The concert promoter Live Nation funds the new company Creator Nation, which will buy creators’ management companies and help creators with content, sales, brand partnerships and live events. Which creators should go on tour, says the company’s co-founder Alexis Fisher, is something fans who turn up in person for them will strongly hint at. “Seeing the fans come off screen into real life is a really great indicator of someone who should tour,” Fisher told TheWrap. A big social media following and lots of likes, she says, do not automatically make people ticket buyers.
At a live fan event in a bakery owned by one of the fans, the hosts of Chats and Reacts were meant to stay three hours and stayed seven, because there were too many people for the whole bakery. Fisher also takes as a guide whether a creator has ever sold merch or a product, or hosted a meet-and-greet with fans. Live Nation, which unveiled the company on 1 October 2026, writes in a press release that the next phase of creator growth will be decided by how many fans buy their products and turn up when they perform live.
Persuading a fan to buy a ticket is the hardest step, says Ryan Quint of the talent agency CAA. Some creators have already sold out large theatres. With those who tried big venues and failed, the fans like their content online, “but now they have to pay to see you”.
Patreon, the membership platform the hosts from the bakery use most and the one that mentioned the possibility of collaborating on an event, is lining up fan events for creators. This year Patreon expects to host more creator fan events itself than it did last year. Patreon’s chief marketing officer says the company plans events around creators’ business needs and wishes. An exclusive event can therefore motivate a fan to pay for a more expensive membership tier. Patreon is testing livestream tickets in beta, and selected creators can sell them on their page or include access directly in their membership.
A string bag with the podcast’s name
For fans who already pay, the Czech podcast Opravdové zločiny has its subscription Club, an online shop and the November BLACKOUT tour on a single website. Club members get first access to merch and collect points for every month of membership and for spending in the shop, and the points set their membership fee at CZK 99 to 159 a month. In the online shop, a string bag with the podcast’s name sits in stock among the T-shirts and hoodies. It costs CZK 249. The Plzeň night of the tour was sold out at the end of October.
A tour without sponsors
Sold tickets still do not guarantee that a live tour pays for itself, as the Australian podcast We Don't Have Time For This found out. In August 2026 its host Kate Reeves was reluctant to complain, “because we've done very well”, and said colleagues in the industry were struggling to sell tickets. The hosts usually have three to five sponsors on a tour. This year they have none. Their audience expects the tour from them, so they are sponsoring it themselves, “which is not something we can do ongoing”, the other host added.
When you work behind the camera all the time, you wonder whether there is really an audience on the other side, says Emily Hunt, one of the hosts of Chats and Reacts. The people who kept the two creators from leaving the bakery had also stepped off the screen into the real world. She and her co-host should consider holding events more often, or even organising them themselves, Hunt adds.
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