DNA Lounge Joins Forces With Patreon To Keep Its Doors Open

DNA Lounge Joins Forces With Patreon To Keep Its Doors OpenPhoto: Scott B./Yelp
Elaine Gavin
Published on January 12, 2017

Last month, DNA Lounge owner Jamie Zawinski published a blog post in which he warned patrons that his nightclub, long a fixture on SoMa's 11th Street corridor, was in danger of closing. 

"DNA has never turned a profit," Zawinski confessed in his post, noting that he's invested $5 million of his own money into the club since taking it over in 1999. "Through most of our history, the way we make payroll is [that] I write personal checks to cover it." 

To stay in business, DNA Lounge is now embracing a community sponsorship model, much like the one that's kept Mission bookstore Borderlands afloat. However, their story has a SoMa twist: they've teamed up with startup Patreon, which is based just a few blocks from the club, to help manage it.

On January 6th, DNA Lounge launched its Patreon page, with the goal of raising $8,000 per month from a regular group of patrons to keep its doors open. So far, it's earned a monthly commitment of $2,859 from 251 patrons. 

Patreon's headquarters, on 9th Street in SoMa. | Photo: Elaine Gavin/Hoodline

In exchange for the monthly donation, many Patreon creators offer "tiers" of rewards, ranging from special access to patron-only content to original content made just for each patron. However, DNA Lounge isn't currently offering any rewards beyond its continued existence. 

"We don't want you to donate because it's a good bargain. We want you to donate because you believe in our mission, and want it to continue," the club writes on its Patreon page. "We may choose to offer some sponsor-only perks in the future, because you are awesome and we love you, but we don't want that to be the reason you signed up." 

Patreon's headquarters feature photos and art created by people who've used the service. | Photo: Elaine Gavin/Hoodline

Founded by musician Jack Conte and engineer Sam Yam, Patreon allows a variety of creators (bloggers, podcasters, musicians, comedians, video gamers and so on) to set monthly or project specific contribution goals to which their "patrons" can contribute, with Patreon taking a cut.

“A lot of time, fans want to give money to creators, but there’s just not a mechanism to do it," says Patreon's head of communications, Mollie Starr. "We structured it to be flexible, because we have so many types of creators."

According to creator relations lead Jordan Cope, DNA Lounge's $8,000 monthly goal is pretty moderate by the site's standards; some creators, like Dresden Dolls musician Amanda Palmer or popular podcast Chapo Trap House, can take in as much as $35,000 each month.

Dancers at a DNA Lounge event. | Photo: DNA Lounge

Patreon teamed up with DNA Lounge because "they're our neighbors down the street," explains Starr. "They're a haven for creators and we want to see them survive and thrive." 

That includes assisting them in building a better Patreon page. "We've worked with them on and off to tweak the page, add little things, shared some ideas," says Cope. "It's been really cool." 

While the question remains whether DNA Lounge can hit the $8,000 target it needs in order to keep its doors open, the company's employees say they'll do what they can to help make it happen.

"It's a lofty goal," Cope says. "But I think it's doable."