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Art: Mike Sullivan
Creator Economy

What Instagram’s Pullback on Shopping Means for Creators; Q&A With a Clubhouse Creator

By Mahira Dayal · Sep 7, 2022 2:00pm PDT
My colleague Sylvia was the first to report on Tuesday that Instagram is scaling back its shopping features, including the Shopping tab in the app. On its own, that may not be a huge loss for creators. When I scroll through my Shopping tab, Instagram recommends a few posts from creators I follow and a selection of Instagram shops followed by my... My colleague Sylvia was the first to report on Tuesday that Instagram is scaling back its...
Graphic: Shane Burke
Creator Economy

YouTube Scrapped Planned Creator Payments Revamp After Shooting, According to New Book

By Kaya Yurieff · Sep 6, 2022 2:00pm PDT
For years, YouTube was working toward a revamp of its payment system for creators. Then, in 2018, the company killed it, according to the new book “Like, Comment, Subscribe: Inside YouTube’s Chaotic Rise to World Domination” by Bloomberg Technology reporter Mark Bergen. The company faced a major advertiser boycott in 2017 over YouTube’s... For years, YouTube was working toward a revamp of its payment system for creators. Then, in 2018,...
OnlyFans CEO Ami Gan. Photo: OnlyFans
Creator Economy

OnlyFans’ Sustained Pandemic Boom; Twitter Finally Tests Edit Button

By Kaya Yurieff · Sep 1, 2022 2:00pm PDT
OnlyFans’ business boomed last year, with revenue surging 160% to $932 million year-over-year, according to financial results the adult content site released on Thursday for the year ending November 2021.The results show that 2020—when reported revenue rose 553%—wasn’t some fluke. OnlyFans' business has continued to grow, with pre-tax profits... OnlyFans’ business boomed last year, with revenue surging 160% to $932 million year-over-year,...
Graphic: Mike Sullivan
Snap and Substack Moves Signal Shifts in the Creator Economy
By Kaya Yurieff · Aug 31, 2022 2:07pm PDT
Graphic: Mike Sullivan
Creator Economy

Snap and Substack Moves Signal Shifts in the Creator Economy

By Kaya Yurieff · Aug 31, 2022 2:07pm PDT
As we detailed in a story yesterday, Substack is doling out fewer perks to writers, including cutting a healthcare subsidy offered to some top names and paring back how frequently it offers upfront cash advances to potential writers. It’s also “not being as aggressive” in offering other services designed to draw in and support writers, ranging... As we detailed in a story yesterday, Substack is doling out fewer perks to writers, including...
Robert Kyncl, Credit: Bloomberg
Creator Economy

Questions for YouTube After Kyncl Era; Interview with ‘The Fierce Diva’

By Mahira Dayal · Aug 30, 2022 3:41pm PDT
After 12 years at YouTube, chief business officer Robert Kyncl is stepping down from his role in October, and will leave the company early in 2023. Mary Ellen Coe, who has focused on Google’s ad business for about a decade, will replace him. It’s hard to fully gauge YouTube’s track record as a business under Kyncl, a former Netflix... After 12 years at YouTube, chief business officer Robert Kyncl is stepping down from his...
Snap Dual camera, Credit: Snap, Art: Mike Sullivan
Creator Economy

Snap Adds to BeReal Rivalry; Millennials Dominate Creators

By Mahira Dayal · Aug 29, 2022 2:01pm PDT
Snap on Monday became the latest app to join the BeReal craze by introducing a feature in Snapchat’s main camera app to take and send a photo using the user’s front- and back-facing cameras at the same time. That’s similar to a core feature of BeReal, the buzzy French social media app that pings users once a day to “BeReal” and take a photo of... Snap on Monday became the latest app to join the BeReal craze by introducing a feature in...
Chart: Shane Burke
Creator Economy

Inside Spotter’s C-Suite; Twitter’s Staff Exodus

By Mahira Dayal · Aug 25, 2022 3:14pm PDT
The Information’s org charts are a reader favorite. Today we’re giving Creator Economy readers a mini version, with this map of Spotter’s C-Suite. Why are we starting with Spotter? Primarily because the three-year-old startup, which offers creators upfront financing in exchange for licensing their backlog of YouTube videos, has been on a hiring... The Information’s org charts are a reader favorite. Today we’re giving Creator Economy readers a...
YouTube creator Jordan Matter. Photo: JJ Ignotz Photography
One Untapped Market for Creator Economy Startups; TikTok Is the New Digital Crack, Say Bernstein Internet Analysts
By Kaya Yurieff · Aug 24, 2022 2:00pm PDT
YouTube creator Jordan Matter. Photo: JJ Ignotz Photography
Creator Economy

