Patreon changes charge structure, then backpedals (Patreon)

If you didn't catch the news, I had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity after Thanksgiving where I could go to Japan, travel and room covered. There are some awesome pictures on my twitter, facebook, and instagram.

While I was away, Patreon announced they were going to roll out a fee change structure, and I really wanted to say something about it. Then, they *just now* decided not to make that change. It's entirely possible your trust level has gone down with them (I know mine has). I've seen some changes in pledges. They say they'll do whatever they can to earn our trust back... I hope that means they're also scrapping their idea that creator-to-creator payments will be outside of Patreon rather than inside, because I want to support some folks once I have the money. The true test I guess is whether they implement download code distribution. 😆

You probably already know I'm in a difficult position here... I want to be open and transparent about things that are going on but I don't want to bring everyone down. I'm not crazy big and I don't think I can afford to move to another service, but I am willing to consider doing another service alongside Patreon if there is enough demand. Someone has already reached out to me about an alternate service with a similar structure. I'll be watching it closely.

No matter what happens? Even though I'm not making it with my music, I'm super glad you're here, supporting me. You are helping me make it happen, bit by bit (pun?). You have no idea how grateful I am to be able to breathe, even a little bit, while I produce commissions for others. I've enjoyed connecting with people, meeting and chatting with fans. We've built a cool, small little community. I don't want to lose you, and I won't do anything with the intention of making supporting me difficult. Really, I wish all of this were easier; it's weird to think that if I could pull a nickel a month from all of the people following me on social media I could actually make a living wage and go totally full time with my own endeavors. Not that I'm not trying to do that anyway, but it's damn risky.

If you ever want to talk about this with me, please reach out. Comment on posts. Chat on the IP Discord (if you're not already linked, tie your Patreon to Discord and you'll get an automatic invite!), Message me here on Patreon, or even send me a good old fashioned E-mail. I won't be upset. I promise to listen and talk to you about it, take any opinions you have under consideration, and help you understand where I'm at.

Thanks for reading this. I'm sorry this wasn't a more exciting music update, but there will be more of those soon! =]