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Photo by Future Publishing via Getty Images.
Creator Economy

A Meta (AI) Assistant for Every Creator; TikTok’s Music Row

By Sylvia Varnham O'Regan · Feb 1, 2024 3:41pm PST · 1 comment
Mark Zuckerberg wants every creator to “have an AI that their community can engage with.”That’s part of his plans for the year, laid out during Meta’s fourth-quarter earnings call today.The announcements leaned heavily on artificial intelligence products and features, including that Meta AI—the company’s AI assistant—will become a bigger part of... Mark Zuckerberg wants every creator to “have an AI that their community can engage with.”That’s...
Left to right: Shou Zi Chew, CEO of TikTok; Linda Yaccarino, CEO of X; and Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta at a Senate hearing. Photo by Getty Images.
Creator Economy

Congress Won’t Let TikTok Forget About China

By Kalley Huang · Jan 31, 2024 3:08pm PST
Senators grilled the CEOs of Meta Platforms, TikTok, X, Snap and Discord for four hours at a hearing about child sexual exploitation online on Wednesday, criticizing how their platforms allowed child sexual abuse material to spread and enabled the extortion of young people. The senators used the opportunity to jab at executives —“You have blood... Senators grilled the CEOs of Meta Platforms, TikTok, X, Snap and Discord for four hours at a...
Photo via Adobe Stock
Creator Economy

YouTube Talks Creators as Execs Promise More AI Tools

By Kaya Yurieff · Jan 30, 2024 3:42pm PST
Before we get to Google parent Alphabet’s latest quarterly results, I wanted to highlight the news we broke earlier today that TikTok is planning to open locations in Los Angeles where creators will be able to livestream and sell products. The studios will be outfitted with camera equipment, lights and sample products available on TikTok Shop.... Before we get to Google parent Alphabet’s latest quarterly results, I wanted to highlight the ...
Heidi and Marc D'Amelio speak at The Information's Creator Economy Summit in April 2023. Photo by Erin Beach
What to Watch in Social Media Earnings
By Kaya Yurieff · Jan 29, 2024 2:53pm PST
Heidi and Marc D'Amelio speak at The Information's Creator Economy Summit in April 2023. Photo by Erin Beach
Creator Economy

What to Watch in Social Media Earnings

By Kaya Yurieff · Jan 29, 2024 2:53pm PST
In case you missed it, we just started selling early bird tickets to our fourth annual Creator Economy Summit, taking place on April 2 in Los Angeles!Our event is coming at a time when the creator economy is entering a new era. Many startups are struggling to raise fresh venture funding, forcing them to seek buyers, pivot or even consider... In case you missed it, we just started selling early bird tickets to our fourth annual Creator...
Main Street in Park City, Utah during the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. Photo by Araya Doheny/Getty Images.
Creator Economy

At Sundance, TikTok Copies YouTube’s Playbook

By Sahil Patel · Jan 25, 2024 3:10pm PST
TikTok’s efforts to make inroads with Hollywood include bringing a dozen top movie-focused creators to the Sundance Film Festival, which is currently taking place in Park City, Utah. If that sounds familiar to you, that’s because YouTube did this at Sundance for several years last decade, when it, too, was heavily focused on making inroads into... TikTok’s efforts to make inroads with Hollywood include bringing a dozen top movie-focused...
Photo via FanFix. Left: Fanfix CEO and co-founder Harry Gestetner. Right: Passes CEO Lucy Guo. Photo by Celia D. Luna for The Information.
Creator Economy

A Startup’s Lawsuit Places Blame on VC Subsidies

By Kalley Huang · Jan 24, 2024 5:45pm PST · 2 comments
Careful readers of this newsletter may recall that Fanfix, which helps creators earn money directly from their followers through subscriptions and paid messaging, sued Passes, another fan subscription company, in Los Angeles County Superior Court earlier this month. I spent some time looking into the case this week. It shows just how far... Careful readers of this newsletter may recall that Fanfix, which helps creators earn money...
Creator Now co-founder Airrack at the 2022 YouTube Streamy Awards. Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images.
Creator Economy

