TikTok's New U.S. Shopping Hub, YouTube's Ad Tweak, Bluesky's Million-Member Milestone, Spotify's Song Shenanigans, and Mr. Beast's Little ESports Adv
Heads up, shoppers and scroll addicts! TikTok 's much-anticipated e-commerce feature, TikTok Shop, has made its U.S. debut. Expect a sleek shop tab, live video shopping, shoppable ads, and juicy affiliate deals for creators. If you're thinking, "Hasn't this been in the works?", you're right! After testing the waters with vendors since last November, it's now ready to show it to its 150M+ U.S. users. Brands can show off their product lines, and they're even offering a sweet "Fulfilled by TikTok" logistics solution. Not exactly my cup of tea, but a lot of people have been waiting for this feature, that’s for sure!
Hey YouTubers, brace yourselves! Starting in November, YouTube 's ditching individual ad settings in their Studio for new vids. You can pick ads before or after your content, but YouTube’s the boss on which type to display. But don’t worry, most creators already know how to work with all ad formats. Yet, for those who like to keep a tight ship, it might be a bit of a downer. On the brighter side, some cool updates for mid-roll ads are on the horizon. Other creators, especially live streamers will be happy to know that they’ll have more control over the ad experience of their viewers!
Get ready, Bluesky's just clocked in over a million registered users. If you've been out of the loop, it's the brainchild of Twitter 's co-founder, Jack Dorsey. Why the surge? Well, ever since Elon Musk took over Twitter (now known as X), folks have been hunting for alternatives. Rose Wang from Bluesky shared the golden moment when they hit the big M.
Taking baby steps, Bluesky's still in its early days, handing out invites and operating on a waitlist. Their endgame? Building a decentralized protocol for open convos. No strings attached. But the road's been bumpy, with sudden demand spikes (especially when Mr. Musk tried to cap tweet reads). X might have an actual rival on their hands, but we’ll see how this plays out in the future.
There have been rumors (big ones), that you could rack up $1,200 a month on Spotify by looping your very own 30-second track. Look good right? Well, not so fast. Spotify's boss, Daniel Ek, pulled the brakes on that story. Taking a light-hearted jab, he tweeted that if it were true, we'd all be jamming to "Daniel's 30-second Jam" non-stop.
Spotify's got tech in place to sniff out and sideline sneaky artificial streams, and they're no strangers to issues with AI music. There was the case of the AI-rendered Drake-like hit, which pulled a lot of views from the actual creator before it got taken down thanks to a copyright clash. Daniel acknowledges the AI music dilemma and promises a balanced stance.?
Looks like Mr. Beast’s shiny new ESports league hit a snag. Anchored by big names (think Bella Porch, Clix, and more), it crumbled after its hush-hush crypto foundation was unearthed. Turns out, fans were unknowingly buying $20 blockchain-tied community passes. Now, Web3 and NFTs can be a good thing, but not when you're sneaky about it. Here’s a tip: If you’re diving into the Web3 world, be transparent. As for eFuse , the parent company? I think that their wallets are feeling the burn and that their investors aren’t thrilled about the whole thing.
And just like that, you're done in a flash ?
Know someone interested in all things creator economy? Share this with them.
And don't forget to subscribe!