 Speaker 1: I'm not asking anyone else to go out and support them. 170 00:10:52,920 --> 00:10:54,760 Speaker 1: I just want to be able to talk about my 171 00:10:54,840 --> 00:10:58,679 Speaker 1: experience as a patron as opposed to a creator. I 172 00:10:58,720 --> 00:11:02,400 Speaker 1: don't have a patriot On campaign for anything that I do. 173 00:11:02,880 --> 00:11:06,520 Speaker 1: I just support other Patreon campaigns. So the two campaigns 174 00:11:06,520 --> 00:11:09,160 Speaker 1: I support, one of them is for Tom Merritt's daily 175 00:11:09,240 --> 00:11:12,400 Speaker 1: tech news show, and Tom's a friend of mine. He 176 00:11:12,440 --> 00:11:16,520 Speaker 1: does great work. He covers tech stories each weekday and 177 00:11:16,600 --> 00:11:20,360 Speaker 1: brings on interesting guests and sometimes people like me to 178 00:11:20,440 --> 00:11:22,679 Speaker 1: be on his show to discuss the stories and give 179 00:11:22,720 --> 00:11:28,400 Speaker 1: them context. So I am one of many patrons of 180 00:11:28,640 --> 00:11:31,200 Speaker 1: tom Merritt's and I want him to continue to be 181 00:11:31,280 --> 00:11:33,680 Speaker 1: able to do this work, which I think is valuable. 182 00:11:33,800 --> 00:11:37,840 Speaker 1: It's entertaining and it's informative. So that's why I have contributed. 183 00:11:38,040 --> 00:11:41,360 Speaker 1: The other Patreon campaign I support is for a group 184 00:11:41,400 --> 00:11:45,520 Speaker 1: called Red Letter Media, and that's an entertainment company and 185 00:11:45,559 --> 00:11:50,160 Speaker 1: they create online videos and plus they create films. They're 186 00:11:50,200 --> 00:11:54,800 Speaker 1: they're essentially a film studio that also does online video. Now, 187 00:11:54,800 --> 00:11:58,160 Speaker 1: they're mostly known for their film criticism. I have several 188 00:11:58,200 --> 00:12:01,800 Speaker 1: shows that focus on the sizing films in various ways. 189 00:12:02,400 --> 00:12:05,040 Speaker 1: There's one called half in the Bag, there's one called 190 00:12:05,080 --> 00:12:07,599 Speaker 1: Best of the Worst, and then there are the infamous 191 00:12:07,760 --> 00:12:11,959 Speaker 1: Mr Plinkett reviews. So if you've ever come across one 192 00:12:11,960 --> 00:12:14,559 Speaker 1: of those reviews of either Star Wars or Star Trek 193 00:12:15,000 --> 00:12:19,440 Speaker 1: where the persona doing the review is a crazy, sociopathic 194 00:12:19,600 --> 00:12:24,640 Speaker 1: old guy, that's Red Letter Media. Now there are hundreds 195 00:12:24,679 --> 00:12:28,040 Speaker 1: of projects listed on Patreon, and some of them may 196 00:12:28,080 --> 00:12:31,280 Speaker 1: even be for stuff you already enjoy. So how does 197 00:12:31,280 --> 00:12:35,319 Speaker 1: the service work? I mean, how can it actually work 198 00:12:35,400 --> 00:12:37,800 Speaker 1: in a in a in a background sense. I mean, 199 00:12:37,840 --> 00:12:40,800 Speaker 1: clearly it's not as simple as just a sorting house 200 00:12:40,840 --> 00:12:43,720 Speaker 1: for audience contributions, right, I mean, how would Patreon even 201 00:12:43,720 --> 00:12:47,600 Speaker 1: make its own money? So that it could remain in operation. Well, 202 00:12:47,600 --> 00:12:50,280 Speaker 1: to answer that, we need to look at the history 203 00:12:50,480 --> 00:12:53,920 Speaker 1: of Patreon and then at how the service makes money, 204 00:12:54,000 --> 00:12:57,480 Speaker 1: and it all starts with a pretty successful YouTube channel. Now. 205 00:12:57,520 --> 00:13:01,599 Speaker 1: That channel belongs to Jack Conti, and he's a filmmaker 206 00:13:01,679 --> 00:13:05,160 Speaker 1: and songwriter living in California, and he's also one half 207 00:13:05,200 --> 00:13:08,120 Speaker 1: of the group Pomplo Moose, which if you are not 208 00:13:08,280 --> 00:13:11,000 Speaker 1: familiar with Pomplo Mouse, you should probably go and check 209 00:13:11,040 --> 00:13:15,640 Speaker 1: that out. They're pretty awesome. They do fun musical mashups 210 00:13:16,000 --> 00:13:19,920 Speaker 1: and really creative music videos as well some very experimental 211 00:13:19,960 --> 00:13:23,080 Speaker 1: film stuff that's kind of interesting, So check that out. 212 00:13:24,120 --> 00:13:27,280 Speaker 1: We'll be back with more about patronage in the online 213 00:13:27,320 --> 00:13:40,800 Speaker 1: age after this quick break. In two thousand thirteen, Conti 214 00:13:41,120 --> 00:13:43,400 Speaker 1: had a YouTube channel that had more than a hundred 215 00:13:43,440 --> 00:13:46,600 Speaker 1: thousand subscribers and his videos were racking up more than 216 00:13:46,640 --> 00:13:51,160 Speaker 1: a hundred thousand views per video, but he was faced 217 00:13:51,160 --> 00:13:53,160 Speaker 1: with a real problem. He says he was only making 218 00:13:53,200 --> 00:13:57,679 Speaker 1: about fifty dollars a month off his channel from advertising, 219 00:13:59,040 --> 00:14:02,240 Speaker 1: so it's a big issue he was He was doing well, 220 00:14:02,400 --> 00:14:05,160 Speaker 1: