Crowdfunding site Kickstarter announced a reboot of the patronage service Drip, putting similar services such as Patreon and Flattr in its crosshairs. The subscription-based Drip could provide artists, side-hustlers, and anyone with a creative bent yet another way to bring in some dough.
Image credit: Ilya S. Savenok/Getty
Drip’s original incarnation was a crowdfunding service that let music fans subscribe to artists and record labels on a monthly basis in exchange for perks such as early access to music. Kickstarter acquired the company in 2016, saving it from shutting down.
The reboot maintains that subscription model, but expands it to encompass a variety of other creative projects. Work eligible for support through Drip falls under these categories: Visual and performing arts, film and video, publishing, design and technology, music, comics, food and craft, and games. Each category is pretty broad, making it difficult to imagine what exactly wouldn’t be Drip-friendly.
Like Patreon, Drip lets creators assign subscription tiers and reward users at each tier with perks. If you’ve ever donated to a Kickstarter project, you’ll be able to use that same account information to pay for a Drip subscription. Early subscribers to a creator’s Drip page will be considered “founding members”. It’s up to creators to determine what founding members receive, but Kickstarter suggests creators offer early subscribers “special rewards or status for jumping in early”. If you’re looking for a new place to get some funding for your two-white-guys-talking-comedy podcast, Drip might be the place to go, but at the moment it’s invite-only: You’ll have to sign up for the site’s newsletter to be considered.
Comments