Recent Editions

Left to right: Linktree co-founders Anthony Zaccaria, Alex Zaccaria, Nicky Humphreys. Photo: Linktree.
Creator Economy

Why Everyone’s Excited About Link-in-Bio Startups

By Kaya Yurieff · Jun 16, 2021 4:17pm PDT · 2 comments
Since we started this newsletter, startups offering what’s known as “link-in-bio” services have made regular appearances, from raising venture funding to launching new ways for creators to make money. Today we explain what they are—and why investors and founders seem so hot about this technology. The concept for these services rose from a... Since we started this newsletter, startups offering what’s known as “link-in-bio” services have...
Images of Facebook's live audio rooms (l) and a Clubhouse chat room (r). Photos: Facebook, Clubhouse
Creator Economy

Facebook Previews Its Clubhouse Competitor; Q&A with Gumroad’s Sahil Lavingia

By Kaya Yurieff · Jun 15, 2021 4:00pm PDT
Last week we wrote how Clubhouse was on a hiring spree that should help improve the quality of its audio and programming. The updates can’t come soon enough. On Tuesday, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg gave a tour of its Clubhouse competitor, making Facebook the second large tech company after Twitter to come directly after the social audio startup... Last week we wrote how Clubhouse was on a hiring spree that should help improve the quality of...
Photo: AP
Creator Economy

Patreon Gets Sucked Into Complaints Over Apple App Store Taxes

By Kaya Yurieff · Jun 14, 2021 4:02pm PDT
Recently, complaints about the 30% commissions Apple and Google app stores charge for digital purchases through apps has spread to the creator economy. The hullabaloo has resurfaced this question: are some apps, notably Patreon, exempt from these fees? And if so, why?To reprise: over the last few weeks, against a backdrop of barbs (and one ... Recently, complaints about the 30% commissions Apple and Google app stores charge for digital...
Photo: AP
TI Creator Economy: What Clubhouse’s New Hires Say About Its Future; Goldman Sachs Exec Says It’s The ‘Year of the Creator’
By Kaya Yurieff · Jun 10, 2021 4:05pm PDT
Photo: AP
Creator Economy

TI Creator Economy: What Clubhouse’s New Hires Say About Its Future; Goldman Sachs Exec Says It’s The ‘Year of the Creator’

By Kaya Yurieff · Jun 10, 2021 4:05pm PDT
A hiring spree isn’t unusual for a startup that’s just raised a lot of money, as Clubhouse did when it brought in an estimated $300 million since January, but its recent recruits hold clues to where the social audio app is headed after a roller-coaster year. In recent weeks, the 40-person startup hired a former long-time Google engineer, a... A hiring spree isn’t unusual for a startup that’s just raised a lot of money, as Clubhouse did...
Nicole Quinn, a partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners. Photo: Lightspeed Venture Partners
Creator Economy

Lightspeed’s Nicole Quinn on Cameo and Venture FOMO; Twitter Spaces Gets a Presidential Visit

By Kaya Yurieff · Jun 9, 2021 3:00pm PDT
When Nicole Quinn, a partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners, led the firm’s Series A round for Cameo in 2018, she said she got many weird looks from other investors who couldn’t understand the apparent appeal of the celebrity shout-out app. Then she watched some of those same investors try to pour money into the startup amid a broader rush into... When Nicole Quinn, a partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners, led the firm’s Series A round for ...
Creator Economy

A Chart of Andreessen Horowitz’s Creator Deals; Glitchy Start to Instagram Conference; Dispo’s New Investors

By Kaya Yurieff · Jun 8, 2021 3:00pm PDT
Our latest chart shows just how busy Andreessen Horowitz has been in backing creator economy deals—and how often these startups involve cryptocurrencies and related assets. Three of the 11 creator economy-related startups the venture firm has led funding for this year focus on non-fungible tokens (NFT), digital collectibles that creators can... Our latest chart shows just how busy Andreessen Horowitz has been in backing creator economy...
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks during the virtual F8 Developers Conference on June 2, 2021. Photo: Bloomberg
Creator Economy

