Connecting creators and their real fans in 2024

In 2019, Wired reported that 125,000 creators -- podcasters, YouTubers, musicians, webcomic artists, etc…-- had generated a combined 5 million monthly subscribers. At the end of that year Patreon announced that it had paid out $1 billion to its users since its inception, with $500 million amassed that year alone.

Today, patronage can be found in various parts of society. Traditionally, you can find patrons adorned in hallways of theatres: doing it not only to support something dear to them, but also for social status. In the digital era, many creators are funded through services like Patreon, paid monthly by fans, just to allow them to create.

Seeding 2.0 also offers an alternative path to monetization to all the creators on platforms like Patreon who are used to earning monthly from their fans, but are stifled by Patreon's reliance on altruistic giving, rather than the more durable incentives of self-interest.

Dear investors, 

We reflect on 2024 with both satisfaction and impatience. We’re satisfied because the business is strong, growth is robust, and we continue to attract the world’s best writers and creators to Substack. But there is still much work to be done, new territories to push into, and some key improvements to make to the product, and we’re i... See more

how Jack Conte of Patreon once framed online community: you may think your interests are niche—maybe only 1 in 1,000 people like the same things as you—but with 4 billion people online, that’s 4 million people who share your interests. On the internet, no niche is too niche.