Unlikely Perspectives: Is Subscription-Based Crowdfunding Transforming the Artist’s Profession?

The “Unlikely Perspectives” series shines a spotlight on unusual, thought-provoking research topics.

As the music industry is reshaped by new cultural consumption habits—like streaming and the dominance of platforms such as YouTube and TikTok—artists are seeking new ways to make a living from their talent. Among the emerging options, subscription-based crowdfunding is gaining traction.

This emerging form of funding is the focus of doctoral student Elsa Fortant’s research at the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS). She is examining the case of Patreon, a platform launched in 2013 by a musician. Fortant explores how this platform is reshaping the way musicians work and, more importantly, how it influences the relationships between artists and their fans.

While goal-based crowdfunding campaigns—hosted on platforms like La Ruche, Kickstarter, or GoFundMe—are well known, the public is less familiar with subscription-based crowdfunding. In this model, artists create a personal page on a platform—such as Patreon—through which fans pay a monthly fee with no fixed end date, essentially subscribing to support the artist.

When fans provide stability

Beyond the sense of community and solidarity, Fortant identifies some pitfalls in this new funding model. “This system reproduces the same dynamics and inequalities that exist outside the web: a few privileged artists receive support from many contributors, sometimes earning more than a monthly minimum wage. Meanwhile, the majority of artists collect only a few hundred dollars per month at most.” Additionally, the platform—which takes a percentage of each transaction—can change its rules at any time, potentially to the detriment of artists.

“During the pandemic, with concerts and activities cancelled, many musicians turned to online crowdfunding. They reached out to their fans to regain some financial stability,”

Elsa Fortant, PhD student at INRS 

Paying to volunteer?

This new form of crowdfunding also comes with a significant management burden. Updating a web page and engaging a community requires a considerable investment of time and energy from artists. Fortant highlights this paradox: with Patreon, artists gain access to a more engaged fan base that can generate income, but they must also devote more time to producing exclusive content—like videos or events—to attract and retain subscribers.

Some artists even call on their communities for volunteer support, such as managing their online community or organizing activities. “This isn’t traditional volunteering, because fans have paid to support the artist. Are they essentially buying a privilege? How is social status defined within these communities as fans subscribe at higher tiers?” asks the researcher. To explore these questions, she conducted semi-structured interviews with artists and volunteer moderators on Patreon.

Bridging theory and practice

Elsa Fortant notes growing interest in subscription-based crowdfunding from professionals in the cultural sector, including artist agencies and professional associations. She believes this model could become a viable alternative.

Knowing that she’s working in a still-niche research area, Fortant sees it as essential to gain exposure for her work through conferences, workshops, and articles aimed at the general public. “We need to bridge the gap between fieldwork and academic knowledge, especially in a field that’s still relatively unknown. That’s how research gains meaning.”

Her work could also be of interest to the Patreon team or similar platforms, helping them better understand how subscription-based crowdfunding impacts creative work and the evolving role of musicians.

Student profile

Elsa Fortant is pursuing a customized PhD in digital studies and sociomusicology at INRS under the supervision of Professor Nathalie Casemajor, affiliated with the INRS Urbanisation Culture Société research centre in Montreal. She is also co-supervised by Michel Duchesneau, professor at the Faculty of Music at the Université de Montréal (UdeM).

Elsa holds a master’s degree in communication with a specialization in journalism from the École des nouveaux métiers de la communication in France, and a master’s in sociomusicology from UdeM.

In March 2025, she was awarded the Louise-Dandurand French Publication Prize by the Fonds de recherche du Québec.