It’s a cluttered world out there online. You love pagan music, but staying in contact with your favorite artists is difficult in this era when the major social media platforms choke out musicians’ attempts to reach out to you. Many creators are combatting this by switching to the platform “Patreon”. In this post, you’ll hear from four Pagan Song writers about their experience with using Patreon: Mama Gina, Celia Farran, Wendy Rule and myself, Alane Brown. We’ll tell you about the rich content we offer through Pateon and how you can access it. Get to know your favorite pagan musicians in much more depth and than is possible through social media. Become a pagan music insider!
And, for those of you who are creators yourselves, we’ll share tips for how you could create a community of your own on Patreon.
Patreon: A site for sharing
Patreon is an online platform where you can support specific creative folk by subscribing to them. Every creator can decide what to offer to patrons, so what that consists of varies quite a lot. Pricing varies, too. Some creators view their Patreon feed primarily as a way to stay in touch with fans, and may offer most of their material for free. Others depend on their patrons for the financial support that allows them to keep creating, and in exchange give the patrons exclusive access to rough drafts of songs, private online concerts and other fun benefits. If you want the insider view of these musicians’ creative lives, this is the place to be.
Patreon feeds can turn into lively communities. Subscribers post comments, the creators respond, and fascinating conversations evolve within the shared space.
Our writers offer their gifts to you on Patreon
I asked our writers this: “What are one or two things that your patrons get in your Patreon feed that makes it engaging, worthwhile or unique?” Here’s what they have to say about what they’re up to on Patreon.
Wendy Rule
“I really like to show my appreciation for my patrons by giving them a lot of bang for their buck! Every week I create a ‘Magic Monday’ video, where I share info about what’s happening with the Earth, Moon and Stars. Then I draw a tarot card for some weekly guidance and inspiration, and then perform a song based on the tarot card. It’s lots of fun, and my Patrons seem to really enjoy these weekly offerings.
“As well as my weekly videos, every month I perform a ‘Full Moon Magic Ritual Concert’, in which I choose songs, and some simple ritual, based around the astrological sign of the Full Moon.
“For my Inner Circle patrons, I also host a live zoom meeting for each of the eight annual Pagan festivals.”
Wendy Rule is on Patreon here: www.patreon.com/wendyrule
Celia Farran
“I write and record a song every week. And subscribers in the “Song Club” get access to all the backlogged songs as well as new ones that come out. There are over 250 songs (and counting) available at the printing of this article.
“There are also options to be in the Concert Club and get your very own personalized songs.”
Celia is on Patreon here: www.patreon.com/CeliaFarran
Mama Gina
“I post at least once or twice a month. I attempt to share stories behind the songs and what inspired them. I share unfinished songs and rough drafts just for my patrons, not the general public. They get it “in process”.
“My patrons get exclusive information, far more emotional than what I would share publicly. It’s the place where I can be my authentic self.”
Mama Gina’s Patreon page is here: www.patreon.com/mamagina
Alane Brown
“I’m both a singer-songwriter and an author. On Patreon, I share both these currents in my river of creativity. I’m working on my first solo album, after releasing 4 albums as part of the Crow Women pagan choir. It’s a whole new world for me, developing my own style and voice. My patrons are invited along on that journey of discovery. I post the songs that will be on my album as I finish drafts of them.
“I also have a huge repository of poems, short stories and blog posts that I’ve written, and I share several of those each month. I like that I can make my Patreon be anything I want it be. My feed really has a lot of variety.”
My Patreon page is here: www.patreon.com/AlaneBrown
Why our writers choose to share via Patreon
There are many ways that pagan musicians can foster a relationship with those who love their work. I asked our writers, “What do you, as a creative, like about Patreon as a platform? In other words, why do you use it?”
Celia is a very prolific songwriter, and Patreon is a perfect outlet for this ever-growing body of work. She says, “I like having one place where I can upload my new songs and make them exclusively available to my Song Club subscribers.”
