Small change regarding the way pledges are charged
I want to let you guys know about a small change taking place to the way Patreon will collect the monthly pledges.
A short while ago, Patreon offered a new feature to some creators called "Pay Upfront" which changes when Patrons are charged for their pledge. Basically, the difference is this:
Previously, for a monthly Patreon like ours, you would, technically, sign up, and then be charged on the next first of the month. So if a Patron signed up on the 15th of June, they would receive immediate access, and their first charge would occur on the 1st of July, and then the first of every month thereafter.
With Charge Upfront, a new Patron will now be charged on June 15th for the month of June, and then they would be charged on July 1st for the month of July, August 1st for the month of August, and so on.
At first, I didn't really see a need to change the method of operation. However upon closer inspection, I noticed a handful of people that would sign up, receive the content, and then cancel their pledge before they were charged. Or, more commonly (unfortunately), they would temporarily increase their pledge to receive access to higher tier content, and then revert back to their regular level before being charged the additional amount.
I've spent the last couple of months sort of agonizing about whether, ultimately, this really mattered at all. I mean, I'm fortunate enough to get any support at all, and I'm thankful for the ability to create the content that I do for a living, so should I really be concerned about a little bit of gaming the system?
At the same time, the Patreon support that I receive plays a very big role in creating the content that I do. The pledges pay for the colorists to help me with The Starcaster Chronicles and Analog and D-Pad, and on a more fundamental level, help in paying for the other costs necessary to do my job, such as daycare for my son, my subscription to Creative Cloud, etc. So it's a core part of keeping me going.
Ultimately what nudged me over the edge was the idea that it simply wasn't fair to those Patrons who offer me their support at those higher tiers. When someone can pledge $10 a month and receive some extra desktop-sized wallpaper as a thank-you, and someone else comes in and just grabs that and runs, that doesn't sit well with me. That's something that I came up with to try and offer people some value for their patronage.
So the bottom line is, if you support month-to-month, you will see absolutely no change in the way things work. You'll be charged on the first of the month, and you'll have access to all your content for that month.
If you're at the $3 tier and decide, one month, you want to check out the Analog and D-Pad One Shots the $5 tier gets and you bump up your pledge, you'll be charged the difference on the spot. You can then go back down to $3 the following month, and that's no problem.
I think it's just a fairer and clearer way to operate this thing going forward, and I just wanted to make you all aware of the change so there were no surprises.
And while we're on the subject of value-for-patronage, I want to say that I am always open for a discussion on the topic of things you guys would like to see added or offered as a result of your support. Either restructuring of the existing tiers if you don't feel a particular reward is a good value for the cost, or if you've seen some other Patreon offer something you'd like to see me try to do. Ultimately, I want to be making stuff that people want to have, so I'm certainly open to doing as much as I can within the balance of work and life.
Thanks :)
Comments (11)
I wondered when I first Patreoned* if it was possible to game the sysyem this way, so I'm glad they closed the loophole. *that is a word, I made it up just now. :)
Perfectly understandable, Tim. Also... why haven't you broken the $4000/month limit yet? Seems like new subscriptions have dried up... perhaps advertise your Patreon account a bit more? :)
Those of us who love your work and want to support you in thanks for all the entertainment provided to us throughout the years, won't mind this decision Tim. It's sad that they are people who try to abuse systems that are meant to help artists like yourself have a life where they can support themselves and not struggle like artists many times do. The $5-$10 we pledge makes very little difference to our lives but makes a big difference to yours, so if people want the content they really shouldn't be cheap about it. And if they really can't afford, I'm sure that you would be more than willing to share your creation with them if they share their story. True artists don't create art for money, they do it to bring joy to other's lives. They just need to make sure they can provide for their family while doing so
This is absolutely fair. A lot of people don't see webcomics (or other art) as a job, but that's exactly what it is when you're making money off it, especially when it's your primary income source. And you (and other artists) deserve to get paid for your work.
Sounds completely fair to me. Other people I pledge to on Patreon have also started doing this for the exact same reason or because of even bigger douchebaggery (people putting in fake pledges to make it look like a goal would be hit, then pulling out entirely a few hours before the charge would occur to basically sabotage the goal). I honestly cannot believe this isn't already the way Patreon works by default to begin with.
They should have been doing this all along... I pay to fund you & in return I get something back :) I know some people have an "extra" tier where they can be a "background" character or have a random chance of getting their character drawn. Wish I could spend an extra 100 bucks per month though...
Absolutely support this. I would pledge at a higher level if I could...and there is no need for loopholes. Don't feel bad in the least stopping people from gaming the system if you are able. It isn't just the high levels missing out it is all of us that are donating simply because we love your work. That loophole doesn't sit with me as only a $5 tier pledger. Close it up and any other holes that get spotted in the future.
I support your choice on this Tim, you deserve the money for all the awesome things you do.
People gaming the system like that was one thing that annoyed me about Patreon at the start, so 100% the right decision for you :)
I thought that's how it was already. Good thing they're changing to it though, some people will take advantage if there's a loophole.
Sounds like the way it should have been done all along. Keep up the great work!