Podcasts are great. They are not beholden to any rules and can explore a subject matter for as long as they choose to. As each year passes more and more shows spring up with a variety of topics ranging from the most common (religion) to the most obscure (sexual attraction to inanimate objects that are hexagonal). Okay, I made that last one up (it might exist) but you get the picture, If there is a thing out there then there is a podcast for it. But lately many a casters have found themselves no longer concerned with the quality of their show but what they can "charge" for said show.
What was once a great break from bullshit radio is now filled with bullshit itself. Now it must be noted that there are still a good number of podcasts that don't push donations because they are successful and able to attract sponsors. Marc Maron's WTF Podcast doesn't spend 20 minutes pushing different tiers for finical support, he just gives you some ramble about a Casper mattress and then its on with the show. This applies more to the thousands of other assholes who think after 20 episodes they should be making 10k a month to produce Deep Space Nine Fan-Fiction Radio Dramas, do interviews with C list Celebrities or take you on twisted tales of the paranormal.
Patreon's tagline is "Creators, come get paid" and they do not call it donations, its called a membership based business for your fans. That's great and creators should get paid, but the problem is that every dick with a Blue mic now thinks he is the next Larry King or Rod Serling. That's not even the worse part, those who were producing a good podcast with potential crumbled and shifted focus to Patreon because "everyone else is doing it". Now those once respectable shows spend a good amount of time pushing tiers and asking for support just to make another episode where they can ask you for more support all while ignoring the quality of their show.
Usually I'd name drop but there really are far to many to name and the truth is that almost every podcast has shifted to begging for money. Long gone are the days of putting in the work and getting sponsors or sell time to run an ad, now it's give me money. Not just give me money to do the show but to make it a full time endeavor, pay my rent, feed my cat, pay the electric bill, clothe my sister and every other fucking thing that isn't remotely connected to the podcast. And on top of the begging they make it out like you're not "fan enough" if you don't select a top tier to donate. What once was a entertaining medium has now turned into a PBS pledge drive with shitty perks of shout-outs, stickers, early access and whatever other bullshit they can concoct.
The sad thing is that many of the listeners are more than happy to throw their money at someone who will talk about whatever niche nonsense their into. Yet it's not the listener who will be hurt in the long run, it's the creator. Rather than build something with a strong foundation you are essentially relying on handouts and one day the handout bubble will burst and you will be left with nothing but your mic and dick (or vagina) in hand.
Creators should get paid, but only if the content they create is worthy and if the content they create is worthy then there should be no problem for them to turn that content into a stable profitable venture. But forgoing everything and hoping that Patreon will keep you afloat till you retire is just idiotic. Instead of running your PBS pledge drive every episode to afford you the luxury of creating "new and amazing content", maybe focus that energy on finding a way to sell yourself and not beg for yourself.
Both the creators and Patreon are responsible for this line of instant gratification thinking. Patreon re-enforces the idea that everyone is a star creator and should be payed accordingly. While the retarded people who run these podcasts over value themselves and believe everyone would pay a bundle to here them drone on about the latest rumors surrounding Halloween 2018.
And in case you weird-ass Youtubers (you know who you are) feel left out, don't be, because this applies to you as well.
Rich Stile @TheDevilsEyes1