The Open Source Solution to Supporting Creators You Love

Over the last decade, we’ve seen huge shifts in the ways that individual creators are able to make a living out of their work. YouTuber and Instagram influencer weren’t really titles, Kickstarter was just getting started, and Patreon didn’t even exist yet.

Although in some ways it’s easier for individuals to make money on their creative work, the current ecosystem makes it so creators are stuck and dependent on larger platforms to do right by them, which isn’t always what happens.

This is why Jesse von Doom and Anthony Batt created Substation, an open-source, DIY project that creators can use to set up subscriptions with a process to receive recurring payments and messaging to talk to all of their subscribers. We got to ask Jesse and Anthony more about this unique project.

This has been a space Anthony and I have been thinking about for over a decade at this point. I used to run a small nonprofit called CASH Music and Anthony was a key member of the board. The idea behind CASH was to use technology to find sustainable models for artists, and it all started in 2007 with a subscription/membership effort for Kristin Hersh (of Throwing Muses) and Donita Sparks (of L7.)

At CASH we learned a lot about community and the intersection of art and commerce — a theme that was present in all of the work we did. It was obvious in those early days but even helping artists like Run The Jewels and De La Soul figure out direct release strategy and tech meant thinking about the bonds between creator and audience. At the core it’s all about connecting people to each other and to the things they love — which is true for all creators, artists, writers, makers — everyone who does something [that] someone else loves and wants to support.

I’ll start with the caveat that we weren’t exactly planning to release stuff so early — the DIY/open core was always planned as the centerpiece. Creators deserve agency, not platform lock-in, so we’re trying to build an ecosystem that can work for anyone. Substation’s DIY release is as easy as we could make it but we know there’s a turn-key offering needed too, and that’s in the works. Nutshell? People should be able to really own their membership programs. That means owning the data, the code, all of it. So starting with an open DIY solution feels right. Every community is different and we want to empower people to start community business models on their own sites, on a fully turn-key hosted service — or some hybrid in between.

So I guess the emphasis on the open web and moving away from silos is a part of it. That just feels like a healthier way to build things on the web to me. That same idea of health extends to building better communities in these memberships and finding more sustainable business models for creators. We aim to build software that rewards inclusivity and unity — moving away from status tiers and towards strength in numbers and special offers that make people feel like they’re part of something bigger than themselves. Memberships are long-term community businesses that need to be grown carefully.

Most of my friends work outside traditional full-time jobs and the (albeit limited) safety nets they bring. There’s been a rapid evolution of new ideas like digital music/video, streaming, ebooks, and a shift to a 24/7 online journalism. Those are just a couple examples, but they all end at the same spot: a need to explore new business models for the web that can directly support artists, writers, creators, and even newsrooms. Making sure those people have the tools they need to survive and continue making the things they make is a critical issue.

Our world has been informed by artists and creative people at all levels. If you are out there making art or creating things there is no safety net. It is raw entrepreneurship and it is passion without necessarily a business model. So we have always wanted our projects and software to become reliable systems and business models for artists and creative people. We want them to see we are not selling them something, but we are providing wings to help them fly creatively and financially. So having spent so much time with creative professionals and witnessed the struggle, opportunities missed and scamming vendors’ grip, we know what isn’t working and how to solve problems.

Bluntly? Yeah. We’d been planning on releasing the DIY version alongside a hosted service a little easier for people to just jump into. But so many people are just trying to figure out how they’ll pay for rent and groceries and we had this working thing — already with instructions and open licenses — just sitting in a Glitch project. We could stick to our plan in un-plan-for-able times, or just release it with an offer to help whoever needs helping. It was an easy decision. If we can help even a handful of people it’s worth it. We’ll figure the rest of it out as we go.

If you put code in a GitHub repo you make it easy for developers to use, but there are still issues around setting up a server, configuring, etc. That’s not going to work for most people. So we actually built it in Glitch from the start. GitHub is the backup, not the source. Every line of code was written in the Glitch editor, and now anyone can remix it. All that server setup is gone and no matter who you are you’re just a button click away from having your own copy of Substation. Just add API keys and go. Open source is great, but accessible, easy, and (still open) DIY projects that come fully hosted in an adorable server container are even better.

Check out the README on Substation to learn more about the tech and remix your own.