M.I.A. has launched her own page on the crowd funding platform Patreon, the artist announced on Friday.
“I’m doing a Patreon, because I make so much stuff and record so many things that aren’t music and don’t fit on other platforms,” M.I.A. told Rolling Stone. “I’ve tried all the other platforms and it’s like: this one is too mean and hateful, this one is too fake and self-obsessed, and this one just sells all your data to Cambridge Analytica… Hopefully, this one is going to be just right.”
She went on, “I want to use the subscription money to feed back into the Patreon page; I want to really go and do a project that can help some people. Build a school or put on an exhibition, help upcoming artists or even build something you guys want me to build. It’s evolutionary process. I want to get back to using the internet in a positive way; I don’t want to be an influencer. I want to be a truth dispenser.”
On the official page, M.I.A. states that she’ll be traveling around the world with a camera this year and documenting her creation of new music, film and art for her Patreon subscribers.
She writes, “I also want to make this fun and random: It might be ASMR Sri Lankan cooking, or I might go and stay in a silent Ashram in India for a month and just not speak, or I want to interview interesting people, do some reporting, make clothes, make paintings, just see where it takes me…”
Her Patreon subscription options currently include a $5 (Arular) tier and a $10 (Kala) tier. Subscribers to both tiers will gain access to unreleased footage from M.I.A.’s documentary, MATANGA/MAYA/M.I.A., as well as access to exclusive art, livestream archives, fan forums and video diaries. Kala subscribers will be able to view livestreams from M.I.A. in real time, join monthly Q&A sessions and gain early access to exclusive content.
Patreon has become a notable business platform for YouTubers, podcasters and other creative freelancers, but is less widely used by musicians; its most subscribed music channel currently belongs to Amanda Palmer.