Why subscribe?

In a nutshell, I used to make a good living as a touring artist, but then the independent music economy collapsed, especially in the US and the UK, especially due to the impact of Big Tech, which makes all the money these days. Through crowdfunded patronage, though, me and some other artists have more or less managed to make up for the total loss of CD income, and the shrinking of the available venues for live gigs and loss in funding for the arts in many of the countries I play in.

In 2013 — the same year music streaming platforms began offering a free tier, a wonderful thing for music fans but a terrible thing for a few million folks out there who used to make a living at this — I started what I call my Community-Supported Art program on my website, at davidrovics.com/subscribe. People are familiar with the concept these days, in the form of Patreon, which is another way folks can now join my CSA.

Now folks can also join on Substack, where you’ll receive all the new essays I write for Counterpunch and other publications. Everyone who joins also gets all kinds of exclusive digital goodies soon after signing up — and the knowledge that you’re making it possible for me to keep touring, performing, writing, recording, and being part of what’s going on out there in the world.