The Rise of Online Crowd-Patronage: Models, Challenges, and Providing Security to the Creative Worker

Abstract The expansion of internet access introduced new forms of crowd-patronage. These new platforms allowed for direct support from niche audiences towards their favourite creators. Importantly, this may provide a stable and transparent income to the creative workers who often face precarious conditions. In this chapter, I highlight what makes online patronage distinct from other forms of funding. I describe the most important types of such patronage and their representative platforms. I then provide an overview of the dynamics of these platforms, the context in which they appear and their role for creative workers. Finally, I discuss promising venues for research by scholars, highlighting existing gaps, interesting issues, and potential data sources. I propose that crowd-patronage is a promising option for creative workers that overcomes several of the challenges of creative work. However, at the same time, much is not yet known on how to best leverage such platforms.