One Untapped Market for Creator Economy Startups; TikTok Is the New Digital Crack, Say Bernstein Internet Analysts

By Kaya Yurieff · Aug 24, 2022 2:00pm PDT
As our Creator Economy Database shows, there are more than 260 startups catering to creators, from marketing and banking services to online courses and live shopping. But most fail to address one group of creators: everyone working behind the camera, according to Jordan Matter, a 55-year-old YouTuber with 12.6 million subscribers.“It’s an... As our Creator Economy Database shows, there are more than 260 startups catering to creators,...
Photo: Mike Sullivan
Creator Economy

Twitch Lets Creators Stream on Rival Services; Instagram’s BeReal Copycat

By Kaya Yurieff · Aug 23, 2022 2:21pm PDT
Twitch streamers who are part of the company’s partner program are now allowed to livestream on competing services, such as YouTube or Facebook. Previously, streamers who wanted to be part of the program, which gives them access to money-making tools such as ad-revenue sharing and subscriptions, couldn’t also host streams on YouTube and... Twitch streamers who are part of the company’s partner program are now allowed to livestream on...
Art: Mike Sullivan
Creator Economy

Twitter’s Bonus Cuts; Amazon’s Live Audio App Six Months In

By Mahira Dayal · Aug 22, 2022 3:40pm PDT
Twitter staff learned Friday their annual bonuses might be cut 50%, according to a memo sent by Twitter’s chief financial officer Ned Segal that The New York Times first reported. The warning followed Twitter’s first quarterly revenue drop in two years. The potential bonus cuts represent more bad news for Twitter employees, who have grappled... Twitter staff learned Friday their annual bonuses might be cut 50%, according to a memo sent by...
Olivia Deng, Investor at Banana Capital. Art: Mike Sullivan
Creator Economy

TikTok-Like Full Screen Video Takes Over; Interview With Banana Capital’s Deng

By Mahira Dayal · Aug 18, 2022 3:13pm PDT
The urge among internet companies to copy TikTok is about to take over your home screen.Two years ago, YouTube and Facebook rushed to introduce short-form videos that capitalized on the exploding popularity of TikTok. Now these companies as well as new startups like Mixo are trying on different features, like full-screen video. The latest:... The urge among internet companies to copy TikTok is about to take over your home screen.Two years...
Art: Mike Sullivan
Pearpop, a Startup That Enables Creator ‘Collabs,’ Inked Financing Before Downturn
By Mahira Dayal · Aug 17, 2022 4:38pm PDT
Art: Mike Sullivan
Creator Economy

Pearpop, a Startup That Enables Creator ‘Collabs,’ Inked Financing Before Downturn

By Mahira Dayal · Aug 17, 2022 4:38pm PDT
Pearpop, a nearly two-year-old startup whose technology facilitates collaborations between influencers, raised an undisclosed amount of funding in March through a simple agreement for future equity, or SAFE, a person familiar with the company told The Information. Investors in the March round included music management company Red Light... Pearpop, a nearly two-year-old startup whose technology facilitates collaborations between...
Credit: Sharon Schuur. Art: Mike Sullivan
Creator Economy

TikTok for Food Tests Tipping; Meta Takes Horizon Worlds to Europe

By Mahira Dayal · Aug 16, 2022 2:00pm PDT
Instagram isn’t the only social platform that wants to look more like TikTok. A new app called Mixo provides the same quick scroll through lots of vertically-oriented videos, but—twist!—provides exclusively cooking and food-related content. When its co-founder and CEO Shirley Romig, 45, launched the New York City-based company in June, she... Instagram isn’t the only social platform that wants to look more like TikTok. A new app called ...
Photo by AP
Creator Economy