he had a he had a sizable audience, but he 221 00:14:05,240 --> 00:14:09,320 Speaker 1: wasn't really realizing any true revenue from it, and there 222 00:14:09,320 --> 00:14:11,679 Speaker 1: are a lot of factors that figure into this. If 223 00:14:11,679 --> 00:14:15,760 Speaker 1: you allow advertising on your videos on YouTube, you only 224 00:14:15,800 --> 00:14:19,200 Speaker 1: get a percentage of the money earned through ads on 225 00:14:19,240 --> 00:14:23,840 Speaker 1: your channel. The rest goes to Google to YouTube itself. Now, 226 00:14:23,920 --> 00:14:26,200 Speaker 1: on top of that, you have to choose whether your 227 00:14:26,240 --> 00:14:29,040 Speaker 1: channel will serve up ads that people can skip after 228 00:14:29,080 --> 00:14:33,040 Speaker 1: a few seconds or ads that play all the way 229 00:14:33,040 --> 00:14:36,800 Speaker 1: through and there's no skippable option, and subscribers tend to 230 00:14:36,840 --> 00:14:39,880 Speaker 1: prefer skippable ads obviously, they don't want to be forced 231 00:14:40,000 --> 00:14:43,040 Speaker 1: to watch a commercial if they don't have to. But 232 00:14:43,800 --> 00:14:46,280 Speaker 1: if they get a skippable ad and they skip out 233 00:14:46,280 --> 00:14:49,640 Speaker 1: too early, in other words, before thirty seconds have passed, 234 00:14:50,200 --> 00:14:54,600 Speaker 1: no revenue is generated from the ad impression, so that's 235 00:14:54,600 --> 00:14:57,840 Speaker 1: an issue. And YouTube also has algorithms that determine how 236 00:14:57,880 --> 00:15:01,080 Speaker 1: frequently ads are shown in the first place, so not 237 00:15:01,240 --> 00:15:04,480 Speaker 1: every view of a monetized video may result in an 238 00:15:04,520 --> 00:15:06,840 Speaker 1: ad display. So there are a lot of factors here 239 00:15:06,920 --> 00:15:09,360 Speaker 1: that actually limit the amount of money you're going to make. 240 00:15:09,440 --> 00:15:11,680 Speaker 1: You on paper, it looks like you should be making 241 00:15:11,680 --> 00:15:14,560 Speaker 1: a lot because you've got so many views of your video, 242 00:15:14,800 --> 00:15:17,360 Speaker 1: But if everyone is skipping the the ads, or there 243 00:15:17,360 --> 00:15:19,480 Speaker 1: are not a lot of ads being served up on 244 00:15:19,560 --> 00:15:23,080 Speaker 1: that video. In particular, you might be making very little 245 00:15:23,160 --> 00:15:25,720 Speaker 1: in the long run. Now, the bottom line was that 246 00:15:25,800 --> 00:15:29,400 Speaker 1: Conti was putting time and effort into creating videos but 247 00:15:29,520 --> 00:15:32,120 Speaker 1: seeing very little return on his investments. So he began 248 00:15:32,160 --> 00:15:35,040 Speaker 1: to think about ways that artists could create a direct 249 00:15:35,200 --> 00:15:39,720 Speaker 1: link to audiences, something that would allow audiences to support 250 00:15:39,800 --> 00:15:43,400 Speaker 1: the artist rather than having to depend upon this third 251 00:15:43,400 --> 00:15:48,800 Speaker 1: party advertising structure. So in May two thousand thirteen, Contie 252 00:15:48,920 --> 00:15:54,960 Speaker 1: paired with partnered with Sam Yam to create Patreon, and 253 00:15:55,000 --> 00:15:58,520 Speaker 1: the idea was pretty simple. Artists would create a Patreon account, 254 00:15:58,760 --> 00:16:01,720 Speaker 1: they would offer reward to people who contribute money to 255 00:16:01,760 --> 00:16:06,440 Speaker 1: their efforts. Uh So those rewards could be anything, really, 256 00:16:06,520 --> 00:16:09,280 Speaker 1: but ideally there would be things that you could easily 257 00:16:09,360 --> 00:16:13,320 Speaker 1: deliver reliably so that people who are supporting you actually 258 00:16:13,360 --> 00:16:17,640 Speaker 1: feel like they're getting value for their contribution. So, for example, 259 00:16:18,200 --> 00:16:20,800 Speaker 1: if I were doing that web video series, I might 260 00:16:20,960 --> 00:16:25,120 Speaker 1: offer up an access to bonus videos or blooper reels 261 00:16:25,200 --> 00:16:28,280 Speaker 1: and other content to people who contribute at a certain level, 262 00:16:28,880 --> 00:16:33,240 Speaker 1: and anyone who is either not contributing or contributing at 263 00:16:33,240 --> 00:16:36,120 Speaker 1: a lower level, they don't get access to that, but 264 00:16:36,160 --> 00:16:39,360 Speaker 1: they can still see the regular web video series. The 265 00:16:39,400 --> 00:16:42,720 Speaker 1: important thing here is I'm not forcing people to subscribe 266 00:16:42,800 --> 00:16:46,120 Speaker 1: to something. I'm saying, if you want to support me, 267 00:16:46,320 --> 00:16:49,960 Speaker 1: here's a way to do it, and in return, you 268 00:16:50,000 --> 00:16:53,200 Speaker 1: get this bonus material. But if you don't feel like 269 00:16:53,240 --> 00:16:57,040 Speaker 1: you can support me for whatever reason, maybe you don't 270 00:16:57,120 --> 00:16:59,880 Speaker 1: enjoy the content that much, or maybe your money is 271 00:17:00,320 --> 00:17:03,240 Speaker 1: very limited and so you can't really afford to support me, 272 00:17:03,760 --> 00:17:07,560 Speaker 1: that's fine. Enjoy the regular series with everybody else. You're 273 00:17:07,640 --> 00:17:10,400 Speaker 1: still going to have access to it. It's only if 274 00:17:10,520 --> 00:17:12,880 Speaker 1: you want to and are able to, and you want 275 00:17:12,920 --> 00:17:16,879 Speaker 1: this bonus material in the first place, that you should contribute. 