Kickstarter Now Offers Patreon-Like Subscription Service
Crowdfunding site Kickstarter has announced a reboot of Drip’s patronage service, targeting similar services such as Patreon and Flattr . A subscription-based Drip can provide artists, third-party marketers, and anyone with a creative bent with another way to make some money.
Drip’s original incarnation was a crowdfunding service that allowed music fans to subscribe monthly to artists and record companies in exchange for perks such as early access to music. Kickstarter acquired the company in 2016, saving it from shutdown.
Reload supports this subscription model, but extends it to cover many other creative projects. Work eligible for support through Drip falls into the following categories: visual and performing arts, film and video, publishing, design and technology, music, comics, food and crafts, and games. Each category is quite extensive, so it’s hard to imagine what exactly is n’t right for Drip.
Like Patreon, Drip allows creators to assign subscription levels and reward users at each level with privileges. If you’ve ever donated to a Kickstarter project, you’ll be able to use the same account information to pay for your Drip subscription. Early subscribers to the Creator Drip Page will be considered “Founding Members.” Creators are left to decide what the founding members get, but Kickstarter invites creators to offer early subscribers “special rewards or early membership status.” If you’re looking for a new place to get funding for your podcast about two white guys talking about comedy, you might want to go to Drip, but at the moment it is by invitation only: you will need to sign up for the site’s newsletter.