Mix Challenge now on Patreon

[Mister Fox]

Hello dear reader,

I'm here to inform you, that the "Mix Challenge" homepage has branched out once more.
This time to Patreon.


Why Patreon? - you might be asking.
And that is a fair question. In fact, financial support via various means was actually also part of the recent questionnaire .

During the last three years of the Mix Challenge, the workload behind the scenes grew exponentially. Considering that we (the staff) have been doing this in our (sometimes very limited) sparetime, parallel to our day-jobs, we never asked for anything from you in return. Other than spreading the word about the challenge that is. We wanted to keep things free, fun and educational. However - this sadly doesn't pay bills on the long run (server fees especially), not to mention that our communication has to be really cut short due to this


And this is where Patreon comes in...
If you think the work that has been (and will be continued to be) put into the Mix Challenge deserves further support - now you have the chance to do so.


Patreon offers you to voluntarily support the "Mix Challenge" (and the work resolving around it) on a monthly basis. The donations are completely optional and we are/I am only asking you to only pledge if you feel comfortable with it, and have the means to do so. You can decide the amount of the donations yourself, you can back out any time. Patreon will not be a pay-wall front and hide away core features from this (new) community - it is just one of many possible ways to help support the Mix Challenge (others are: sharing the word via social media, and for the future... unobtrusive advertisements via banner ads).



So if you have 1 USD/EUR**/GBP a month to spare - you are now able help out the Challenge via this link:
https://www.patreon.com/MixChallenge

Direct links to the Mix Challenge Patreon account can also be found on the main page's footer, and the "Campaign" dropdown menu.
**according to the Patreon FAQ, VAT may apply



Thank you for your generosity.

[Jorgeelalto]

Great way to get financial support - the thing I like the most about this is the fact that you show how much money is needed for the servers etc... It feels like we are donating for something specific, not an abstract "expenses". The rewards are also great. Will start donating as soon as I get this month's payment and maybe some day I pay for the one-hour Skype session, there are some things about those volume and RMS measurements that I'd like to know...

[Mister Fox]

I want to keep things as transparent as possible - so I put a lot of time in wording the tiers and goals. I'm happy that you like what has been set up.

If you can put aside 1 USD or even 5 USD ever so often, that will help tremendously. But only do this if you're comfortable with it and have the means to do so.

[Mister Fox]

A short update:

• the Patreon "Rewards" have just been overhauled
• the tiers are now:
  • 1USD - the lowest entry level
  • 10USD - lowered from 15USD, with access to a hidden forum section for patrons (patron sub-forum members have the chance to comment on upcoming changes up to 1 week in advance)
  • 20USD - for patrons that just feel more more generous (same "rewards" as the 10USD tier)
  • 40USD - raised from 35USD, with the Skype offering currently limited to 1 person per month
• the Special Tiers only got a slight change (Special Tier 1 Skype chat being extended to 60min)

Additionally, (most) Patreon posts will now turn public after 15 days bar minimum, and 30 days at maximum - depending on the announcement.


A "Donation" page (incl. the patron hall of fame) for the main homepage is in the making. Name recommendations are welcome.

If you're rather interested to donate via PayPal directly than go through Patreon, let me know and I try to set something up on that very page. As with Patreon, the donations primarily go into the expenses of keeping the page/community running.



Once more, thank you so much for your generosity.

[Mister Fox]

A short update:

• the Patreon "Rewards" have been overhauled and even more simplified
• the tiers are now:
  • 1USD - entry level
  • 10USD - with access to a hidden forum section for patrons (patron sub-forum members have the chance to comment on upcoming changes up to 1 week in advance)
  • 40USD - with offering a Skype chat, currently limited to 1 person per month
  • Special Tier 100USD - Executive Producer "Banner Ad" (reduced from 250USD)

Most Patreon posts will now turn public after 15 days bar minimum, and 30 days at maximum (exceptions prove the rule).

Each patron is listed on the Donation / Hall of Fame page and will get a special rank on the forum.

The donations primarily go into the expenses of keeping the page/community running. If you're rather interested to donate via PayPal directly than go through Patreon, let me know and I forward you the desired information.



Thank you so much for your generosity.

[Mister Fox]

The following is very important, if you're a Patreon backer.


Yesterday, I got a newsletter from Patreon, telling me (simplified):
"hello, we're overhauling our Patreon Fee structure by the 18th of this month".

Personally, I don't have anything against Patreon asking for fees. If they're fair, and keep the service running. But the crux of all of this is, that the backers ultimately have invest more now, and the "creator" (Patreon Account) doesn't get scotch free either.


Here are some basic informations:
https://blog.patreon.com/updating-patre ... structure/

Then I'd like to direct you to another the Patreon Creator that I follow through Youtube. He also already voiced his concerns here:
Patreon - Marbozir: Patreon Processing Fees Change - Important!

Please read both posts, to get an understanding of the upcoming changes.


This is especially important for 1USD/1EUR Patrons. I'm still trying to get a confirmation on that topic, but it looks like that not only do you have to pay the fee on top of 1USD/EUR, this would also reduce the amount that I'd see as donation down to about 0,40c/month (absolute worst case scenario - again, still waiting for confirmation).

I can't ask you for more than you're already doing. Every cent counts, and your generous donation is more than appreciated. But if you're not happy with or approve of the changes, then I'm not holding anything against you if you stop your monthly support via this platform. It's actually the other way around - I can't thank you enough.

If you're looking for an alternative, you can still reach out to me if you want to do a one-time donation.



Sorry for the inconvenience. This just as unexpected to me, as it is to you.
Thanks for reading.

[Jorgeelalto]

Hi Fox,

Is there a minimum amount we have to donate for the one-time donations? With these news it's more interesting than giving 2€ to Patreon and you receiving 0.50€...

[Mister Fox]

That is actually a very good question. I do know that PayPal asks for fees as well. Since I'm in Europe, those are 1,9% of the value that lands in the inbox, +0,35EUR, plus an additional 2-3% drift due to the exchange rate conversion.

So let's assume you send in 10 EUR
- 1,9% of that value for fees
- 0,35EUR for handling
- 2% if you're outside the EU

10 EUR - 4% = 9,60 EUR - 0,35 EUR = 9,25 EUR (though in reality, it's usually up to 1EUR less)


Let us also assume you can only afford 1 EUR (which is already fine as well)
- 1,9% of that value for fees
- 0,35EUR for handling
- 2% if you're outside the EU

1 EUR - 4% = 0,96 EUR - 0,35 EUR = 0,61 EUR (though I had this before, it's usually around 50c tops)



I'm still in Limbo regarding informations. So I can't forward anything else to you I'm afraid.

I'm also thinking about doing a "list of finances per year" listing at some point, making even more clear why Patreon and Donations exist. Would that actually be an incentive to you (as patron / donor)? As in "would things even be more transparent this way"?

[Jorgeelalto]

Well, more info is always welcome, but I don't think the detail is truly necessary. I was asking because I would actually prefer like, donating 50-60€ at the beginning of the year and forgetting about it, and being able to donate more and not bothering with Patreon and PayPal subscriptions. It's me though, I know monthly payments are also handy, but if we can save on EU and Patreon taxes, we will be able to donate more money

[Mister Fox]

So a "list of finances per year" and a progress bar would be of high interest, it seems.


Speaking of which... what about "perks" then?
Shall the Forum Status be renamed?
What "yearly amount" qualifies you for XYZ?


Guess we get that out of the door "now" rather than later.