You're not purchasing anything, Patreon is about patronage, as in donating/supporting with no expectation. Whether you get something is completely up to the creator to do.

Not necessarily. Patreon has two payment models - either pay per month, in which case you hope the creator sticks to what they say they'll be doing (and you withdraw your support if they don't and you're not happy about that); or the other option is where you pay when they publish a new piece of content (with a monthly cap). I support a couple on that model. So in that case it is more directly a purchase of some content, even if nothing stops creators from posting it outside of Patreon for anybody to enjoy.

There's also a fair bit of patron-only content from many people - bonus comics, behind the scenes stuff, exclusive videos, requested artwork, whatever.

So yes, you are purchasing arts and entertainment. Just in an unusual model.

If there is no obligation to deliver then there is no purchase. It's patronage, an already well defined concept and the basis for their name. Why must it be made more complicated as "purchasing...in an unusual model"?

That’s the warm and fuzzy part ?

I read you want to put weight on how the very fact of giving or retracting donations messages an expectation to the creator and creates a kind of defacto commercial relationship.

But honestly I see it the other way round, where creators on patreons have already put something out in the world, and donations come after the fact.

There is an expectation that they go on creating, but if they said “fuck it I can’t do it anymore” I won’t be running after them to ask for my money back; I already got my warm and fuzzy feelings, the deal is closed on my side.

> That’s the warm and fuzzy part?

Yes. In the same way that you purchase something from a charity when you make a donation.

If you think you are purchasing something you are badly mistaken. The creator is not obligated to do anything. And your only recourse is to stop donating to him. There are no refunds.

Warm fuzzy feeling, one might contend :)

What would that be? Either way, purchase implies a guarantee to receive something in return but the creator has no obligation to do this, so it's a donation.

It isn't a purchase of art and entertainment. At least all the Patreons I supported were free content.

There's many which aren't free content or which have content locked off for higher tier patrons. There's many which are "exclusive for patrons for [X time]" too.