It’s not QUITE crowdfunding. It’s not QUITE a subscription service. It’s Patreon — a tool created by Pomplamoose’s Jack Conte. Patreon allows fans of musicians, authors, bloggers, photographers (any kind of content creator, really) to become patrons in an interesting new way.
Instead of pledging money towards a major project (album release, book launch, film editing, etc.) like you might through crowdfunding sites such as Kickstarter or RocketHub, Patreon users can pledge a certain amount of money for each new product/project that the creator releases, with a monthly cap on spending.
As a musician, you could use Patreon to earn money every time you release a new demo, single, video, or blog post. Your fans get to contribute to an ongoing creative process, rather than just one moment in your career.
What do you think? Will you use Patreon? Will a service like this help you forge a closer connection to your fans? Let us know in the comments section below.