Recent Editions

The group of creators living in a new music-focused creator house in Miami. Photo: Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images
Creator Economy

Live Nation Launches a Creator House for Music Fans; Q&A With Startup Founder Sophie Gray

By Kaya Yurieff · Mar 8, 2022 3:13pm PST
The popularity of Hype House, a Los Angeles mansion that has housed TikTok stars Charli D’Amelio and Addison Rae, has encouraged similar creator collectives where internet personalities make videos together and post to each other's fans. The latest of these focuses on music—and Miami. Live Nation Entertainment, which merged with... The popularity of Hype House, a Los Angeles mansion that has housed TikTok stars Charli D’Amelio...
Photo by Bloomberg
Creator Economy

Russian Influencers Take an Earnings Hit; D’Amelio Family Launches $25 Million VC Fund

By Kaya Yurieff · Mar 7, 2022 2:00pm PST
With social platforms shutting down or limiting features in Russia as the country’s invasion of Ukraine continues, Russian social media influencers are being cut off from earnings.  The Russian government has blocked access to Facebook, a move it blamed on the social network’s restrictions on state media. Last week, Google paused ad... With social platforms shutting down or limiting features in Russia as the country’s invasion of...
An advertisement for Crytpo Wolves Club NFT in Times Square, New York. Photo: Bloomberg
Creator Economy

How the SEC Could Rattle NFT Startups; India’s YouTuber Boom

By Mahira Dayal · Mar 3, 2022 4:08pm PST
A Securities and Exchange Commission probe into the developers of  non-fungible tokens and the marketplaces that sell them poses ramifications for several creator economy startups. At least nine in The Information’s Creator Economy Database are focused on these NFTs, which became wildly popular collectible and trading assets last year. An... A Securities and Exchange Commission probe into the developers of  non-fungible tokens and...
Chart: Mike Sullivan
TikTok Video Limits, Once Similar to Vines, Are Now More Like YouTube
By Mahira Dayal · Mar 2, 2022 4:19pm PST
Chart: Mike Sullivan
Creator Economy

TikTok Video Limits, Once Similar to Vines, Are Now More Like YouTube

By Mahira Dayal · Mar 2, 2022 4:19pm PST
When ByteDance launched TikTok in the U.S. in 2018, videos on the app were just 15 seconds long, or about twice the length of popular looping videos on Vine, the short-form video app Twitter shut down in 2016. As our latest chart shows, TikTok videos have been steadily increasing ever since. This week TikTok said users could upload videos as... When ByteDance launched TikTok in the U.S. in 2018, videos on the app were just 15 seconds long,...
Disco co-founder Candice Faktor. Photo: Disco
Creator Economy

Disco Raises Series A From GSV to Expand Online Courses; Interview With a Ukrainian-American Influencer

By Kaya Yurieff · Mar 1, 2022 2:29pm PST
The pandemic made influencer-led online courses a hit with a population stuck at home. Even as people have started to leave their houses, one young startup has been able to raise more money to expand. Disco, a software startup for creating and selling live courses, events and workshops, raised $15 million in Series A funding led by GSV... The pandemic made influencer-led online courses a hit with a population stuck at home. Even as...
Demonstrators protesting the Russian invasion of Ukraine in front of the United Nations Headquarters in New York on Monday. Photo by Bloomberg
Creator Economy

What Should Influencers Say During a War?

By Kaya Yurieff · Feb 28, 2022 2:39pm PST
Christina Galbato, an Instagram influencer with 272,000 Instagram followers who sells online courses for aspiring creators, was in the middle of launching a new coaching program when Russia invaded Ukraine. “It didn’t feel right to continue on with my planned promotional content, so I paused my normal content,” she said. Instead, Galbato... Christina Galbato, an Instagram influencer with 272,000 Instagram followers who sells online...
Ukrainian servicemen sit atop armored personnel carriers driving on a road in the Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. Photo: AP
Creator Economy

Instagram Influencers and Twitch Streamers Broadcast Russia's Ukraine Invasion

By Kaya Yurieff · Feb 24, 2022 2:17pm PST
It’s a jarring contrast: Just a day ago, Sofia Stuzhuk, an influencer in Ukraine with 5.5 million followers, was posting videos of playing with her young daughter and a new manicure on Instagram Stories. Then on Thursday, her short videos started focusing on a geopolitical crisis, as Stuzhuk reposted a video of Ukraine’s president Volodymyr... It’s a jarring contrast: Just a day ago, Sofia Stuzhuk, an influencer in Ukraine with 5.5 million...
Photo: Bloomberg
LinkedIn Jumps Into Podcasts; OpenSea Recruits Another Meta Exec
By Mahira Dayal · Feb 23, 2022 3:41pm PST
Photo: Bloomberg
Creator Economy

