EMERGENCY MEETING: 2:00 PM US Eastern (concerning Patreon changes coming next year)
Added 2024-08-12 16:11:46 +0000 UTC
Hello folks,
This morning Patreon creators received an email informing us that they will be axing the per-creation model, permanently, in November 2025.
The shortened explanation for this is that Apple is going to begin charging companies 30% for in-app purchases, or be removed from the app store. Per-creation charges apparently complicate this system to the point that Patreon has opted to switch over to the subscription model (once per month charge) permanently. This will drastically effect per-creation Patreons.
As you know, the GaMetal Patreon runs on the per-creation model. This means I'll be making far less from Patreon than before, and as Patreon makes up the bulk of my income, to put it bluntly: this is very bad for per-creation creators, which includes myself.
On the not-so-bleak side: I've had in the back of my mind that Patreon would one day axe the per-creation model, so I had planned to switch over eventually sometime in the future. There's also a little over a year to prepare for this.
So, I'd like to call for an impromptu stream today, starting around 2:00 PM US Eastern (about 3 hours from now, will post stream link here then), to gather some input from you all on changes we could make to the GaMetal Patreon next year when we get a bit closer to judgement day (November 2025). Admittedly, I've not promoted the GaMetal Patreon very much the past couple of years (outside of the not-so-intrusive "help support GaMetal!" cards in videos), as it's been able to self sustain itself very well without too much extra help. With this change, I'll have to do some promotion to generate some new Patrons and recoup some of the loss, but I don't want to water down particular rewards (like the request list), or drastically increase tier prices, so I'd like to know what ideas you all may have so I can think up our plan for next year.
That's all for now, thank you all as always for your continued support, we'll get through this together! 🙂
TL;DR: Patreon is permanently axing per-creation subscription model in November 2025, drastically effecting those that use this model, which includes the GaMetal Patreon. Would like to gather your thoughts/ideas during an impromptu stream today at 2:00 PM US Eastern time, link will be posted here then. Thank you!
Comments
I just realized I forgot to mention something. Consider doing more collaborations with other musicians. You have done a collab with Jules and Richard, but there could be more you can do, maybe? On a personal level I would suggest Marco Meat Ball, who is an Opera singer, maybe he could help with his singing and you commenting on game music with him? Something along those lines, not necessarily with that one.
E R
2024-08-15 00:59:55 +0000 UTCHey Jonny, when do you plan to do an actual collab duo with Jules someday?
Arthur Gady Tibayan
2024-08-13 11:48:25 +0000 UTCI was considering you might get sponsors, say by guitar string companies, or audio equipment. You have enough followers to try that. Other than that, maybe you could try premiering videos as if they were live streams, which enables the superchat options. You could also create more expensive tiers that have a physical reward, for instance a previous album of choice signed by you.
E R
2024-08-13 04:30:47 +0000 UTCSituation breakdown off the top of my head: You currently have a system that incentivizes you to create videos without lengthy breaks in between songs wherever possible. Every creative process gets into a groove, so you'll need to assess whether this shift will throw off your current process. Starting now is a good idea, because transitioning slowly over the next year and change gives you time to discover, test, and course correct. New Patreons may question whether you can deliver consistently enough to justify giving a lump sum at the equivalent of 5-6 videos per month at each tier. Current Patreons know your consistency, and you can highlight that consistency as well on your creator page. Since we know your consistency, we've come to expect a certain cadence to your video releases. It might be worth asking whether your current Patreon base expects to pay a similar amount each month or if they're hoping a for a lower monthly payment on months with fewer songs. Your music speaks for itself. Take the Stickerbrush Symphony bump after Terminal Montage included it in a small section of the Something About DKC2 video. I don't know how often it happens across all YouTube, but I don't make a habit of clicking the songs I hear for less than a minute in montage videos. You have an incredibly consistent release record, a back catalog it would take a couple of weeks of auto play to fully explore, your remixes include amazing nods to the original materials alongside banging guitar, and your videos are just plain fun to watch. Who can forget the epic Puppet Bowser/Puppet Dark Bowser It Has to Be This Way smackdown? Your Patreon is part of a vibrant channel, and I believe people will recognize the value whether they pay per video or monthly.
RoyanRannedos
2024-08-12 21:41:14 +0000 UTCYeesh, this is awfully sudden. I'll have to catch up on all this later.
Matthew Bankey
2024-08-12 19:40:29 +0000 UTCSomeone suggested in discord, but you could maybe do livestreams for the community on youtube or twitch. Doesn't need to be a constant monthly thing cause naturally you're busy with the remixes, but when you feel like doing it during a month. In your livestreams you could either: perform music like 8bitdrummer and ToxicxEternity do in their livestreams (maybe tease a next remix for the fun), play games, or Q&A. You would probably get a good number of donations and also a good opportunity to promote your patreon.
KeltkeGK
2024-08-12 16:52:20 +0000 UTCI'd not just make this a patreon only stream, but stream it on YouTube as well, or at least make a separate video with a dramatic thumbnail and title xD I mean, this really is a big issue for the channel, so everyone should know about it and help if they want to / can. I think most (if not all) would understand and a few, who weren't actively thinking of supporting, could be convinced to join as a patron just with that.
Dimenzio
2024-08-12 16:50:20 +0000 UTCAnother in a long list of reasons for me to hate Apple....
MikeyMidis
2024-08-12 16:13:21 +0000 UTC
