Gonna agree with a bunch of other folks here about the flat fee. When this post first went up, that was the one thing that made me immediately wary.
I have zero problems with paying a percentage of my payments or pledges; I consider it just the cost of doing business. But that's the thing with paying out a percentage: it's only a cost when I do business. I pretty much universally shy away from subscription services at this point, because I can't guarantee I'll make at least that much a month from my art.
With that said, I welcome any solution to the problem of patrons who grab content and flee before paying anything. I've had several friends mention this happening to them on Patreon, and it's definitely driving people away from that site.
Now, people here may seem like they're being critical and distrustful, but quite frankly, we've all been burned by promises of Bigger and Better sites. We've gotten our hopes up for something better many times before and we're pretty jaded about grand ideas with nothing substantial to show. That's why people keep asking for something more than just an "I'd like to do this" statement. The fact that you have experience with running businesses in the past is a huge point in your favor.
There is a desire for something like Patreon but with better artist protections and control. If you build that, and it works, and looks good, you will have users.
no subject
I have zero problems with paying a percentage of my payments or pledges; I consider it just the cost of doing business. But that's the thing with paying out a percentage: it's only a cost when I do business. I pretty much universally shy away from subscription services at this point, because I can't guarantee I'll make at least that much a month from my art.
With that said, I welcome any solution to the problem of patrons who grab content and flee before paying anything. I've had several friends mention this happening to them on Patreon, and it's definitely driving people away from that site.
Now, people here may seem like they're being critical and distrustful, but quite frankly, we've all been burned by promises of Bigger and Better sites. We've gotten our hopes up for something better many times before and we're pretty jaded about grand ideas with nothing substantial to show. That's why people keep asking for something more than just an "I'd like to do this" statement. The fact that you have experience with running businesses in the past is a huge point in your favor.
There is a desire for something like Patreon but with better artist protections and control. If you build that, and it works, and looks good, you will have users.