LinkedIn Jumps Into Podcasts; OpenSea Recruits Another Meta Exec

By Mahira Dayal · Feb 23, 2022 3:41pm PST
LinkedIn has been expanding creator offerings as the Microsoft-owned professional social network tries to carve out territory in the ongoing battle for influencers and their fans. On Wednesday, it announced its latest effort: its own collection of podcasts, which will include those produced by creators such as communications executive Morra... LinkedIn has been expanding creator offerings as the Microsoft-owned professional social network...
Chart: Mike Sullivan
Creator Economy

SoftBank Goes Big on the Creator Economy (Chart); Facebook Introduces Ad Revenue Sharing in Reels

By Kaya Yurieff · Feb 22, 2022 2:58pm PST
Our latest chart shows how SoftBank’s creator economy investments dovetail with areas the Japanese investing powerhouse’s CEO and founder, Masayoshi Son, has long championed, such as artificial intelligence. Over the past 12 months, SoftBank Vision Fund 2 has made at least 10 investments in creator economy startups, including AI-powered... Our latest chart shows how SoftBank’s creator economy investments dovetail with areas the...
Lyonel Dougé, CEO of TipSnaps. Photo: TipSnaps
Creator Economy

Crowdfunding the Creator Economy; A Teen TikToker’s Violent Stalker

By Kaya Yurieff · Feb 17, 2022 2:05pm PST
A growing number of startups are making it easier for creators to finance their video production beyond maxing out their credit cards. Below we look at three that offer a creator-focused version of the crowdfunding popularized by Kickstarter and GofundMe. On U.K.-based Ko-fi, for example, creators can set a crowdfunding goal and accept... A growing number of startups are making it easier for creators to finance their video production...
Spotter CEO Aaron DeBevoise.
Creator Economy

Why SoftBank Invested in Spotter, a Startup Giving Cash to Creators

By Kaya Yurieff · Feb 16, 2022 2:00pm PST
Rather than offering creators marketing services, ways for them to connect with fans or software features for managing their incomes, a new crop of startups is focusing on providing them with something both innovative and incredibly mundane: capital.One of these startups is emerging at the head of the pack, at least when it comes to funding. Rather than offering creators marketing services, ways for them to connect with fans or software...
Trace Alexander, 18, runs oatmeal-focused social media accounts. Photo: Trace Alexander
Roblox Pays Out Nearly $540 Million to Creators; The High School TikToker Sponsored by Quaker Oats
By Kaya Yurieff · Feb 15, 2022 2:45pm PST
Trace Alexander, 18, runs oatmeal-focused social media accounts. Photo: Trace Alexander
Creator Economy

Roblox Pays Out Nearly $540 Million to Creators; The High School TikToker Sponsored by Quaker Oats

By Kaya Yurieff · Feb 15, 2022 2:45pm PST
Roblox paid out $538.3 million to developers on its gaming platform—also known as creators—in 2021, beating an earlier projection of $500 million, according to financial figures released on Tuesday. Two years ago, that figure was $112 million, the company pointed out.“We believe these financial incentives, which include engagement based payouts,... Roblox paid out $538.3 million to developers on its gaming platform—also known as creators—in...
TikTok creator Nick Cho in an Alaska Airlines commercial during the 2022 Super Bowl. Photo: Screenshot from YouTube
Creator Economy

Where Were Creators at the Super Bowl?

By Kaya Yurieff · Feb 14, 2022 2:04pm PST
Sunday’s Super Bowl commercials sparkled with A-List celebrities such as Dolly Parton, Matthew McConaughey and Larry David. Largely absent from the prime time broadcast? Social media influencers. Internet personalities have mingled with the mainstream famous at events like the Met Gala and parlayed their internet notoriety into success in... Sunday’s Super Bowl commercials sparkled with A-List celebrities such as Dolly Parton, Matthew...
Matt Koval, a long-time YouTube employee and creator, is joining startup Mighty Networks. Photo: Matt Koval
Creator Economy

