The easy way around this is use other platforms, instead of Patreon. If more start doing this it will do one of two things. 1. Patreon will change their BS policies, or content will be readily available on the other platforms, and not require the use of DLC builds.
I am sure that you meant well and you had good intentions by saying this, but unfortunately this is naïve and it will not work. It will harm the author more than Patreon. I have been talking with several authors that I support on Patreon, Subscribestar, BuyMeACoffee and other platforms. Those who have tried to leave Patreon came back, always for the same two reasons:
- Some of the content that is forbidden on Patreon is also forbidden on Subscribestar and other platforms because it is illegal in the US (the Subscribestar ToS says: "Anything that is considered “illegal” by the US law is illegal for use within our platform and will be removed/terminated") and/or because the credit card processors threaten to stop sending money to these platforms if they do not follow their restrictive rules.
- Switching to other platforms brings much less revenue than Patreon. This may not matter much for the authors who have other sources of income, but this does matter for those who need the donations to pay their bills.
Of course there are even more obscure platforms that are outside the US jurisdiction and that avoid the credit card processing companies and their restrictive rules, but then they rely on crypto or on other sources of payment that are often associated with money laundering and organized crime. This drives away most of the potential patrons.
This has also been discussed in many threads in the General Discussions forum and elsewhere. Patreon is frustrating, but currently there is no credible alternative. The problem is not only coming from Patreon, but also from the US laws and from credit card processors. So instead of boycotting Patreon, the best thing that you can do is to try and change the US laws.