276 00:17:17,520 --> 00:17:21,800 Speaker 1: That tends to be the general approach most creators take 277 00:17:21,880 --> 00:17:26,000 Speaker 1: when they're using Patreon. It's the idea of added value 278 00:17:26,440 --> 00:17:29,919 Speaker 1: and also for people to express their appreciation for the 279 00:17:29,960 --> 00:17:33,399 Speaker 1: work that you do. And it's amazing because it actually 280 00:17:33,440 --> 00:17:36,040 Speaker 1: seems to work. As for the rewards, there are a 281 00:17:36,040 --> 00:17:38,960 Speaker 1: lot like you would see on stuff like Kickstarter or 282 00:17:39,000 --> 00:17:42,919 Speaker 1: Indiego Go, and higher levels of contribution typically correspond to 283 00:17:43,000 --> 00:17:47,360 Speaker 1: more prestigious awards, such as being acknowledged as a producer, 284 00:17:47,440 --> 00:17:51,720 Speaker 1: for example, and to give a specific incident, Tom Merritt 285 00:17:51,760 --> 00:17:55,960 Speaker 1: and producer Jenny Josephson of Daily Tech News Show once 286 00:17:56,000 --> 00:17:59,240 Speaker 1: read out the names of every contributor to the Daily 287 00:17:59,280 --> 00:18:03,360 Speaker 1: Tech News Show Patreon when they hit ten thousand dollars 288 00:18:03,400 --> 00:18:07,840 Speaker 1: per month ten thousand dollars of contributions per month. So 289 00:18:07,880 --> 00:18:11,720 Speaker 1: it took them just under four hours to go through 290 00:18:11,760 --> 00:18:14,239 Speaker 1: all the names, and they even threw in lots of 291 00:18:14,320 --> 00:18:18,680 Speaker 1: puns and other silly things for almost every single name 292 00:18:18,720 --> 00:18:21,800 Speaker 1: on that list. And if you want to search, the 293 00:18:21,880 --> 00:18:24,880 Speaker 1: video is up on YouTube. You can find it three 294 00:18:24,880 --> 00:18:27,439 Speaker 1: hours and fifty nine minutes. If you want to hear 295 00:18:27,480 --> 00:18:29,560 Speaker 1: when my name comes up, because I was a patron 296 00:18:29,600 --> 00:18:33,000 Speaker 1: at that time too, it's at the one hour twelve 297 00:18:33,080 --> 00:18:35,800 Speaker 1: minute mark. He's actually really nice. He gave a shout 298 00:18:35,800 --> 00:18:39,760 Speaker 1: out to how stuff works, which was lovely, so fun 299 00:18:39,760 --> 00:18:42,359 Speaker 1: time there, it was interesting, and that was just something 300 00:18:42,480 --> 00:18:44,480 Speaker 1: that he decided to do, and actually I think it 301 00:18:44,520 --> 00:18:48,920 Speaker 1: was Jenny's suggestion. They decided just to do that spontaneously 302 00:18:49,080 --> 00:18:51,600 Speaker 1: to thank the people who had been supporting them. It 303 00:18:51,680 --> 00:18:55,919 Speaker 1: wasn't part directly part of the Patreon support. So that 304 00:18:56,000 --> 00:18:58,600 Speaker 1: was really really fun and and showed a lot of 305 00:18:58,640 --> 00:19:02,080 Speaker 1: dedication to sit there for four hours and thank every 306 00:19:02,080 --> 00:19:06,080 Speaker 1: single person by name. Now, this might sound similar to 307 00:19:06,119 --> 00:19:09,439 Speaker 1: something that's been around for several years, that being the 308 00:19:09,520 --> 00:19:15,080 Speaker 1: PayPal tip jar approach, So you've probably seen this around. 309 00:19:15,119 --> 00:19:17,679 Speaker 1: Lots of creators have included a tip jar on sites 310 00:19:17,720 --> 00:19:20,680 Speaker 1: to allow fans the chance to contribute directly to their 311 00:19:20,680 --> 00:19:25,080 Speaker 1: favorite artists or writers or whatever. So this would be 312 00:19:25,240 --> 00:19:27,600 Speaker 1: on various sites where you see the little PayPal button 313 00:19:27,680 --> 00:19:30,280 Speaker 1: you can click and then contribute a certain amount. You 314 00:19:30,280 --> 00:19:33,400 Speaker 1: can even make it a recurring contribution if you wanted to. 315 00:19:33,800 --> 00:19:37,840 Speaker 1: So that's very similar to what Patreon offers, and that's 316 00:19:37,840 --> 00:19:39,800 Speaker 1: been around for a while. But it's one of those 317 00:19:39,800 --> 00:19:43,439 Speaker 1: things that I think, you know, I'm sure people have 318 00:19:43,600 --> 00:19:47,119 Speaker 1: collected money from it, but not large amounts. It's not 319 00:19:47,320 --> 00:19:51,040 Speaker 1: terribly visible, and so it's it's not like it's not 320 00:19:51,160 --> 00:19:56,399 Speaker 1: like Patreon has replaced this button, but certainly augmented it. 321 00:19:56,800 --> 00:19:59,920 Speaker 1: And Patreon also has built in tools that allow creators 322 00:19:59,920 --> 00:20:03,800 Speaker 1: to communicate