Patreon CEO Jack Conte told CNBC this week that there could be changes ahead at the platform as it seeks to deliver more revenue for investors. “The reality is Patreon needs to build new businesses and new services and new revenue lines in order to build a sustainable business,” he said. “We will have to re-examine how we charge for new services as we put them out.”
For podcasters using the service as a primary means of monetisation — like Chapo Trap House — this could be one to keep an eye on. A change in the way fees were taken from pledges at the end of 2017 caused upheaval, especially among those with a lot of small-amount donors, and proved so unpopular that the company then reversed the policy. Whether Patreon is about to try something similar in order to harvest more of the half a million dollars they are due to pay out to creators in 2019, or start tinkering with IP acquisition and original content, it could mean disruption ahead for shows reliant on their system.