patronage

This framework implies a return to patronage – we are not paying for utility, we are funding the story, the taste, the culture, and its support and proliferation.

Ironically enough, patronage is an even older media business model than advertising or subscriptions. During the Renaissance, patronage was symbiotic – it afforded patrons cultural capital... See more

Ownership can be understood as a proxy for two things: decision making power and financial power. This suite of benefits includes the ability to have a voice in the direction, strategy, operations, or fate of a company; as well as the ability to capture profits and the value of its equity and assets.

By extending patronage into an asset class, not only would you be able to support projects & earn social status, but also earn a potential profit from trading it. Since these collectibles are tradable at any price, traders can make a profit whilst supporting their favourite projects. If they make a loss from trading the asset, they at least... See more

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.

And this is where patronage matters. This is where we remember that while money may be tangled in systems of power, it can also be a conduit for possibility. Historically, the greatest works of art, literature, and music were not birthed in a vacuum of self-sufficiency. They were financed, supported, and protected by those with means – Medici... See more

But even in this era, patronage was conditional. Artists served the ideological aims of those who paid. The church demanded piety. The state demanded civic glory. The Medici demanded immortality. As a model, patronship has always involved a tension between creative expression and institutional ambition. The artist received funding but also... See more