directly where their supporters, which was something that 323 00:20:03,920 --> 00:20:07,359 Speaker 1: the PayPal button didn't supply at all. The PayPal button 324 00:20:07,400 --> 00:20:10,000 Speaker 1: was really just a way for people to contribute directly 325 00:20:10,080 --> 00:20:14,200 Speaker 1: to a person. Patreon is more of a community building 326 00:20:14,280 --> 00:20:17,159 Speaker 1: tool because you can actually send a message out to 327 00:20:17,240 --> 00:20:20,880 Speaker 1: all of your Patreon supporters and give them updates, give 328 00:20:20,920 --> 00:20:25,400 Speaker 1: them links to special content, give them alerts to things 329 00:20:25,440 --> 00:20:29,000 Speaker 1: that you have planned that haven't been officially announced yet. 330 00:20:29,040 --> 00:20:31,159 Speaker 1: All of this kind of stuff. The idea of including 331 00:20:31,200 --> 00:20:37,240 Speaker 1: people into an artistic endeavor is built into Patreon Now. 332 00:20:37,320 --> 00:20:40,760 Speaker 1: Patreon charges the pledges at the end of each month, 333 00:20:40,960 --> 00:20:45,480 Speaker 1: so if you end up supporting a Patreon campaign, you're 334 00:20:45,480 --> 00:20:48,040 Speaker 1: not going to get charged until the end of the month, 335 00:20:48,359 --> 00:20:51,120 Speaker 1: and that might mean for some pat patrons are really 336 00:20:51,160 --> 00:20:53,639 Speaker 1: long wait if you join at the very beginning of 337 00:20:53,680 --> 00:20:56,399 Speaker 1: the month and pledge, because you won't be charged till 338 00:20:56,400 --> 00:20:58,280 Speaker 1: the end of the month, and you might not actually 339 00:20:58,280 --> 00:21:02,800 Speaker 1: have access to the Patreon level rewards until your money 340 00:21:02,800 --> 00:21:06,040 Speaker 1: has been processed. So if I start off on on 341 00:21:06,400 --> 00:21:09,880 Speaker 1: September one and I pledge at a certain level because 342 00:21:09,920 --> 00:21:13,080 Speaker 1: I want to have access to this special stuff, it 343 00:21:13,200 --> 00:21:16,200 Speaker 1: may not be until the following month until October when 344 00:21:16,240 --> 00:21:19,639 Speaker 1: I'm able to actually access that. So that's one downside 345 00:21:19,640 --> 00:21:21,760 Speaker 1: to Patreon. There are some others too. Obviously, if you 346 00:21:21,800 --> 00:21:25,040 Speaker 1: do not like PayPal, that's another issue, because that's the 347 00:21:25,080 --> 00:21:28,760 Speaker 1: main way to contribute money. Through Patreon, and if you 348 00:21:28,760 --> 00:21:33,040 Speaker 1: object to PayPal, then that could be a real, real problem. 349 00:21:33,800 --> 00:21:36,800 Speaker 1: One thing that's nice about Patreon is that it's not 350 00:21:36,840 --> 00:21:39,600 Speaker 1: necessarily a means to get a project off the ground, 351 00:21:40,200 --> 00:21:43,560 Speaker 1: So in other words, the work itself is probably already done. 352 00:21:43,600 --> 00:21:46,760 Speaker 1: In most cases, you're you're not risking anything. You're not 353 00:21:46,800 --> 00:21:50,560 Speaker 1: contributing money to a campaign that might ultimately fail, which 354 00:21:50,600 --> 00:21:54,119 Speaker 1: can completely happen with Kickstarter and indie go go. Now, 355 00:21:54,119 --> 00:21:57,520 Speaker 1: of course, in Kickstarter campaigns, if the campaign doesn't fund, 356 00:21:57,760 --> 00:22:01,320 Speaker 1: you aren't charged. With indie goog, you are charged because 357 00:22:01,359 --> 00:22:04,159 Speaker 1: even if a campaign doesn't mean it's campaign goal, some 358 00:22:04,320 --> 00:22:06,640 Speaker 1: of that money will end up going to the creator. 359 00:22:07,960 --> 00:22:12,640 Speaker 1: In both cases, if the campaign funds but nothing ever 360 00:22:12,760 --> 00:22:16,040 Speaker 1: comes out of it, you are left in the lurch. 361 00:22:17,000 --> 00:22:20,760 Speaker 1: And this has happened to me three times. I have 362 00:22:20,840 --> 00:22:27,160 Speaker 1: supported three different campaigns through crowdfunding that never ever went anywhere. 363 00:22:27,200 --> 00:22:30,840 Speaker 1: These are the infamous smart watches I have backed, and 364 00:22:31,000 --> 00:22:34,920 Speaker 1: all three have languished and never got to me. So 365 00:22:36,160 --> 00:22:39,359 Speaker 1: learned from my lesson. Also, I think it's important to 366 00:22:39,400 --> 00:22:42,760 Speaker 1: remember anytime you see any kind of crowdfunding thing, if 367 00:22:42,800 --> 00:22:47,240 Speaker 1: it's for a physical product, way that with the idea 368 00:22:47,359 --> 00:22:50,880 Speaker 1: that this may never happen even if the project funds, 369 00:22:50,920 --> 00:22:55,080 Speaker 1: because physical products are hard to produce, uh, they can 370 00:22:55,160 --> 00:22:58,520 Speaker 1: often cost more money and have more problems than someone 371 00:22:58,640 --> 00:23:03,320 Speaker 1: would would have they're wise predicted. So that's always valuable 372 00:23:03,440 --> 00:23:08,360 Speaker 1: to go into a crowdfunding situation knowing