Recent Editions

YouTube is launching a fund for creators who make YouTube Shorts. Photo: Bloomberg
Creator Economy

How YouTube’s New Creator Fund Stacks Up

By Kaya Yurieff · May 11, 2021 3:39pm PDT
YouTube is launching a fund to pay performers to make YouTube Shorts, joining TikTok and Snapchat in trying to lure creators to their platforms with multi-million-dollar funds. YouTube is tapping a decent war chest—$100 million through 2022—but it’s far from the most generous. Snapchat in late November pledged to pay out $1 million a day to... YouTube is launching a fund to pay performers to make YouTube Shorts, joining TikTok and Snapchat...
Creator Economy

Clubhouse's Android App Should Jumpstart Growth; Scaramucci on Creators

By Kaya Yurieff · May 10, 2021 3:18pm PDT
It’s not a stretch to call Clubhouse’s launch of its Android app a “critical milestone.” That’s how Snap founder Evan Spiegel in April described a juncture reached by Snapchat when it numbered more Android users than those on Apple’s iOS and at the same time, hit its highest quarterly growth rate in more than three years. Facebook for years... It’s not a stretch to call Clubhouse’s launch of its Android app a “critical milestone.” ...
Photo: Bloomberg
Creator Economy

A New Map of the Creator Economy; Twitch Downloads Surge

By Kaya Yurieff · May 6, 2021 3:31pm PDT
Startups founders are chasing creator dollars. A new report from early-stage venture firm Antler mapped more than 220 global companies servicing creators. The biggest category by far? Audience monetization, or startups that provide software and other technology to help creators make money outside advertising sponsorships. That focus isn’t... Startups founders are chasing creator dollars. A new report from early-stage venture firm Antler...
Snap said Wednesday it would launch a marketplace to connect creators with brands. Photo: Bloomberg
How Snap and Facebook Creator Marketplaces Could Stumble
By Kaya Yurieff · May 5, 2021 3:00pm PDT
Snap said Wednesday it would launch a marketplace to connect creators with brands. Photo: Bloomberg
Creator Economy

How Snap and Facebook Creator Marketplaces Could Stumble

By Kaya Yurieff · May 5, 2021 3:00pm PDT
Snap and Facebook are joining TikTok in establishing marketplaces to connect creators with brands, elbowing into territory dominated by influencer marketing agencies. Snap on Wednesday revealed it was launching its own creator marketplace to connect advertisers with creators for sponsorship deals. These match-making services, which might ... Snap and Facebook are joining TikTok in establishing marketplaces to connect creators with...
An attendee plays Fortnite during the E3 Electronic Entertainment Expo June 11, 2019. Photo: Bloomberg
Creator Economy

Epic Cites Its Creators; TikTok Rival Preps Relaunch; YouTube in the Living Room

By Kaya Yurieff · May 4, 2021 2:52pm PDT
In one of the most high-profile antitrust trials in recent memory, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney is pointing to Apple’s power over Fortnite creators as additional evidence the iPhone maker is engaging in anti-competitive behavior in how it operates the App Store. According to courtroom pool reporters, Sweeney on Tuesday said the multi-player game... In one of the most high-profile antitrust trials in recent memory, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney is...
TikTok's Kudzi Chikumbu. Photo: Daniel Prakopcyk
Creator Economy

Twitter’s Clubhouse Rival Gets Serious; Q&A With TikTok’s Chikumbu

By Kaya Yurieff · May 3, 2021 3:22pm PDT
Twitter unveiled an expanded version of its social audio feature Spaces, and with it, the first big test of whether Clubhouse can withstand the attack of clones coming from big tech companies.  Any Twitter user with 600 or more followers will now be able to host a live audio conversation. The expansion gives it a big leg up over... Twitter unveiled an expanded version of its social audio feature Spaces, and with it, the first...
An image from the Cameo app. Photo: Bloomberg
Creator Economy

Instagram Holds a ‘Meme Summit,’ Cameo Opens its Wallet

By Kaya Yurieff · Apr 29, 2021 3:15pm PDT · 2 comments
One of the most exciting aspects of starting this newsletter is reporting on the creator economy, a beat that’s just coming into its own. There’s the David and Goliath saga of big tech platforms like Facebook and Google rivaling smaller companies such as Patreon and OnlyFans. There’s the proliferation of startups that offer creators everything... One of the most exciting aspects of starting this newsletter is reporting on the creator economy,...
A screen displays a NFT, or non-fungible token, work of art in New York on April 10. Photo: AP
Chasing the NFT ‘Gold Rush’; YouTube Shorts Picks Up Views
By Kaya Yurieff · Apr 28, 2021 3:02pm PDT
A screen displays a NFT, or non-fungible token, work of art in New York on April 10. Photo: AP
Creator Economy

Chasing the NFT ‘Gold Rush’; YouTube Shorts Picks Up Views

By Kaya Yurieff · Apr 28, 2021 3:02pm PDT
The internet craze for non-fungible tokens (NFTs) has piqued the interest of creators, who are experimenting with selling their own NFTs, the one-of-a-kind digital collectibles that range from Jack Dorsey’s first tweet to the photo behind the Disaster Girl meme. A service called Rally.io, which allows people to launch their own digital currency,... The internet craze for non-fungible tokens (NFTs) has piqued the interest of creators, who are...
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Jan. 31, 2020.
Creator Economy

Zuckerberg Teases Tools for Instagram Influencers; OnlyFans’ Pandemic Payday

By Kaya Yurieff · Apr 27, 2021 3:41pm PDT
Welcome back! I hope you enjoyed the first edition of the Creator Economy newsletter. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg gave a glimpse into just how aggressively the company is trying to woo creators. In an Instagram Live on Tuesday with head of Instagram Adam Mosseri, Zuckerberg teased three new projects the company is working on:• Making Shops... Welcome back! I hope you enjoyed the first edition of the Creator Economy newsletter. ...
Illustration by Mike Sullivan
Creator Economy

Creator Economy: Clubhouse’s First Tippers; a ‘Mighty’ Rival to Facebook

By Kaya Yurieff · Apr 26, 2021 4:36pm PDT · 9 comments
Welcome to the first edition of the Creator Economy newsletter from The Information.Social media influencers have extraordinary power over culture and they are among the savviest entrepreneurs of our time. They are also multiplying: By late last year, some 50 million people considered themselves creators, according to venture firm SignalFire... Welcome to the first edition of the Creator Economy newsletter from The Information.Social media...