Creator economy workers gear up for labor movement, Spotify axes thousands of AI songs, and Twitter finally makes a smart move

Creator economy workers gear up for labor movement

A group of creators, influencers, and creator economy workers, spearheaded by Night president Ezra Cooperstein , started to organize a labor movement about a month ago, asking for improved working conditions, compensation, and protection from tech companies. They formed an initiative named Creator Project 1.0, which addresses issues like unexplained account removals, inadequate compensation, and a lack of collective power among creators. This is in response to concerns that tech companies have significant leverage and power, while creators, who generate significant revenue for these platforms, often lack collective bargaining power. I hope this works cause creators are entirely at the mercy of platforms, good luck Ezra!

Spotify axes thousands of AI-generated songs

Spotify has removed tens of thousands of songs from AI music startup Boomy amid concerns of fraud and clutter on the platform. This decision comes after they identified suspicious streaming activity on Boomy tracks, with the songs suspected of "artificial streaming" using online bots to inflate audience numbers. The article says that this issue arises due to AI's ability to generate large numbers of music tracks, which can then be uploaded online and streamed. However, I think that Spotify is scared of the impact AI tracks have on the music streaming industry, even if it just started taking off. Brendan Gahan believes that this trend will help creators and brands compete by leveraging the power of community and I agree. This is a great opportunity for creators and brands to capitalize on this trend.?

Twitter finally makes a smart move – purges inactive accounts

Elon Musk announced that Twitter is purging inactive accounts on its platform. Twitter's policy says users should log in at least every 30 days to prevent account removal, and the purge will target accounts that haven’t been active for several years. Musk has hinted that this could lead to the availability of many usernames, although it's unclear how these will be allocated to users. Also, this move could potentially lure inactive users back to the platform, thus benefiting the network's reach and revenue generation. The reason why I say this is a smart move is that a healthier ecosystem is very much needed on Twitter. Avi Gandhi says that creators’ follower counts will deflate but it’s a good thing because they’ll actually be real. And judging by the comments on Avi’s post, many people were thrilled by the decision, including Phil Ranta and my colleague Neda Pop-Andonov ? , even though she hates Twitter...

Why creators should be treated like traditional talent – not ad units

Great piece by Zach Blume , co-founder of content company Portal A, highlights the outdated way brands approach and work with creators. Brands currently approach creators transactionally, treating them as media to be purchased for one-off engagements. This method commoditizes creators and overlooks the potential for long-term value. Instead, they should shift towards treating creators like traditional talent, investing in deeper relationships and meaningful brand stories. This approach, adopted by forward-thinking brands, views creator partnerships as top-of-the-funnel, brand-building opportunities. And I believe that this approach will benefit brands much more.

SoundCloud debuts a fan engagement tool for artists

SoundCloud is launching a new tool, "Fans," that allows artists to better engage with their followers via DMs and sort their listeners through different engagement measures. What’s interesting about this is that the feature aims to enhance personal engagement with fans, a completely different approach compared to Spotify's tools, which focus more on reaching a broader audience. What do you think, what’s more important – deeper fan connection or reaching broader audiences??

And just like that, you're done in a flash ?

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