Startup Co-Founded by YouTuber Airrack Sells to VidIQ

By Kaya Yurieff · Jan 23, 2024 2:05pm PST
New year, new M&A in the creator economy! VidIQ, an analytics provider for creators, is acquiring Creator Now, a Los Angeles-based online education startup for aspiring creators, The Information is first to report. New year, new M&A in the creator economy! VidIQ, an analytics provider for creators, is...
Photos via Getty Images, Shutterstock and TikTok.
In Politics, the ‘New Norm’ Includes Creators
By Kaya Yurieff · Jan 22, 2024 2:42pm PST
Photos via Getty Images, Shutterstock and TikTok.
Creator Economy

In Politics, the ‘New Norm’ Includes Creators

By Kaya Yurieff · Jan 22, 2024 2:42pm PST
Earlier today, we published a story about creators’ growing role in the 2024 election. President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign is hiring a director of digital partnerships to work with creators to amplify his message and reach key voting blocs, including working with local nanoinfluencers. Staffers have discussed having a creator... Earlier today, we published a story about creators’ growing role in the 2024 election. President...
Photo via YouTube/UA Delta Gamma Sorority
Creator Economy

The Home of #RushTok Launches its First Course for Creators

By Kalley Huang · Jan 18, 2024 2:41pm PST
More than four years ago, Jess Maddox, an assistant professor of digital media at the University of Alabama, pitched a course to teach students how to create content. Her department wasn’t interested. This spring semester, she started teaching a course about just that.“It was important for me to build and advocate for a class like this because... More than four years ago, Jess Maddox, an assistant professor of digital media at the University...
Sofia Richie Grainge. Photo by AP.
Creator Economy

TikTok’s Beauty Craze Turns to M&A

By Ann Gehan · Jan 17, 2024 2:31pm PST
Hi - it's Ann. I write about e-commerce and retail for The Information. Before we get into today's column, some breaking news: YouTube is laying off around 100 employees focused on supporting content creators and other partners. The layoffs come amid a reorganization of many of YouTube’s business teams and broader cuts this month at YouTube’s... Hi - it's Ann. I write about e-commerce and retail for The Information. Before we get into...
Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images.
Creator Economy

Snap Finds a New Hit With FOMO-Driven Youth

By Erin Woo · Jan 16, 2024 3:25pm PST
Today I want to start with the words of Jordyn Gilbert, an 18-year-old in Agoura Hills, Calif.: “For teenage girls, it is one of the most helpful things—but also, honestly, like, really toxic.” Gilbert was talking about Snapchat+, Snap’s subscription product, which recently crossed 7 million subscribers. For $3.99 a month, Snapchat+ offers... Today I want to start with the words of Jordyn Gilbert, an 18-year-old in Agoura Hills, Calif.: “...
Instagram's Menlo Park, Calif., office. Photo via Shutterstock.
Instagram Sharpens Focus on Creators Who Drive Teen Engagement
By Sylvia Varnham O'Regan · Jan 11, 2024 2:22pm PST
Instagram's Menlo Park, Calif., office. Photo via Shutterstock.
Creator Economy

Instagram Sharpens Focus on Creators Who Drive Teen Engagement

By Sylvia Varnham O'Regan · Jan 11, 2024 2:22pm PST
Instagram staffers were caught off guard this week by a round of job cuts that effectively eliminated a layer of management at Instagram, in line with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s “efficiency” drive. The cuts reportedly affected about 60 technical program managers—of thousands of Instagram employees—who have two months to try to find another... Instagram staffers were caught off guard this week by a round of job cuts that effectively...
The Tadpole webcam from Opal Camera.
Creator Economy

The Webcam Startup That Bucked the Funding Drought

By Kalley Huang · Jan 10, 2024 3:24pm PST
When most people think about the creator economy, they aren’t thinking about hardware. Yet creators are heavy users of cameras and other video production gear. That may explain why  webcam maker Opal Camera has gained a following among creators and managed to raise money during last quarter’s funding drought.In October, the three-year-old... When most people think about the creator economy, they aren’t thinking about hardware. Yet...
Graphic by Shane Burke
Creator Economy

