For all of the artistic advantages of the subscription model, it ultimately boils down to one thing: money. Mid-level indie artists who previously earned a living from touring and merch booth sales can now potentially turn to a few hundred of their most devoted fans to pay their rent. It’s not “cool,” and it demands near-constant creativity, but it just might make being a musician financially feasible.
“What you get out of something like Patreon is proportional to what you put in,” reflects Krug. “It’s hard to say, in general, if subscription-based releasing can financially replace traditional touring and royalties. For me, it basically has.”
read all about it at Source: Could Patreon Be the New Way for Musicians to Earn a Living?