Behance Beta Tests Patreon-Like Subscriptions for Select Artists
Behance has launched a small beta test that adds the option for some artists to share premium content with paid subscribers with the goal of allowing fans to help financially support their favorite creators.
The move is one of the more notable changes to the platform since it was acquired by Adobe in 2012. Starting today, the company has said that around two dozen artists are part of a test that will allow them to offer premium projects, live streams, and source files in exchange for a monthly fee. This format is similar to Patreon, but is baked directly into the Behance system.
At Behance, we’ve always believed in building and fostering a community that not only inspires but also supports one another. Today we’re excited to share a new way to access premium content from your favorite artists on Behance through subscriptions. By subscribing to a creator, you can support them financially and unlock their premium content.
In a blog post on Medium, Behance explains that subscribers will get access to whatever a creator wants to make available and subscription prices are set by the creator and they have complete control over what they want to share. Once a price is set for a subscription though, it cannot be changed. Behance says that it is important that creators select a subscription price that they do not intend to change. The only way to adjust it is to delete it and make a new one, which also removes all of the subscribers to the previous subscription.
Behance explains that content creators are welcome to include any content they want in a subscription, provided it aligns with the company’s community guidelines. Creators can even share content in the form of a direct link to any asset as a connected “source file” like a link to Dropbox, Google Drive, or Box.
All subscriptions are processed through Stripe, and Behance won’t store any debit or credit card information. Creators are then paid through a Stripe account, and again Behance is not directly tied to this process. Behance doesn’t specifically state if or how much of a cut Adobe plans to take out of subscriptions, but Engadget notes that this move is one that could allow the software giant to monetize one of its products beyond the Creative Cloud.
Update: Adobe has clarified the monetization aspect and stated that it does not plan to take a cut of any of the proceeds that creators earn through the platform as long as they are members of the Creative Cloud.
“We’re excited to offer this as a benefit to Creative Cloud members and there is a 0% platform fee for CC members: they keep all their earnings!” an Adobe representative tells PetaPixel.
Behance is only rolling the subscription feature out to a select number of creators that it has listed on its blog, but does state it looks forward to offering subscriptions to a wider range of creators in the near future.