Acast partners with Patreon to simplify private distribution of premium episodes for patrons

Podcast content, hosting, and monetization platform Acast is announcing a partnership with Patreon, the crowdfunding platform used by many podcasters to support their ongoing projects. In this arrangement, Patreon podcasters can manage both their public feeds and private patron-only episodes in one place (that place being Acast).

The arrangement clearly simplifies life for podcasters, and can benefit listeners as well. Patreon supporters of a podcast (its patrons) can now get their exclusive content in the app of their choice, consolidating all their listening in one place for an uninterrupted relationship with the podcast feed. This applies to higher-level patrons who pledge a monthly amount which entitles them to non-public content.

“At Patreon, we’re fostering an ecosystem where creators can connect more deeply with their audiences, and ultimately change the way their creativity is valued,” said Brian Keller, director of creator success at Patreon. “Patreon and Acast have a shared mission of helping creators earn a sustainable income for their art. As podcasting continues to be one of the largest creator categories on Patreon, our work with Acast makes it easier than ever for podcasters to cultivate their communities by delivering exclusive content to their most passionate fans, wherever they like to listen.”

Acast explains how it works here: “Acast’s proprietary ‘Access’ technology enables Patreon creators to supply patrons across different membership tiers with highly secure, unique, patron-only podcast feeds, reducing the risk of piracy and ensuring their patron-only content remains exclusive. Patrons are seamlessly authenticated according to their Patreon membership tier, through any podcast app that supports secure RSS feeds.”

Podcasters can also link to their Patreon accounts from Acast’s episode notes, encouraging support from listeners.

“All creators should be able to reach the audience their content deserves, and to be fairly compensated for that,” said Leandro Saucedo, chief business and strategy officer at Acast. “Alongside Patreon, we’re taking our biggest step to date in our mission to support the global creator community, helping podcasters get their content out to more people. Creators thrive in an ecosystem where they can freely create, connect with their audiences, and make a living from their work across any platform — and this collaboration is all about supporting and enabling that.”

The launch rolls out this month, and follows a private testing beta period.

Brad Hill