YouTube’s Matt Koval Joins Mighty Networks; Twitter CEO on Creator Priorities

By Kaya Yurieff · Feb 10, 2022 2:32pm PST
Matt Koval has spent a lot of time thinking about how to be successful as a creator: He started making YouTube videos in 2008 and about four years later became an employee for the video-sharing site. That tenure, which ends March 1 when he joins startup Mighty Networks, gave him a window into a big challenge facing many creators: how to turn... Matt Koval has spent a lot of time thinking about how to be successful as a creator: He started...
Former Twitch executive and creator Marcus Graham. Photo: Courtesy Marcus Graham
Creator Economy

The Tech Employees Who Are Also Creators

By Kaya Yurieff · Feb 9, 2022 2:00pm PST
This morning we published a feature on what you might call a side-hustle side effect: more workers at social networks that support creators are creators themselves. I spoke with former employees at companies like TikTok and Twitch, plus executives at creator-focused platforms Patreon and Cameo, about how both employees and companies are... This morning we published a feature on what you might call a side-hustle side effect: more...
How Often Meta and Facebook Execs Have Mentioned Reels (Chart)
How Often Meta and Facebook Execs Have Mentioned Reels (Chart)
By Mahira Dayal · Feb 8, 2022 3:30pm PST
How Often Meta and Facebook Execs Have Mentioned Reels (Chart)
Creator Economy

How Often Meta and Facebook Execs Have Mentioned Reels (Chart)

By Mahira Dayal · Feb 8, 2022 3:30pm PST
Meta Platforms’ earnings call last week was a clear indication of what the owner of Facebook and Instagram is focused on this year: Reels. In the earnings call for the fourth quarter, executives mentioned Reels 34 times and analysts used it another six, according to a transcript of the call. Combined, the 40 instances amount to a mention of the... Meta Platforms’ earnings call last week was a clear indication of what the owner of Facebook and...
Riley Bell, the creator behind the Instagram account @memequeen. Photo: Riley Bell
Creator Economy

Why Static Video Memes Are All Over Instagram

By Kaya Yurieff · Feb 7, 2022 3:39pm PST
A quirky form of video posts has taken over Instagram, the consequence of Meta Platforms’ recent push to prioritize Reels and other videos on its Facebook and Instagram apps as it counters the rise of rival TikTok. I’m dubbing this creator growth hack the static video meme. Here’s how it works: Creators who run photo-focused accounts, such... A quirky form of video posts has taken over Instagram, the consequence of Meta Platforms’ recent...
Evan Spiegel, co-founder and chief executive officer of Snap Inc., Photo: Bloomberg
Creator Economy

Snap’s Spotlight Viewers Rise; Pinterest’s Ups and Downs; Cameo Joins the Crypto Party

By Mahira Dayal · Feb 3, 2022 5:30pm PST
Snap’s earnings report Thursday, in which it reported its first-ever quarterly profit, sent shares soaring 60% in after-hours trading. The report was a bright spot in a week that contained some disappointments for social media companies, including YouTube’s slowdown in ad revenue growth and Meta Platforms’ drop in users. Snap’s profit comes... Snap’s earnings report Thursday, in which it reported its first-ever quarterly profit, sent...
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Photo: Bloomberg
Creator Economy

Meta Goes All-In on Reels; a Meme Account Gets VC Funding; Biden Moves on TikTok’s Security Threat

By Mahira Dayal · Feb 2, 2022 5:18pm PST
Meta Platforms is all in on Reels, the short-form video feature on its Instagram and Facebook apps. CEO Mark Zuckerberg and other executives mentioned it repeatedly, both in answer to analyst questions and as a top priority for the company. The metaverse, in contrast, got barely a mention. Meta’s earnings showed some disappointing stats,... Meta Platforms is all in on Reels, the short-form video feature on its Instagram and Facebook...
Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai. Photo: Bloomberg
YouTube’s Ad Revenue Growth Slows; A16z Leads Funding for Launch House
By Kaya Yurieff · Feb 1, 2022 4:44pm PST
Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai. Photo: Bloomberg
Creator Economy

YouTube’s Ad Revenue Growth Slows; A16z Leads Funding for Launch House

By Kaya Yurieff · Feb 1, 2022 4:44pm PST
YouTube ad revenue growth has slowed over the past three quarters. That may sound alarming for the YouTube creators who make significant income from ads running on their videos. But the rate is coming down from pandemic-jostled year-ago periods and was bound to fall. Here’s a look at what happened, and what else Alphabet execs said about the... YouTube ad revenue growth has slowed over the past three quarters. That may sound alarming for...