Hi, I’m Jim Louderback and this is my weekly creator economy newsletter. If you’ve received it, then you are either subscribed or someone forwarded it to you.
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This Week: Spotify aims to take on YouTube with new monetization options – but how many creators will benefit? TikTok rolls out new affiliate link options – adding complexity. And some are predicting the end of the creator economy. Don’t buy it, but good to know about.
And thanks to Whalar Group for sponsoring this week’s edition!
SPOTIFY EXPANDS CREATOR MONETIZATION PROGRAM
At first blush, Spotify’s latest program looks like a win for creators. Podcasters will earn based on views in addition to the current ad-share options. @Taylor Lorenz even wondered if this puts Spotify on the same level as YouTube. Alas the program is very restrictive. You must use Spotify for Creators to host your podcast and have at least 12 episodes available. In addition, you’ll need over 2,000 unique listeners and 10,000 streamed hours over the last month – much higher than the 1k subs and 4k annual hours required for YouTube’s creator monetization program). Given that the top 25 podcasts drive about half of listens/views, this will be far less impactful for creators than YouTube. Plus, it’s only available for US and Australian creators today. It’s a start. But just that.
TIME TO FOCUS ON YIELD MANAGEMENT
TikTok is now experimenting with affiliate links in creator videos, partnering with LTK, Amazon, Walmart and more. Linktree and other link-in-bio companies are leaning heavily into shopping. Motom lets creators and brands build their own custom store fronts. And relatively new social commerce platform Flip is rapidly iterating and providing a new way for creators to earn. Layer that on top of brand deals, performance marketing and more, and the in-video monetization options alone are staggering. Fantastic, but overwhelming too. Perhaps it’s time for a renewed focus on yield management to help creators calculate the best and most profitable options at posting time, so that the right monetization option gets added to maximize total return.
THE DEATH OF THE CREATOR ECONOMY
I wouldn’t call it s*** posting, but this piece shows the other side of the creator economy boom. I think AI will disrupt creators rather than the industry collapsing under its own weight but it’s always good to consider every alternative. The comments are especially good. We’ll be debating this topic in a slightly different way in Dubai at the One Billion Followers Summit in January.
UPDATE FROM WEB SUMMIT
So much great stuff from Lisbon last week. I got a preview Patreon’s upcoming super-fan research – due out in January – showing that your best converting fans like your content, want to know more about you as a creator – and like others in the community too. I got a quick update from the CEO of Flip, the social shopping app that pays you based on views, not sales – which means you can be honest and still make moneyh. One of the top tech vendors that helped to build the Sphere in Vegas got me thinking about how architects will need to collab with artists and creators in the future. I can’t wait for the Mark Rober / Frank Gehry partnership. My latest video wraps up the highlights from the New Media Stage that I hosted – and I’ll have a few behind the scenes videos popping up this week too! Oh, and our 3rd annual Inside the Creator Economy / Influencers Club meetup was a smashing success. I caught up with friends old and new as we partied under the Beaver Moon, with the 25 de Abril Bridge glittering in the background. Also, I learned a new term. Nollywood. At least one studio there makes 2-3 movies a week for a few thousand dollars each. The “N” stands for Nigeria.
SPONSOR: NFL’s Creator of the Week season 2 is in full swing! Week 9 highlights Adam W, a lifelong Jets fan whose enthusiasm lights up game day. From sharing his best Jets memories to celebrating his birthday at the stadium, Adam’s passion is contagious. Catch more Creator of the Week moments here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRdw3IjKY2gnaRishrbkK-RYzSvwih6u6
QUIBIS
YOUTUBE
- AI Everywhere: YouTube testing new way for creators to “restyle” licensed music.
- Unlimited: YouTube also testing infinite scroll, for infinite viewing pleasure.
- Jewels For All: Even YouTube is getting into the live-stream gifting game with the launch of gifts powered by Jewels. Jewels translate into rubies and rubies into pennies.
META
- Creator Payout? Ads are coming to Threads. Will revshare follow? Don’t hold your breath.
- NICU: Facebook says it’s all about views and all those other metrics just don’t matter – following Instagram’s move last summer. Views will be measured on video, photos, text and more.
- Marketplace EU Fallout: EU fines Meta $840M over abusive marketplace behavior. Meta vehemently rejects the EU’s findings against its Facebook Marketplace, promises changes to stay in compliance.