How Instagram Is Getting Teens to Share More; Snap Expands Subs

By Kaya Yurieff · Aug 15, 2022 3:03pm PDT
Earlier today, we published a story about Instagram’s internal efforts to take on TikTok. Our reporting found out that tests of TikTok-like changes to Instagram—which Instagram paused after an outcry from major influencers—were part of a broader initiative that began last year to simplify the app, code name Panavision. You can read more... Earlier today, we published a story about Instagram’s internal efforts to take on TikTok. ...
Emily Yang, @pplpleaser. Credit: Emily Yang
Creator Economy

TikTok’s Ad Stumbles; an NFT Artist on Crypto Twitter, Philanthropy and Diversity

By Mahira Dayal · Aug 11, 2022 2:51pm PDT
TikTok aims to rival the ad revenue of digital titans such as Meta Platforms, but a new report from my colleague Sylvia shows that turbulence within the short-form video app’s ad sales department threatens to throw it off course.That turbulence includes a high-pressure culture that has resulted in heavy turnover. Since top-down instruction still... TikTok aims to rival the ad revenue of digital titans such as Meta Platforms, but a new report...
David Baszucki, chief executive officer and co-founder of Roblox Corp. Photo: Bloomberg.
Startup Kangaroo Indicates Plans to Close; Roblox Rewards Creators
By Mahira Dayal · Aug 10, 2022 3:34pm PDT
David Baszucki, chief executive officer and co-founder of Roblox Corp. Photo: Bloomberg.
Creator Economy

Startup Kangaroo Indicates Plans to Close; Roblox Rewards Creators

By Mahira Dayal · Aug 10, 2022 3:34pm PDT
Kangaroo, a creator economy startup that had dubbed itself a “Roblox for stories,” is in the process of shutting down, its co-founder and CEO Katie Mishra has told people close to the company. It’s not clear whether the Palo Alto, Calif., startup, which raised $3.3 million in funding last year, will try to relaunch with a different product.... Kangaroo, a creator economy startup that had dubbed itself a “Roblox for stories,” is in the...
BeReal. Credit: AP
Creator Economy

How Creators Could Earn On BeReal; Layoffs At Snap And Hootsuite

By Mahira Dayal · Aug 9, 2022 4:25pm PDT
BeReal, the viral app that uses the front and back cameras for users to capture a candid image once a day, reached 7.9 million users by the end of July, The Information’s Kate Clark and I reported on Tuesday. That’s a staggering four times as many users as the 2 million it clocked in January, according to a person familiar with the app. Based on... BeReal, the viral app that uses the front and back cameras for users to capture a candid image...
Chart: Sarah Habershon
Creator Economy

It’s Getting Harder to Hit 1 Million Followers on TikTok (Chart)

By Kaya Yurieff · Aug 8, 2022 3:30pm PDT
The number of TikTok accounts crossing 1 million followers has been on the decline over the past year, new data shows. Last month, about 1,200 TikTok accounts hit that milestone, a 41% drop from the same time a year ago, according to data from Trendpop provided exclusively to The Information. The number of TikTok accounts crossing 1 million followers has been on the decline over the past...
Gael Aitor, co-host of the Teenager Therapy podcast. Photo: Teenager Therapy
Creator Economy

The Podcasting Feature Spotify and Apple Should Launch Next

By Kaya Yurieff · Aug 4, 2022 2:15pm PDT
As podcasting’s popularity grows, independent hosts have found it more challenging to break through and connect with new audiences. Efforts from Spotify and Apple, such as spotlighting favorites and offering recommendations based on interests, have helped. But the platforms could do more.Gael Aitor, the 19-year-old co-host of the mental... As podcasting’s popularity grows, independent hosts have found it more challenging to break...
Natalie Monbiot, head of strategy at Hour One. Credit: Monbiot
A Startup Cloning Creators; Facebook Shutters Live Shopping
By Mahira Dayal · Aug 3, 2022 3:11pm PDT
Natalie Monbiot, head of strategy at Hour One. Credit: Monbiot
Creator Economy

A Startup Cloning Creators; Facebook Shutters Live Shopping

By Mahira Dayal · Aug 3, 2022 3:11pm PDT
Last month, YouTuber MrBeast joked that he had to photoshop his hair onto video thumbnails for fans to recognize his face and watch the video. That speaks to a problem faced by any creator who starts to gain a following: the amount of content they make is limited by how often they appear in a photo or video.Startup Hour One tries to solve that... Last month, YouTuber MrBeast joked that he had to photoshop his hair onto video thumbnails for...