👋 Hi, I'm Nicholas Roberts. I create and perform music and write this daily blog.

I currently live in Los Angeles with my wife and golden retriever.

Email me: hello@nicholasroberts.io

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Jack Conte, the founder of Patreon, gave an insightful speech at SXSW 2024.

Conte, a musician and YouTuber, walked through the massive changes the Internet has undergone since it took off in the 1990s.

Conte's first musical projects had him driving around the country in a used car, playing to empty coffee shops and bars hoping someone would notice and hear his songs.

After discovering YouTube and the "Follow" feature, he dove headfirst into uploading videos of himself performing his songs on the platform.

Hundreds, then thousands of people discovered his music and followed his channel and growth.

Seeing the potential of having "followers," he began releasing music with his girlfriend under the band name "Pomplamoose." He told everyone who followed his page to go check out this new music instead.

The concept of "following" creators in the early 2010s was relatively new. But it revolutionized Conte's music career.

Suddenly, he had dozens, then hundreds of fans showing up to shows, all without a manager, agent, or record label.

Fast forward through the Facebook, Instagram, and TikTokification of the Internet, where algorithmic feeds show you what's the most engaging content. Not who you’re following.

These days, it's harder than ever to create videos and songs that delight listeners and the algorithm.

In many cases, you have to pick one or the other.

This has left a crater in the creator economy. It's harder than ever to get attention and keep it.

The only way to stay relevant is to upload furiously and hope that something pleases the algorithm.

Conte posits that the future is micro. Where the goal isn't reach but depth.

There will be tens of thousands of micro creators, each playing for a few hundred die-hard fans.

Follower counts in the millions will be a thing of the past, a relic of the old Internet.

Email lists, blogs, and Patreon subscriptions will let creators continue to form deeper connections with fans.

Not just through paid subscriptions, but through the act of building community.

Jack envisions a world where creators create their own micro universes of experiences, deeply special to those who care, and wildly irrelevant to those outside the bubble.

If you're reading this blog, you're part of this transition.

I started this blog to start conversations in my communities. To deepen relationships.

It's time to start asking, "Who will this affect?" instead of, "Who will this reach?"