that ahead of time. 373 00:23:08,359 --> 00:23:10,800 Speaker 1: And if you're okay with that risk and you believe 374 00:23:10,840 --> 00:23:13,719 Speaker 1: in what the people are doing, that's fine. But if 375 00:23:13,760 --> 00:23:16,359 Speaker 1: you're thinking of the kickstarter as a way to start 376 00:23:16,440 --> 00:23:20,240 Speaker 1: a pre order on something, you could end up for 377 00:23:20,600 --> 00:23:23,920 Speaker 1: with a rude awakening further down the line at any rate. 378 00:23:23,960 --> 00:23:26,840 Speaker 1: Patreon is not like that. With Patreon, most of the time, 379 00:23:27,160 --> 00:23:29,640 Speaker 1: the creators are doing something they love and they're going 380 00:23:29,680 --> 00:23:32,280 Speaker 1: to be doing anyway. This is just a means for 381 00:23:32,320 --> 00:23:35,280 Speaker 1: them to be compensated for some of that work. So, 382 00:23:35,400 --> 00:23:37,760 Speaker 1: for example, it might be a web comics artist who 383 00:23:37,880 --> 00:23:41,040 Speaker 1: is going to continue drawing web comics no matter what, 384 00:23:41,640 --> 00:23:44,240 Speaker 1: but this is a way for you to express appreciation 385 00:23:44,280 --> 00:23:46,720 Speaker 1: and help support the web comics artist in his or 386 00:23:46,720 --> 00:23:50,920 Speaker 1: her efforts to bring that art to you. So it's 387 00:23:51,040 --> 00:23:53,680 Speaker 1: it's very different in that it's not it's not like 388 00:23:53,720 --> 00:23:56,679 Speaker 1: you have to wait for a certain threshold to be 389 00:23:56,760 --> 00:23:59,639 Speaker 1: met and then you get whatever it is you're supporting, 390 00:24:00,200 --> 00:24:03,719 Speaker 1: You're getting it already, So I think that's pretty exciting. 391 00:24:03,760 --> 00:24:06,200 Speaker 1: And also, you can end your support at any time. 392 00:24:06,240 --> 00:24:10,160 Speaker 1: You can go into Patreon and say I'm done supporting 393 00:24:10,240 --> 00:24:14,480 Speaker 1: this particular campaign. I either you know, I'm no longer 394 00:24:14,560 --> 00:24:17,280 Speaker 1: interested in it, or I can't afford it, or whatever 395 00:24:17,320 --> 00:24:19,119 Speaker 1: the reason. Maybe it doesn't matter. You don't have to 396 00:24:19,119 --> 00:24:23,439 Speaker 1: provide a reason. You can just stop your support. You've 397 00:24:23,440 --> 00:24:26,040 Speaker 1: got a bit more to say about Patreon and similar 398 00:24:26,359 --> 00:24:40,200 Speaker 1: services after this quick commercial break. As for Patreon itself 399 00:24:40,320 --> 00:24:44,680 Speaker 1: making money, well, it got started with venture capital investments. 400 00:24:45,040 --> 00:24:46,560 Speaker 1: You know, this is the way we see a lot 401 00:24:46,600 --> 00:24:50,400 Speaker 1: of startups start. You know, how they're able to stay 402 00:24:50,400 --> 00:24:53,679 Speaker 1: afloat early on is that they get investments from outside 403 00:24:54,280 --> 00:24:57,280 Speaker 1: to get things moving. But beyond that you have to 404 00:24:57,320 --> 00:25:01,720 Speaker 1: create a different model or else you're business will ultimately fail. 405 00:25:02,720 --> 00:25:07,439 Speaker 1: So what Patreon does is it takes five percent of 406 00:25:07,480 --> 00:25:11,119 Speaker 1: all the pledges that are gathered for all the different 407 00:25:11,160 --> 00:25:15,920 Speaker 1: Patreon campaigns, and so as more people create Patreon campaigns 408 00:25:15,920 --> 00:25:20,040 Speaker 1: and more people support Patreon campaigns, more money rolls in 409 00:25:20,359 --> 00:25:24,800 Speaker 1: and eventually those different five percent uh pieces start to 410 00:25:24,960 --> 00:25:29,520 Speaker 1: really add up. In October two thousand and fourteen, Uh, 411 00:25:29,680 --> 00:25:32,119 Speaker 1: that was the first time we started seeing creators on 412 00:25:32,160 --> 00:25:36,119 Speaker 1: Patreon collectively making more than one million dollars per month. 413 00:25:36,800 --> 00:25:41,000 Speaker 1: So adding up all the different Patreon accounts, they're about 414 00:25:41,000 --> 00:25:44,639 Speaker 1: a million dollars a month going through Patreon. But even then, 415 00:25:44,800 --> 00:25:46,919 Speaker 1: if you look at that five percent, that's just fifty 416 00:25:46,920 --> 00:25:49,600 Speaker 1: tho dollars a month, which that's a lot of money, 417 00:25:49,640 --> 00:25:52,919 Speaker 1: don't get me wrong, but fifty a month for a 418 00:25:53,000 --> 00:25:58,040 Speaker 1: company is a relatively small amount. So Patreon has to 419 00:25:58,080 --> 00:26:02,240 Speaker 1: stay pretty small and nimble in order to uh continue 420 00:26:02,280 --> 00:26:06,240 Speaker 1: to provide this service. Oh and one other thing. That 421 00:26:06,320 --> 00:26:08,560 Speaker 1: five percent is just part of what gets taken out 422 00:26:08,560 --> 00:26:11,800 Speaker 1: of the final pledge total. It's not like creators are 423 00:26:11,800 --> 00:26:18,600 Speaker 1: getting of the money because of PayPal. PayPal also takes 424 00:26:18,600 --> 00:26:23,640 Speaker 1: a cut. So ultimately about nine to of the money 425 00:26:23,680 --> 00:26:26,280 Speaker 1: that is supposed to go to a campaign gets taken 426 00:26:26,280 --> 00:26:30,360 Speaker 1: out for fees of various types. So that means you're 427 00:26:30,400 --> 00:26:32,960 Speaker 1: going to end up with around nine percent of all 428 00:26:32,960 --> 00:26:36,600 Speaker 1: the money that has been contributed to your campaign if 429 00:26:36,640 --> 00:26:39,520 Speaker 1: you are a creator on Patreon. But then keep in 430 00:26:39,560 --> 00:26:44,800 Speaker 1: mind that if you are trying to use advertising for example, 431 00:26:44,880 --> 00:26:48,240 Speaker 1: to support your work, you get to keep way less 432 00:26:48,280 --> 00:26:51,199 Speaker 1: than nine percent of that money. So if you have 433 00:26:51,240 --> 00:26:54,960 Speaker 1: a YouTube video series and you're monetizing your videos on YouTube, 434 00:26:56,119 --> 00:26:58,760 Speaker 1: YouTube is taking a much larger chunk than ten percent, 435 00:27:00,000 --> 00:27:02,520 Speaker 1: you are not going to be able to keep of 436 00:27:02,560 --> 00:27:05,320 Speaker 1: the money that your videos earned. So that's something to 437 00:27:05,400 --> 00:27:08,840 Speaker 1: keep in mind. Although, again, if this is an opt 438 00:27:08,880 --> 00:27:12,239 Speaker 1: in situation where people come and then they dedicate their 439 00:27:12,280 --> 00:27:14,680 Speaker 1: money to your work, you're going to see a much 440 00:27:14,840 --> 00:27:20,280 Speaker 1: smaller percentage of your overall audience willing to actually pay 441 00:27:20,440 --> 00:27:25,399 Speaker 1: a monthly or or per item fee to get the 442 00:27:25,400 --> 00:27:28,520 Speaker 1: stuff they could get for free. Uh, there will be some, 443 00:27:28,720 --> 00:27:31,600 Speaker 1: but it will be a percentage, a small percentage of 444 00:27:31,640 --> 00:27:34,719 Speaker 1: the overall audience. So if you're a creative person, all 445 00:27:34,800 --> 00:27:37,480 Speaker 1: this is kind of sounding pretty attractive. You could have 446 00:27:37,520 --> 00:27:40,240 Speaker 1: a platform to reach an audience. You could cultivate a 447 00:27:40,280 --> 00:27:42,840 Speaker 1: following and really gain support from the people who love 448 00:27:42,920 --> 00:27:46,120 Speaker 1: your work. But it's not that easy. For one thing, 449 00:27:46,440 --> 00:27:49,760 Speaker 1: making people aware of the option to support is already 450 00:27:49,800 --> 00:27:54,280 Speaker 1: a challenge. Discovery can be a difficult thing on Patreon. 451 00:27:54,280 --> 00:27:57,560 Speaker 1: Most people don't go to Patreon to just do searches 452 00:27:57,600 --> 00:27:59,719 Speaker 1: to find out what kind of stuff they love and 453 00:27:59,760 --> 00:28:02,520 Speaker 1: how to support it. If they hear about it, they 454 00:28:02,520 --> 00:28:05,639 Speaker 1: hear about it from the creator. So it means that 455 00:28:05,680 --> 00:28:08,520 Speaker 1: you have to use lots of different channels of communication 456 00:28:08,640 --> 00:28:11,600 Speaker 1: to tell followers how they can support the work they love. 457 00:28:12,200 --> 00:28:15,399 Speaker 1: It might be through Twitter and Facebook and Tumbler, and 458 00:28:15,640 --> 00:28:18,359 Speaker 1: it might if you have a podcast or a video series, 459 00:28:18,400 --> 00:28:21,400 Speaker 1: it could involve announcing that every episode so that people 460 00:28:21,440 --> 00:28:24,840 Speaker 1: are aware of it, because otherwise, if they're not aware 461 00:28:24,840 --> 00:28:27,600 Speaker 1: of it, you're never going to get any support anyway. 462 00:28:28,160 --> 00:28:31,280 Speaker 1: Some people, some creators, make it a point to regularly 463 00:28:31,359 --> 00:28:34,920 Speaker 1: thank their supporters in every episode. So instead of saying, hey, 464 00:28:35,040 --> 00:28:38,560 Speaker 1: go to Patreon and put money to support my work, 465 00:28:38,600 --> 00:28:41,320 Speaker 1: they might say, I want to take this time to 466 00:28:41,440 --> 00:28:44,720 Speaker 1: thank all of our supporters on Patreon, without whom this 467 00:28:44,760 --> 00:28:48,480 Speaker 1: show is not possible. And that's a really nice way 468 00:28:48,560 --> 00:28:51,479 Speaker 1: of saying thank you. It also reminds people, hey, if 469 00:28:51,520 --> 00:28:53,840 Speaker 1: you want to support this, you can go to Patreon 470 00:28:53,920 --> 00:28:56,920 Speaker 1: and be part of that group. But it really, ultimately 471 00:28:57,040 --> 00:28:59,800 Speaker 1: is more about being genuine with your audience and saying 472 00:29:00,440 --> 00:29:03,600 Speaker 1: you guys are awesome for loving what I do, and 473 00:29:03,760 --> 00:29:06,880 Speaker 1: I will keep doing this and keep making the stuff 474 00:29:06,920 --> 00:29:10,160 Speaker 1: you love for as long as you love it. And 475 00:29:10,200 --> 00:29:12,440 Speaker 1: I think that that is a really powerful message, and 476 00:29:12,480 --> 00:29:15,720 Speaker 1: it's actually true for most creators. I don't think most 477 00:29:15,720 --> 00:29:19,960 Speaker 1: creators are out there trying to get rich quick. They're 478 00:29:19,960 --> 00:29:23,000 Speaker 1: doing what they do because they love doing it. And 479 00:29:23,040 --> 00:29:27,640 Speaker 1: if they're successful, that's awesome, that is that's the dream. 