Patreon, a service that allows artists and creators to provide exclusive content to subscribers, is launching a new tool that allows creators to live stream natively on the platform.
The company said the feature is intended for creators to connect with viewers in real time, whether they are the authors who host Q&As about newly published books and musicians that test new music for fans.
tool It competes directly with similar products on platforms such as Twitch, but focuses on creator-owned communities and less distractions.
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“Until now, creators have had to perform live on a platform that wasn’t designed to prioritize their business,” the company said in a statement. “We’re changing that. Building directly within the Patreon means creators don’t have to compete with crowded feeds, distracting ads, or anything in the way that connects creators with their core fans.”
Some people have access to the features this week
Creators can perform live via the Patreon mobile app or desktop, and free or paid member access options allow them to adjust their streams for audience growth and revenue.
The platform also adds live chat that allows creators to set the tone of their community, real-time conversations, emoji responses that appear in video players, and live chat that allows creators to set the tone of their community.
Creators also have the option to share live stream recordings with fans who missed the event, or download videos for use on other platforms.
Patreon said this week that some creators will receive early access to the feature as a wide range of rollouts are planned later this summer.
Do Patreon creators use it?
“It’s funny, but I haven’t used this yet,” said Luke Westaway, content creator Patreon User and former senior CNET editor.
Westaway says he values subscriber consistency.
“I live stream every week on YouTube and only for patrons who access them via players embedded in the Patreon Post, and in my experience, Patreon subscribers value content consistency and predictability, and are very careful about what switches the way they access it,” he said. “That being said, there are some features that YouTube can’t do. This has the ability to once promised to sell streams after fact as a VOD purchase, but this is cool.”
Although Westaway has an established account, he admits that new users may feel different.
“If you’re just starting Patreon today, I might be more likely to commit to it, but for now I think I’ll just have to wait and see if it works and whether it looks like Patreon is still committed to it in 12 months,” he said.
