I would like to see some stats from youtube and other platforms actually auditing those sub counts. I really have a hard time believing some youtube channels actually have 10,000 subs, let alone a million. While I agree with the article and the tier system, patreon is basically an e-begging platform. I understand that probably isn't popular to say but that is how I see it.
This is more true for some people than others. A decent number of YouTubers I know have their patreons set up to only charge customers after they put out a video, so if several months go by without any new content they aren't just pulling a salary from patrons. This model is only really relevant to YouTubers who put effort into fewer videos released farther apart, rather than those with weekly or even daily releases of vlog content, but still it feels like a fair way of doing things where they are essentially being paid for releasing something and not like begging.
Contrast this with some people I see on twitter who have a patreon... just for tweeting? Occasionally there is a spin put on it about being a minority or disabled and taking donations, but this definitely feels much more like e-begging, even though I guess you could try and make the argument that tweets are just as valid "content" as youtube videos.
