Discord wants to become Patreon with these new features

Whether or not it’s the most recent additions to the Nitro subscription service, or the brand new username format, there’s been a lot occurring over on Discord. Now the platform is getting much more options with the addition of recent strategies of monetization for ‘Server Subscription’ subscribers.

‘Server Subscriptions’ are a month-to-month subscription for servers that helps assist the creators and communities who run them by providing distinctive perks and advantages below a paywall. To assist carry extra worth to the service, which was launched by Discord in December of final yr, a sequence of recent options and advantages are being added to the service, which plan to go dwell over the subsequent few months.

The primary new function to the Server Subscription service is the Media Channels Beta. Media Channels are a media centered channel kind which can permit customers to share subscription-only content material, equivalent to “unique memes and wallpapers.”

Just like websites like Patreon, this implies is that the content material on a Media Channel might be locked from members of your group and channel behind a paywall, except they’re subscribed. Discord can be offering server house owners the prospect to set new subscription tiers, the place the perks supplied for every tier will be outlined and set by the consumer creating them.

One-off digital merchandise may also be obtainable to promote by creators to assist with monetization, equivalent to recipe e-books, gaming guides and digital wallpapers, as “downloadables.”

The choice of buying a premium position bundled alongside any downloadable may also be obtainable, or group members can select to buy them individually.

Lastly, Discord can be testing the roll-out of a Server Store, a one-stop on-line store the place server house owners and creators can promote their subscriptions, downloadables, and premium roles.

Whereas these new options might be useful to content material creators and creatives who already use Discord to spice up and develop their on-line communities, it does make me fear about what they may imply sooner or later for individuals who use Discord primarily as a free, gaming social media platform.