- Entirely Unrelated: Meta has a new head of EMEA.
- See You in Court: Meta has to stand trial over accusations that acquiring Instagram and WhatsApp was anti-competitive.
TIKTOK
- Insiders Say TikTok Is Safe: Nothing on the record, but WaPo seems to think President-Elect Trump will make the TikTok ban go away ($).
- Almost Netflix: Bytedance claims a $300B valuation in latest share buyback, bigger than Chevron, T-Mobile and Coca-Cola. Still only 2/3rds of YouTube, according to July estimates.
- An AI Symphony: TikTok’s new AI for business tools launch, helping advertisers create video and localize to different regions.
- Get Out: Shopify highlights a creator combining content with experiences in unique and successful ways.
- CapCut Desktop: Good review of TikTok’s sister video editing platform, now available on desktop too!
- Build It: TikTok recaps its first DevDay, with a focus on integration with partners.
- Get Out: TikTok files for new trademarks for a Foursquare-like mobile business and a deferred payment app too
OTHER CREATOR ECONOMY
- Journalism Lives: Ex Vox journalist Johnny Harris launches New Press to focus on creator-led journalism. Good interview about it with Jon Youshaei.
- Big Thinkers Think Big: @Lia Haberman has a nice round-up of 2025 thoughts from some of the top execs in the industry.
- A Million Subs? Kai Cenat easily surpasses Ironmouse and exceeds 400k subs a few weeks into his 30-day subathon.
- Creator Dominates Sport: Jake Paul’s journey from YouTuber to top boxer could culminate in a title round bout after his record-breaking Netflix live bout with Mike Tyson.
- India Gets Beasted: KSI, Mr. Beast and Logan Paul headed to India last week to launch Prime and Feastables. Also CarryMinati and Mr. Beast are working on another collab – and BeerBiceps did a podcast with the beast too!. Can’t wait to see these collabs.
- Welcome Back: @Rex Woodbury dives back into the creator space with a look at how creators have evolved, rumors on Sora launching soon and much more. Well worth a Monday morning read with coffee.
- LinkedIn Rules: Good statistics from @brendan Gahan on why LinkedIn is so essential for marketers.
CREATOR TECH – AI, WEB3, VR, MORE
- Dark Star: I’m not sure I want Jerry Garcia’s AI voice to read me bedtime stories. But maybe helping with a guided Ayahuasca trip?
- Can You Hear Me: Foursquare founder Dennis Crowley has a new audio augmented realit. He talks about it with Om Malik.
INSIDE THE ARCANE FANDOM
By Morgan Ward
Historically, film and TV adaptations of video games have been cursed. Netflix’s Arcane (2021-2024) broke this curse in every way possible. Based on League of Legends, Arcane explores how to curb a “toxic” fandom. The game is notorious for player misconduct – and publisher Riot Games was the central focal point for the “Gamergate” scandal where women and BIPOC employees suffered months of harassment internally and from fans. Arcane defies this history by telling a League of Legends story featuring women and people of color.
This has bifurcated an established fandom into people who play the game but do not engage with the show and vice versa. The show has been huge for Netflix, with a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, three Emmy nominations and is now the second most watched show on the platform with 6.3 million views last week. The show has moved beyond toxic fandom to focus on compelling and entertaining art. Fans love it, making complicated cosplays and re-edits that highlight the show’s stellar animation and character design. Arcane is a masterclass for creators and brand in how to not engage a toxic fanbase and how to reinvent a “damaged” franchise for new fans.
Go Deeper with Arcane Cosplayers and Fan Edits
- Cutiepiesensai transforms into the character Mel.
- Swordspouse uses makeup to capture the geometric look of Viktor.
- Nonbinate uses EVA foam to make the props used by Viv.
- Jaiskyu is described in her comments as “jinxs ir.l.”
- Edits from Snailercove, garbage, and glorioussunflower have been described glowingly as “that one Arcane edit.”
100% written by me – no human or AI ghostwriters were involved in the production (except for the cover art!).
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I’ve built and sold multiple creator economy startups to top media companies – including Discovery and Paramount. Subscribe here on LinkedIn to get this newsletter every Monday.
Let me know what you think – email me at jim@louderback.com. Thanks for reading and see you around the internet.