Zuckerberg Jabs Apple Over Creator Fees; Floyd Mayweather Joins OnlyFans

By Kaya Yurieff · Jun 7, 2021 3:42pm PDT
Facebook’s decision to keep tools for creators free for at least the next 18 months could ratchet up pressure on other social networks to do the same. The bonus for Facebook: It’s a fresh opportunity to take a dig at Apple. In a post Monday, CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced Facebook would refrain from taking a cut of online... Facebook’s decision to keep tools for creators free for at least the next 18 months could...
TikTok performer Adam Rose. Photo: Storm Santos
TikTok’s Hidden Political Ads; How a Viral Dance Won a Fortnite Deal
By Kaya Yurieff · Jun 3, 2021 3:06pm PDT
TikTok performer Adam Rose. Photo: Storm Santos
Creator Economy

TikTok’s Hidden Political Ads; How a Viral Dance Won a Fortnite Deal

By Kaya Yurieff · Jun 3, 2021 3:06pm PDT
When it comes to making sure its influencers fess up when they’re getting paid to post, TikTok has trailed peers like Instagram, which has a system that automatically prompts creators for such disclosures.New research from Mozilla that exposed how influencers used undisclosed sponsorships to get around TikTok’s ban on political advertising... When it comes to making sure its influencers fess up when they’re getting paid to post, TikTok...
An Apple customer in Sydney, Australia, on Friday, Nov. 13, 2020. Photo: Bloomberg
Creator Economy

Apple’s Brewing Battle Over Creator Commissions; Stir Hires from Instagram

By Kaya Yurieff · Jun 2, 2021 4:00pm PDT
Apple’s high-profile trial with Epic Games stoked the complaint that Apple’s 30% cut of every in-app purchase hurts social media creators. These gripes are lasting beyond the trial’s end last month, suggesting that even if the judge rules favorably for Apple, creators may be increasingly willing to fight a PR battle to pressure the company to... Apple’s high-profile trial with Epic Games stoked the complaint that Apple’s 30% cut of every...
Karyn Spencer. Photo: Steph Girard
Creator Economy

How Vine Missed its Shot With Creators; Clubhouse on the Move

By Kaya Yurieff · Jun 1, 2021 3:26pm PDT
Karyn Spencer has straddled tech and Hollywood for years: she started as Ashton Kutcher’s personal assistant and eventually worked her way up to vice president of production for his media company. Then she moved into tech, becoming Vine’s head of creators in 2015, when online celebrities still largely operated on the fringe. After stints with... Karyn Spencer has straddled tech and Hollywood for years: she started as Ashton Kutcher’s...
A livestreamer promotes personal hygiene products during Alibaba's annual shopping event on November, 11, 2020. More U.S. tech companies are testing live shopping.
Creator Economy

Live Shopping Has Its Moment; The OnlyFans Star Who Launched a Startup

By Kaya Yurieff · May 27, 2021 3:10pm PDT
Tech companies in the U.S. are testing whether a generation raised on YouTube will embrace a habit more associated with their cable-watching grandparents: live shopping. A crop of startups including Popshop Live and Supergreat are offering live-shopping shows hosted by social media creators or others with specific niches. On Popshop,... Tech companies in the U.S. are testing whether a generation raised on YouTube will embrace a...
Katie Feeney, who has 325,000 followers on Instagram and 5.6 million on TikTok, sets up a smartphone in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Photo: Bloomberg
The Instagram Metric Creators Really Like; Twitter Teases a Buy Button
By Kaya Yurieff · May 26, 2021 3:00pm PDT
Katie Feeney, who has 325,000 followers on Instagram and 5.6 million on TikTok, sets up a smartphone in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Photo: Bloomberg
Creator Economy

The Instagram Metric Creators Really Like; Twitter Teases a Buy Button

By Kaya Yurieff · May 26, 2021 3:00pm PDT
Instagram has made it official: it’s sticking with likes and letting users decide whether to see or show this measure of popularity rather than getting rid of it altogether. Today I’m going to dive into why that decision may not really matter. The short version? Instagram’s most avid users have already moved on. Other metrics—views,... Instagram has made it official: it’s sticking with likes and letting users decide whether to see...
Creator Economy

How Influencers Make Money; Poparazzi Pops to the Top

By Kaya Yurieff · May 25, 2021 4:14pm PDT
Our new chart shows how reliant creators are on brand deals to earn a living—and the opportunity for other sources (think tips, courses) to catch up. Seventy-seven percent of creators depend on sponsorship deals with brands, which is three times as much as every other revenue source combined, found a May survey of 2,000 creators conducted... Our new chart shows how reliant creators are on brand deals to earn a living—and the opportunity...
Instagram head Adam Mosseri. Photo: Bloomberg
Creator Economy

