Patreon.com, Indieagogo.com, and Kickstarter.com are the biggest threat to the megastar, and that’s a good thing.

Amanda Palmer is my favorite artist that no one has ever heard of. I read her book, I listen to her music, and when I can I donate to her. Most people I know have something similar, like my friend Danny who is a proud backer of board games on Kickstarter, or my brother Alex who will support different YouTube channels on Patreon. Most people have what I call a pocket artist, someone who is famous to only a small group of people.

Wait what is a megastar?

Think Kanye West, Hemingway, or J.K. Rowling. Celebrities known to the vast majority of the population, and supported by  a slew of team members of their respective industries. For decades they were the gold standard. The model was simple but highly capitalistic, and made only a few people able to make a living off what they love to do.

Now thanks to people who make monthly donations, people who would have spent years working in a coffee shop, can make a living, although often a modest one, working as artists, musicians and the like.

To sum it up. It’s a good time to be a creative.