Patreon is a crowdfunding platform that seeks to directly connect content creators with their fans via crowdfunding. The San Francisco-based platform just nabbed a $2.1 million round of funding, as was first reported by Publisher’s Weekly.
Patreon was founded by Jack Conte, one half of the YouTube sensation Pomplamoose. You can see an example of what they do below, set to the tunes of Pharrell.
Conte also performs as a solo act and his own Patreon page nets him 1,195 patrons that pledge over $7,000 for every video Conte produces.
… and that’s the play. Patreon encapsulates two models: a subscription-driven model that gives creators a certain total for every piece of content they produce; Alternatively, a model encapsulating a flat monthly fee is available for those that create too much content to sensibly offer a subscription model.
Patreon has grown like a proverbial weed since launch, thanks in no small part to Conte’s own intimate understanding of the pains of relying on AdSense revenue for a paycheck. Look for crowdfunding to continue to supplement that income for content creators, whether on YouTube or otherwise.