Gina likes the ease of it. “Patreon has a really good platform for folks who are not tech savvy, like me. They make it easy for me to share my music, with the people who really care about what inspires my work.” I agree. I use Patreon because the interface functions so well for me. I like to set up a group of posts all at once, and then put them in the scheduler so one comes out each week. That keeps things flowing when I get busy with a concert or recording session.
Wendy Rule has truly found a home on Patreon. She says, “Patreon provides a wonderful resource for connecting me directly with my audience. It’s so much more personal and focused than social media, and I feel I can genuinely build community. And, of course, the financial support from my patrons has a massive impact on my ability to keep creating and sharing what I do. Knowing that I can rely on Patreon’s regular monthly support means that I can spend more time creating music, and less time freaking out about how to pay my bills! This is especially important since the onset of streaming platforms like Spotify, which pay musicians a pittance, and have removed most of our previous income from CD purchases and downloads. It’s tough times for musicians, but Patreon offers a ray of hope.”
Do you have gifts to share on Patreon?
LOTS of kinds of creative folks use Patreon. There are graphic novelists, fiber artists, podcasters, and poets. Many Patreon pages offer lessons, in everything from knitting to playing the banjo. Do you want to hop in and use the Patreon platform for whatever arts you create?
I asked Gina, Celia and Wendy what their advice is for other creative folks starting up their own Patreon page; their thoughts about pros and cons, and best practices.
Use the Patreon resources
Mama Gina suggests, “When you do all the stuff to get started, use the resources Patreon offers you. They understand their platform and they’re very helpful. They have information docs, videos, classes and meetings that are very useful. It’s not just a great platform, they provide great tools.”
Patreon offers online “A clubs” for all kinds of genres. “A” stands for accountability. I’m in an A club for musicians. We meet every week to share tips about using Patreon. Those meetings have givien me invaluable advice not just about Patreon but about thriving as a musician. You don’t have to figure it all out alone. There are vibrant communities on Patreon where you can give and receive support. -Alane
Be genuine
Wendy Rule says, “I’ve helped a couple of creative friends set up their Patreon pages, and my main guidance is to just be your honest self, and offer your fans a kind of ‘backstage pass’ into your creative process. For example, you don’t need to be making super slick, high end production videos to keep your fans engaged. Folks want to see you as you are. Social media is so full of glitz and glamour, and so much of that is an illusion. Patreon is a place where we can be ourselves. I feel that I can open up so much more on Patreon than social media.”
Be consistent, but be realistic
I (Alane) post once a week. That’s a good goal to shoot for. As Celia says, “my best advice is to be consistent.”
On the other hand, it’s important to be realistic about what you have time to do consistently. As Wendy Rule puts it, “My other guidance is not to overcommit and offer more than you can handle. When I first started my Patreon page, I did just that, and ran myself into the ground trying to honour what I had offered. I’ve simplified things a bit now, but am always re-assessing and tweaking my Patreon to keep it fresh and interesting – both for me, and my patrons.”
Make new friends, but keep the old
As a final note, Celia says, “And don’t take it personally if subscribers come and go. Most of the time it has to do with their budgetary changes. Be grateful for the subscribers you have and treat them like gold.”
We would love it if you would come check out our Patreon pages. You would be so very welcome in our communities. Truly, we are gifts to each other.
Again, here are the addresses of our Patreon pages:
- Alane Brown: www.patreon.com/AlaneBrown
- Celia Farran: www.patreon.com/CeliaFarran
- Mama Gina: www.patreon.com/mamagina
- Wendy Rule: www.patreon.com/wendyrule
See you inside!
header photo of hands offering yellow flower by Lina Trochez
For more information about Alane Brown (as a solo artist), including her collected articles here on Pagan Song, her bio, and links to sites on the web, check out Alane’s author page here on Pagan Song.
Please subscribe to the Pagan Song blog, to receive our blog post each week. Don’t miss any of the musical magic!
Visit our homepage to see the full list of the musicians who write for the Pagan Song blog.
Pagan Song has a fan club on Patreon. Join for as little as $3 a month for exclusive features! Click for info.