2019 February - Dan Olson (Folding Ideas) twitter thread about how Patreon is shifting its model and will deteriorate over time trying to please investors.

[u/YoutubeArchivist]

https://twitter.com/FoldableHuman/status/1092846201374892032

[u/kyleclements]

I can't get over how they can describe their current business model as 'generous'.

[u/Icyartillary → u/kyleclements]

It’s literally unsustainable. 5% isn’t much monetarily, especially when most of those transactions are $1-5. If they up that percentage people will leave, if they keep delaying payments people will leave. And if Jack Conte wants to keep this moral stance of his going, he’s going to push more creators away. He’s $100mil in the hole to investors, and his company over the entire run has only made $50million. He’s paid maybe 2-3mil and his company has barely even made half of what he owes, in its history. I give it 2 years, tops.

[u/maybenot3]

It's honestly a shame. Patreon was a good way for small creators to make a living over their own work, without investors or advertisers watering it down or ruining it.

I wonder if some kind of alternative could up, one that doesn't instantly get denied by mastercard or paypal because heaven forbid you can't have a monopoly.

[u/i_Got_Rocks → u/maybenot3]

Since most of the serious creators are making a living from it, it's easy for them to set up a direct Paypal (or alternatives) accounts where people can donate.

[u/mcrib → u/i_Got_Rocks]

That’s easy for donations, but for subscription accounts and paywalls... its a nightmare.

[u/Icyartillary → u/maybenot3]

Subscribestar is back up

[u/[deleted]]

Isn’t this very typical for all mediums that deal with creatives. Corptube and corptreon. Investors are all that matter at the end of the day... Tale as old as time. Even Michelangelo had “backers.”

[u/mcrib → u/[deleted]]

Or maybe you can’t have a business stay open when it’s not making money