PATREON UPDATE - Significant Changes (Patreon)

Hey! Remember when I said I was planning on updating the Patreon?
Well this is the update.

Long story short, I'll be switching payment from a per video basis to a per month basis.

And the main reason why I'm doing this:
Youtube being unfair.

Up until the Scott Pilgrim video being hit with limited ads, I was fairly certain I could keep afloat with ad revenue and Patreon money from the bi-monthly video release schedule. Unfortunately, having been exposed to limited ads and being unable to reverse this (despite following protocol); I experienced the detrimental effects of it. So while my previous Patreon model worked, it only worked assuming everything was perfectly balanced.

If just one thing put things out of balance such as:

• Limited Ads/Demonitization
• False Copyright Claims/Content ID Detection
• Some unforeseen problem that YouTube decides to implement

then it made earning revenue more difficult and added to the stress. Mostly because I had to spend time attempting to correct the problem, and less time actually working on the next project. Which meant I was being punished from doing anything unrelated to the next video. Which sucks, since being a content creator is my full time job. Which means not only is releasing videos my only occupation, but everything else that surrounds it. Like Patreon/social media management, tests/studies to improve said videos, dealing with software/hardware issues, and everything in between. And just because I'm not making videos, doesn't mean I'm not doing work.

So switching models made the most sense to me. Patreon doesn't just pay for the videos being made, it pays me being active online. It helps out my videos, ventures into new things like merch, and my interactions with the community (wether it's streaming or just quick Discord drop ins). So to make sure this switch felt right, I wanted to see what other channels I like do with their Patreon.

So I had a peek at folks like HBomberGuy, Dan Olsen, and Noah Gladwell-Gervais; folks who go on months without uploading anything. And when they do upload, the content they produce is uniquely theirs, something that I wish to emulate. Turns out they're on a monthly basis as well. I guess I found out I'm in the minority and I was probably been underselling myself. So I think it's time to make that switch.

And I’d like to think I’ve grown confident enough to have now found my ‘voice’ as a content creator. Since I've been doing YouTube full time for a year, I think I have an understanding of my pace and the type of videos I want. Quality > Quantity, and videos with my sort of art/editing ends up taking quite a while to produce.  So relying on a payment system where each month with no video means no money can get tough. This just means pressuring myself to pump out the video quicker to stay afloat, which I found fairly stressful.

I felt that the most with my Detroit video, which took around 3-4 months to complete. Thankfully that video performed well enough without being demonetised, but I can’t rely on a surprise success to cover a quarter’s worth of Patreon revenue every time. There are topics I’d like to cover that don’t have the same popularity as the latest Cage game. And there may be another topic that requires 4 months worth of work. And I can't rely on YouTube since their limited ads pops up unfairly. So switching the model from a per video to a monthly basis should help me be a bit more flexible in topic choice, and the time required to make a video as best I can. Because hoo boy that Detroit video was a pain in the butt.

And for anyone curious, I'm okay by the way! My mental health is good as far as being an online personality is concerned. I can manage myself if a video is taking a bit longer than usual, but things get a bit hectic when a video I’ve been working on gets limited ads.

Anyway, I hope you don’t see me as being lazy by switching my Patreon model. I feel like I've been transparent with my work ethic through my updates and WIPs, so I hope that and my interactions with you guys have proven my worth. If not, that’s fine. If you wish to remove your pledge, do so! You aren’t obligated to support any content creator, since we’re just online strangers. As I’ve said many times before, look after yourselves before someone like me.

For the folks who decide to stay, thanks! It means a lot that you’ve set aside some cash to help me pursue something I genuinely enjoy. If I could firmly shake your hand in appreciation I would!

Anyway, to summarise this change:
I'm switching from a per monthly payment model instead of a per video model. This is done financial stability and to reduce stress, and it stems from two issues.

• YouTube tendency to be unfair screws me over by wasting my time and negating the money I should've earned.
• A per video model rewards projects being done as quickly as possible, and the pressure to get something out as soon as possible to meet strict deadlines is stressful and affects the final product.

So yeah, that's the gist of it! Hope y'all understand because I've been thinking about this for a while now. Might as well rip the band-aid off and just do it. And thankfully, there's quire a bit of good that comes from this change (besides my financial and mental stability)

The Good Changes Moving Forward! 

• This benefits newcomers! Some folks tend to join the Patreon halfway through the production of a video, and wonder why their name is not in the opening/end credits, or why they didn’t receive the video rewards. This change ends up being much more inviting and inclusive for the new patrons. Cool!
  
• If ever there was a reason I wanted to increase the amount of commission slots halfway through a video’s production, I can do that as well! And I’ll be able to announce that to you guys at any point if necessary.
  
• Not really related to the change, but to add more value to the Value Meal tiers and higher, I’ve also started including the PSDs of my instagram posts as a reward (and the ones I post on my YouTube community page too!) This should be easier for folks to look for specific assets without having to dig into the specific shots of the video. I spend like a day or two assembling these things, since I think it's a neat way to put 'bow' on what I'm working on. 

Oh, some may be wondering how a certain thing will work with this switch...

How Will Commission Tiers Work Now?

• They'll work the same way, but the Patreon tiers will be just cost $1. Once you occupy the tier, I'll send you a Paypal link to pay me the commission. This'll allow you to keep your role, be present in the discord with your colored name, and not be charged the full commission price every month.
  
• This also means you don’t have to pay upfront, you can pay in segments. As long as it eventually gets paid by the time I start working on the commissions, you should be good. Hopefully this increased leeway will make it easier for folks to pay and get a chance at getting a commission!

I’ll draw a diagram to better illustrate my point when I have the time to. But hopefully what I've said so far makes sense.

When do Patrons Get Charged?

• At the first day of every month with charge up-front billing. The last paragraph of this page should explain it fairly well (at least better than I can)
  https://support.patreon.com/hc/en-us/articles/115000118666-Can-I-change-how-I-bill-my-patrons-#h_01FQ4W8GK2FYXGXGATMPK4G70Q
  
• I will make this per video to per monthly change on Patreon tomorrow. Which means you guys will get charged on May 1st once it goes into affect. If for some reason this is charging people on this month, I'll be sure to an issue a refund so you guys don't get unfairly charged.
  

Anyway, that’s it!

And if you haven't joined the Patreon Discord, here's a rundown of what's coming up next.

• Next video will be on Heavy Rain and Disco Elysium
• Commissions slots will be open tomorrow, 10am EST
• Commissions will be in the style of Disco Elysium's portraits and Thought Cabinet painting
• I'm in the process of making some shirts!

Sweet! Thanks for reading and thanks for the support
Looking forward to the work I've got planned ahead

Y'all are cool
- Urick