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Artists! Make Money with Patreon

Created by artists, for Artists

· Music Business

What is Patreon?

As technology gets more innovative, musicians and other artists are discovering more and more ways to connect with fans and make money doing things they love. Patreon is a fantastic, subscription based service created by artists, for artists, allowing fans to support creators they love.

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Sign up for Patreon

Why Patreon?

Patreon is flexible. Artists can make their subscriptions monthly or project based, and fans can choose to follow for free or support monetarily. The subscriptions can start at $1, and in theory can go as high as the artist chooses!

The Content

Makers on Patreon do everything from recording music to publishing podcasts to creating prints. If you want to start connecting with fans on Patreon, you'll need an idea. Know what you love to do, and start brainstorming ways that you can connect with fans through it. Do you like to write music? Maybe you can record and release it to your patrons. Do you enjoy making music videos? Your fans will probably enjoy them, too! Patreon lets you choose which subscriber levels can see what content, and you can post text and pictures as well as your creations to stay connected to them in between releases!

Tips for Success

  • Create a strategy before you start!  If you know how often you'll publish material, how much you want to make your subscription tiers, and how you will market yourself, you'll be able to hit the ground running. Fans will be more likely to subscribe if they can see what they're getting before they sign up. 
  • Be consistent!  People sign up because they want to see what you're making! If you have long periods of time where you're not doing much, subscribers will notice, and they'll likely unsubscribe if they notice. If you do a lot at once, don't put it out all at once, keep some of it saved so that when you get busy or aren't feeling inspired you'll still have something to share. 
  • Ask people you know to be patrons!  Many first time Patreon subscribers will look at an artist's subscribers before they sign up to see if anyone else is subscribed. The more people you have signed up, the easier it is to get new people. Personally ask friends or family members to subscribe, even if it's just for $1 a month, to help you build some momentum. 

Getting Started

To learn more about Patreon and to sign up (for free!), go to www.patreon.com and take a look around. See what other people are doing to get inspired and follow or subscribe to pages you like! Are you on Patreon? Tell us about your experience in the comments!

Makers on Patreon do everything from recording music to publishing podcasts to creating prints. If you want to start connecting with fans on Patreon, you'll need an idea. Know what you love to do, and start brainstorming ways that you can connect with fans through it. Do you like to write music? Maybe you can record and release it to your patrons. Do you enjoy making music videos? Your fans will probably enjoy them, too! Patreon lets you choose which subscriber levels can see what content, and you can post text and pictures as well as your creations to stay connected to them in between releases!

To learn more about Patreon and to sign up (for free!), go to www.patreon.com and take a look around. See what other people are doing to get inspired and follow or subscribe to pages you like! Are you on Patreon? Tell us about your experience in the comments!