480 00:29:27,640 --> 00:29:30,080 Speaker 1: But if they're not, they're still doing what they love. 481 00:29:31,000 --> 00:29:33,400 Speaker 1: But obviously all of this works best for people who 482 00:29:33,520 --> 00:29:38,200 Speaker 1: already have a large following, people who have already established 483 00:29:38,240 --> 00:29:41,160 Speaker 1: themselves and have an audience and can speak to that 484 00:29:41,240 --> 00:29:43,920 Speaker 1: audience and say, hey, by the way, here's this place 485 00:29:43,920 --> 00:29:46,960 Speaker 1: where you can support me. So if you're not fortunate 486 00:29:47,080 --> 00:29:49,800 Speaker 1: enough to be one of those people, Patreon might not 487 00:29:49,960 --> 00:29:53,520 Speaker 1: bring in enough to help sustain your work. But if 488 00:29:53,520 --> 00:29:56,440 Speaker 1: you're planning on doing the work anyway, whether you get 489 00:29:56,480 --> 00:29:58,800 Speaker 1: that support or not, and you just want to do 490 00:29:58,840 --> 00:30:01,400 Speaker 1: it for the love of the work itself, it might 491 00:30:01,440 --> 00:30:03,280 Speaker 1: be worth your while to go ahead and make a 492 00:30:03,320 --> 00:30:07,480 Speaker 1: Patreon page. You might not have hundreds of Patrons supporters, 493 00:30:07,960 --> 00:30:10,240 Speaker 1: but if you're going to be doing the work anyway, 494 00:30:10,280 --> 00:30:14,000 Speaker 1: it doesn't hurt to also have the Patreon option. So 495 00:30:14,120 --> 00:30:17,280 Speaker 1: lots of Patreon creators offer up access to their work 496 00:30:17,280 --> 00:30:20,440 Speaker 1: in different ways, including ways that are free. So for them, 497 00:30:20,440 --> 00:30:23,480 Speaker 1: the Patreon link is about giving fans the opportunities to 498 00:30:23,560 --> 00:30:26,800 Speaker 1: support the work they like. But others actually have just 499 00:30:26,880 --> 00:30:30,040 Speaker 1: specific stuff that only Patreon supporters of access to, so 500 00:30:30,120 --> 00:30:33,320 Speaker 1: that creates an incentive for people to join Patreon so 501 00:30:33,360 --> 00:30:36,560 Speaker 1: they can get at the stuff they otherwise wouldn't see. 502 00:30:36,920 --> 00:30:39,760 Speaker 1: And usually there's a balance between the two. Like I said, 503 00:30:39,880 --> 00:30:42,440 Speaker 1: it's not normally the case that someone says, all right, 504 00:30:42,480 --> 00:30:45,400 Speaker 1: here's a special web comic, but you only get to 505 00:30:45,400 --> 00:30:47,920 Speaker 1: see it if you join Patreon, Otherwise you'll never see it. 506 00:30:48,320 --> 00:30:51,240 Speaker 1: That's rare. It's more likely to say, I'm glad you 507 00:30:51,320 --> 00:30:54,560 Speaker 1: like this web comic. If you enjoy it, consider supporting 508 00:30:54,560 --> 00:30:56,880 Speaker 1: me on Patreon, and then in return you will get 509 00:30:56,920 --> 00:31:01,160 Speaker 1: all this bonus material. That's kind of That's that's the 510 00:31:01,240 --> 00:31:06,120 Speaker 1: more common way this this rolls out. And personally it's 511 00:31:06,160 --> 00:31:09,000 Speaker 1: probably clear. I love the idea of Patreon. I mean, 512 00:31:09,000 --> 00:31:11,800 Speaker 1: I do support people, but I don't think I could 513 00:31:11,840 --> 00:31:14,360 Speaker 1: actually use it for myself. Like I don't think I 514 00:31:14,440 --> 00:31:17,800 Speaker 1: would create a Patreon campaign because I doubt I have 515 00:31:17,960 --> 00:31:20,120 Speaker 1: enough of a following to bring in enough money to 516 00:31:20,160 --> 00:31:23,160 Speaker 1: support the stuff I want to do outside of work. 517 00:31:23,880 --> 00:31:26,040 Speaker 1: But for artists who are in a different situation, I 518 00:31:26,080 --> 00:31:28,880 Speaker 1: think it's a great tool. It gives people an alternative 519 00:31:28,920 --> 00:31:32,160 Speaker 1: to advertising or to trying to do direct sales, and 520 00:31:32,200 --> 00:31:34,560 Speaker 1: it gives fans a chance to be part of something 521 00:31:34,560 --> 00:31:36,840 Speaker 1: that they love. So I think that's a win win 522 00:31:36,920 --> 00:31:39,640 Speaker 1: for everybody. And again, as long as it's opped in, 523 00:31:39,840 --> 00:31:42,120 Speaker 1: I'm cool with it. It's when it's when you require 524 00:31:42,120 --> 00:31:45,120 Speaker 1: it that I start to say, well, that's less cool. 525 00:31:45,960 --> 00:31:49,280 Speaker 1: Now it's about time for me to sign off. But 526 00:31:49,360 --> 00:31:52,520 Speaker 1: I believe I made a promise, or maybe the better 527 00:31:52,520 --> 00:31:55,440 Speaker 1: word is a threat to treat you, guys to a 528 00:31:55,480 --> 00:31:58,920 Speaker 1: little