For some time I’ve been thinking very carefully about the future of the site, and over the last while it’s become increasingly obvious that we’ve come to something of a crossroads.
I wrote something back in July which outlined some of the issues, but the crux of it is this: we’re hugely reliant on advertising revenue to do what we do here, and it is becoming increasingly challenging to generate that revenue for various reasons.
We’re now at a point where can either stick, and slowly fade away, or twist and try and take Arseblog to a new level. The feedback I got from the post I mentioned above was really encouraging and today, on the 16th birthday of the site, we’re launching on Patreon.
Click here to visit our Patreon page
Does this mean you’re going behind a paywall?
No! Everything that we do already on Arseblog and Arseblog News remains free, the same as it always has been. The podcasts, the blogs, the news articles, match reports, stats, player ratings, columnists and everything else – 100% free.
But if you sign up to become an Arseblog member on Patreon you get a little bit more.
How much does it cost?
The minimum cost is just €5 per month + VAT if you’re in an EU country, otherwise there’s no VAT to pay. That works out at just £4.40 or around $6 (the amount on Patreon shows up in dollars as that’s the only currency they currently deal in).
That’s barely the cost of a pint, a couple of takeaway coffees, or two-thirds of what’s left of the Arsenal transfer budget after our January shenanigans ?
If you feel like you want to contribute more, you can modify the amount before you sign up – there are more details in the FAQ on this page.
What do I get if I sign up?
You get podcasts and writing that won’t be available anywhere else. Including:
- My Arse – a chat with a well known Arsenal fans about their life and times as a Gooner.
- Interactive Arseblog & Gunnerblog phone in shows.
- History specials – such as our two-part podcast about the Invincible season.
- A monthly Arseblog long-read featuring great writers who will look at a particular aspect of the club, a time period, a player, an achievement etc. Something for you to really sink your teeth into.
- There’s also an exclusive monthly email for members, discounts on merchandise (when we get some), advance notice of tickets for live podcasts and events, and other things too – as soon as we think of them.
- You also get our love and thanks for being part of the Arseblog member community, and the knowledge that your contribution will help us do more, so you get more in the long-term.
To get us going we have the following content available immediately for Arseblog Members.
- My Arse with Tim Wheeler from the rock band Ash
- A two part podcast special about the Invincibles season with James from Gunnerblog and Andrew Allen
- A long read from Tim Stillman about a Friday night when Arsenal won the league … no, not that one.
We’ll be adding to that over the course of each month. As I said above, what’s always been free will remain so, but if you feel like what we do is worth a few quid every month then your support would be hugely appreciated, and hopefully it will enable us to do more across the site in general.
I explain the idea and the reasons behind it in this short podcast which you can listen to or download below, and if anyone has any feedback or questions, please feel free to get in touch.