The Top Cities for Creator Economy Startups

By Kaya Yurieff · Jan 9, 2024 3:14pm PST
As we’ve expanded our efforts to track the creator economy globally, we’ve been looking more closely at where startups and venture dollars have gone. A new analysis of our Creator Economy Database, which now tracks 525 startups, shows that while the Los Angeles area is home to the most startups globally, those in the San Francisco Bay Area... As we’ve expanded our efforts to track the creator economy globally, we’ve been looking more...
Chart by Shane Burke
Creator Economy

Funding For Global Creator Economy Startups Plunged 58% In 2023

By Kaya Yurieff · Jan 8, 2024 2:39pm PST · 1 comment
Funding for global creator economy startups continued its downward spiral in 2023, falling nearly 58% to about $1.7 billion compared to the year before, according to the latest update from The Information’s Creator Economy Database. Funding for just U.S. startups plunged 62% to $1.03 billion year-over-year. A once white-hot sector for... Funding for global creator economy startups continued its downward spiral in 2023, falling nearly...
Host Julian Shapiro-Barnum with Maya Rudolph. Photo from Recess Therapy.
The Kids of Recess Therapy Take to the Golden Globes
By Kalley Huang · Jan 4, 2024 3:00pm PST
Host Julian Shapiro-Barnum with Maya Rudolph. Photo from Recess Therapy.
Creator Economy

The Kids of Recess Therapy Take to the Golden Globes

By Kalley Huang · Jan 4, 2024 3:00pm PST
In recent years, creators have made inroads into traditional entertainment through brand partnerships and other collaborations. One sign of that relationship: creators at mainstream media’s marquee events. For the last three years, YouTuber Emma Chamberlain has been a red carpet correspondent for Vogue at the Met Gala. Last year, Amelia... In recent years, creators have made inroads into traditional entertainment through brand...
Podcast hosts Josh Clark (left) and Chuck Bryant. Photo via Jenn Powers (iHeartMedia).
Creator Economy

The Podcasters Teaching You Stuff You Should Know

By Kaya Yurieff · Jan 3, 2024 2:30pm PST
Most of the time, I speak to creators who operate their businesses independently, but Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant have always run their fifteen-year-old podcast “Stuff You Should Know” under a corporate umbrella.It started in 2008 when the duo was writing for the website HowStuffWorks, which wanted to reach people through more than just... Most of the time, I speak to creators who operate their businesses independently, but Josh Clark...
Singer Olivia Rodrigo joins a White House press briefing in 2021. Photo by Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images.
Creator Economy

Five Predictions for the 2024 Creator Economy

By Kaya Yurieff · Jan 2, 2024 2:00pm PST
This year is already gearing up to be a busy one. We’re heading into a U.S. presidential election and artificial intelligence technology continues to develop at a rapid speed. Both will involve creators, I predict. Here are more of my forecasts for 2024.• Dozens of creator economy startups will shut down or get acquired. This year, startups... This year is already gearing up to be a busy one. We’re heading into a U.S. presidential election...
Creator Hank Green at The Information’s Creator Economy Summit in April. Photo by Erin Beach
Creator Economy

Creator Economy Year In Review 2023

By Kaya Yurieff · Dec 21, 2023 12:45pm PST · 1 comment
Welcome to the last Creator Economy newsletter of 2023—and what a year it’s been!We published 198 newsletters, bringing you scoops about the millions of dollars Meta Platforms paid creators to use their likeness in AI chatbots; TikTok enlisting creators to lobby on Capitol Hill; and startup M&A, including Passes’ merger with Fanhouse and... Welcome to the last Creator Economy newsletter of 2023—and what a year it’s been!We published 198...
The Creator Economy’s Year in Charts
The Creator Economy’s Year in Charts
By Akash Pasricha · Dec 20, 2023 5:24pm PST
The Creator Economy’s Year in Charts
Creator Economy

The Creator Economy’s Year in Charts

By Akash Pasricha · Dec 20, 2023 5:24pm PST
Akash here. I’m a data reporter with The Information Pro, and as we approach the holidays, Kaya and I have been crunching some numbers about the year we’ve just had. We’ve put together three data points—one chart and two tables—that define 2023.Our first, the chart above, shows how far creator startup funding has fallen this year. Venture... Akash here. I’m a data reporter with The Information Pro, and as we approach the holidays, Kaya...