Instagram’s Mosseri Is ‘Exploring’ Subscriptions, Open to Creator Fund

By Kaya Yurieff · May 24, 2021 4:01pm PDT
Instagram has long been a home for influencers, but it wasn’t until a year ago that it started offering ways for them to earn money directly on the app. Now, Instagram is “exploring” subscriptions and a marketplace for NFTs, said Instagram head Adam Mosseri in an interview. (You can read the full Q&A here.)“There’s different ways to... Instagram has long been a home for influencers, but it wasn’t until a year ago that it started...
Snap’s senior vice president of content and partnerships Ben Schwerin, in a screenshot from an online presentation Thursday.
Creator Economy

For Creators, Snap Both Gives and Takes Away; Andreessen Horowitz Backs Maven

By Kaya Yurieff · May 20, 2021 3:48pm PDT · 1 comment
Creators made up about a third of the main announcements Snap shared at its developer conference on Thursday, showing just how much courting these internet personalities has taken center stage. At last year’s event, CEO Evan Spiegel and other executives barely mentioned creators, instead focusing on tools like a mini version of apps within... Creators made up about a third of the main announcements Snap shared at its developer conference...
Atelier Ventures’ Li Jin. Photo: Li Jin
Investor Li Jin Says We’ll All Be Creators in 10 Years
By Kaya Yurieff · May 19, 2021 3:40pm PDT · 1 comment
Atelier Ventures’ Li Jin. Photo: Li Jin
Creator Economy

Investor Li Jin Says We’ll All Be Creators in 10 Years

By Kaya Yurieff · May 19, 2021 3:40pm PDT · 1 comment
Li Jin has become something of a soothsayer on the creator economy. After nearly four years at Andreessen Horowitz, where she penned a much-discussed essay about the proliferation of people turning their interests into livelihoods, she founded early-stage venture firm Atelier Ventures last year and writes a newsletter on what she terms the “... Li Jin has become something of a soothsayer on the creator economy. After nearly four years at ...
Creator Economy

TI Creator Economy: A Table of Tipping Take Rates; Cameo Gets a New Rival

By Kaya Yurieff · May 18, 2021 4:04pm PDT
Online tipping has quietly exploded over the last two years as social networks try to appeal to creators, who are looking for new ways to make money directly from fans. Our latest chart shows how much these features can vary, particularly in the percentage, or take rate, a technology company gets. While a handful such as Clubhouse and ... Online tipping has quietly exploded over the last two years as social networks try to appeal to...
Tyler “Ninja” Blevins in 2018. Photo: Getty Images
Creator Economy

Why Twitch’s Streaming Cost-Cuts Make Sense; Twitter Teases an ‘Undo’ Feature

By Kaya Yurieff · May 17, 2021 3:33pm PDT
Twitch, the livestreaming platform popular with gamers, is making a big push to appeal to more viewers outside of the U.S. by slashing prices on subscriptions to its streamers’ channels. The move makes sense, given the wide gap between people who watch Twitch  and those who want to pay for it regularly. But Twitch has to proceed gingerly:... Twitch, the livestreaming platform popular with gamers, is making a big push to appeal to more...
Discord co-founder and CTO Stanislav Vishnevskiy. Photo: Discord
Creator Economy

Why Even Discord Is Offering Creators Ways to Get Paid

By Kaya Yurieff · May 13, 2021 3:16pm PDT
Discord isn’t just a social network for video gamers anymore. The service has mushroomed into a 150 million-user hangout spot for everyone from high-school debate teams to karaoke singers. Now it’s helping Internet stars who have also gravitated to Discord get paid when they stick around. The San Francisco-based startup is using a familiar... Discord isn’t just a social network for video gamers anymore. The service has mushroomed into a...
TikTok’s Pandemic Popularity Got Advertisers’ Attention, New Data Shows
By Kaya Yurieff · May 12, 2021 3:04pm PDT
Creator Economy

TikTok’s Pandemic Popularity Got Advertisers’ Attention, New Data Shows

By Kaya Yurieff · May 12, 2021 3:04pm PDT
A new survey of U.S. advertisers shows just how much the pandemic put TikTok on their radar. Some 68% of those polled in March say they expect to use influencers on TikTok to sell their products, up from 16% in February 2020. Marketing firm Linqia polled 163 companies and agencies for the survey, a relatively small pool but one that... A new survey of U.S. advertisers shows just how much the pandemic put TikTok on their radar. Some...