bit of my Renaissance Festival character in honor of 529 00:31:58,960 --> 00:32:03,880 Speaker 1: the theme patronage, which in fact does have its origins 530 00:32:03,920 --> 00:32:09,080 Speaker 1: in the Renaissance. So this is your opportunity to spare 531 00:32:09,120 --> 00:32:13,120 Speaker 1: yourself the pain of hearing me be corny while speaking 532 00:32:13,160 --> 00:32:17,960 Speaker 1: in a terribly inaccurate accent. If that's going to bother you, 533 00:32:18,360 --> 00:32:21,440 Speaker 1: you might want to quit while you're ahead, because the 534 00:32:21,480 --> 00:32:24,840 Speaker 1: show is essentially over at this point. But for the 535 00:32:24,880 --> 00:32:34,400 Speaker 1: rest of you, you have been warned. Lords send ladies, 536 00:32:34,520 --> 00:32:38,320 Speaker 1: thou art most fortunate to this day, for thou dost 537 00:32:38,360 --> 00:32:42,640 Speaker 1: find thyself in the enviable position of being within the 538 00:32:42,720 --> 00:32:46,680 Speaker 1: presence of one Lord Admiral Edmund ving Lory, the third 539 00:32:46,720 --> 00:32:50,520 Speaker 1: Commander of His Majesty's Navy Royal and member of the 540 00:32:50,640 --> 00:32:54,560 Speaker 1: Privy Council. And though it not me known by many, 541 00:32:54,720 --> 00:32:58,560 Speaker 1: I be a distinguished patron of the arts, the man 542 00:32:58,960 --> 00:33:03,160 Speaker 1: behind the purse, behind the theater, behind the pub, behind 543 00:33:03,160 --> 00:33:07,160 Speaker 1: the times run by none other than the Lord Admiral's men. 544 00:33:07,640 --> 00:33:11,840 Speaker 1: There thou mayest have had the glorious experience of seeing 545 00:33:11,920 --> 00:33:17,880 Speaker 1: such unforgettable plays as Anything You Want to Love's labor 546 00:33:18,000 --> 00:33:22,960 Speaker 1: one and cats veterally. It doth please me to the 547 00:33:23,080 --> 00:33:25,640 Speaker 1: ends of the earth to bring to the amusements and 548 00:33:25,800 --> 00:33:29,680 Speaker 1: entertainments of such quality that audiences cannot help but to 549 00:33:29,880 --> 00:33:33,680 Speaker 1: cry out in happiness when the doors be unbarred and 550 00:33:33,800 --> 00:33:37,480 Speaker 1: people are allowed to go home. When next thou dost 551 00:33:37,520 --> 00:33:40,640 Speaker 1: have need of a distraction from the plague, or a 552 00:33:40,800 --> 00:33:43,720 Speaker 1: need a place to visit, because thy house is a fire, 553 00:33:44,080 --> 00:33:48,200 Speaker 1: consider a voyage to the playhouse. I thank THEE and 554 00:33:48,200 --> 00:33:52,960 Speaker 1: shall see thee. Ah No. That wraps up this classic 555 00:33:53,000 --> 00:33:56,640 Speaker 1: episode of text. Patreon again and other services like it 556 00:33:56,760 --> 00:33:59,160 Speaker 1: that's one that I need to I can't do an 557 00:33:59,240 --> 00:34:02,400 Speaker 1: update for a lot of these are you know, they've 558 00:34:02,480 --> 00:34:05,720 Speaker 1: changed a lot in the past few years. And uh, 559 00:34:05,960 --> 00:34:08,960 Speaker 1: some of that's due to changes in policy which have 560 00:34:09,000 --> 00:34:12,239 Speaker 1: affected numerous creators. Some of it just has to do 561 00:34:12,360 --> 00:34:17,239 Speaker 1: with different trends in the marketplace. And um, yeah, it's 562 00:34:17,320 --> 00:34:19,239 Speaker 1: it's been long enough where I think I could come 563 00:34:19,239 --> 00:34:23,560 Speaker 1: back and revisit this this topic and talk about what 564 00:34:23,760 --> 00:34:27,160 Speaker 1: has worked and what has not worked so well over time. 565 00:34:28,040 --> 00:34:29,799 Speaker 1: If you would like to suggest a topic for me 566 00:34:29,840 --> 00:34:31,640 Speaker 1: to cover in future episodes of tech Stuff, there are 567 00:34:31,600 --> 00:34:33,279 Speaker 1: a couple of ways you can reach out to me. 568 00:34:33,440 --> 00:34:36,479 Speaker 1: One is to download the I Heart Radio app, which 569 00:34:36,520 --> 00:34:39,120 Speaker 1: is free to download, free to use. You can navigate 570 00:34:39,160 --> 00:34:42,160 Speaker 1: over to the tech Stuff page and push that little 571 00:34:42,160 --> 00:34:45,360 Speaker 1: microphone icon that will let you leave a voice message 572 00:34:45,400 --> 00:34:48,480 Speaker 1: up to thirty seconds in length, and you can let 573 00:34:48,480 --> 00:34:50,160 Speaker 1: me know what you would like me to cover there, 574 00:34:50,320 --> 00:34:53,680 Speaker 1: Or you can pop on over to Twitter. The handle 575 00:34:53,719 --> 00:34:56,719 Speaker 1: we use for the show is tech Stuff HSW and 576 00:34:56,760 --> 00:34:59,640 Speaker 1: you can leave me your suggestion there and I'll talk 577 00:34:59,640 --> 00:35:08,440 Speaker 1: to you in again really soon. Yeah. Text Stuff is 578 00:35:08,440 --> 00:35:11,640 Speaker 1: an I Heart Radio production. For more podcasts from I 579 00:35:11,719 --> 00:35:15,319 Speaker 1: Heart radio, visit the I heart Radio app, Apple podcasts, 580 00:35:15,440 --> 00:35:17,440 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.