Big Time

Happy Friday. Did you catch Discord’s new short film? The company released a promotional video featuring the likes of Danny Devito, Awkwafina, MrBeast, MKBHD, and Bretman Rocks. Every concept for the film was made with input from real Discord users and featured cameos from different community leaders that have been blowing up on the platform. Today, Max is breaking down YouTube’s dominance in the creator space.

In Today’s Issue 💬

→ Understanding YouTube’s $7 billion quarter

→ Why MKBHD launched a second YouTube channel

→ A preview of YouTube’s latest music creator cohort

YouTube Breaks $7 Billion in Ad Revenue

The creator platform pulled in record ad dollars this past quarter

YouTube reported its revenue for Q2 of 2021, pulling in $7 billion from ads alone. That’s a billion dollars more than the company made in Q1 and only $300 million less than Netflix made last quarter. The record-breaking numbers are thanks to the platform's investments in new formats, such at the TikTok competitor, Shorts, which is reportedly attracting 15 billion views a day.

In a recent conversation with Colin & Samir, YouTube’s Chief Business Officer Robert Kyncl noted that the company is confident in its revenue sharing approach to creators, stating that “the single most important thing you can do for creators is to have a partner program” and pointing out that while creator funds can come and go, long-term revenue comes from stable income sources like AdSense. 

By The Numbers 

• $30 billion → The amount of ad revenue YouTube has paid out to creators in the last three years  

• 35% → The increase in creator channels making over $100,000 in 2021 as compared to last year

• 100,000 → The number of channels pulling in revenue from YouTube’s non-advertising products like subscriptions and digital goods 

Our Take

While creator funds and one-time payments work in the short-term, YouTube's long-term goal is to help creators make a consistent living by giving them a cut of the platform’s revenue. There aren’t many other platforms that can offer creators what YouTube does: stable income, massive distribution, and tons of different ways to create content. 

MKBHD Launches his 2nd YouTube Channel

The tech reviewer is building a hub for behind-the-scenes content

Earlier this week long-time tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee launched “The Studio”–a secondary YouTube channel focused on behind-the-scenes content, vlogs, and mini-reviews. The goal of the channel is to help viewers get an inside look at how he and his team create content, Brownlee told The Publish Press.

Over a year in the making, Brownlee noted that he wants The Studio to live independently from his other work, serving as a place where tech heads, creators, and video enthusiasts can come to learn and have fun. After just one video, the channel has already racked up over 360,000 subscribers and 1 million views and serves as Marques’s third source of content alongside his main channel and podcast.

Our Take

YouTube Channels are less like networks and more like TV shows–you build one for every new type of content you create. By launching a second channel, MKBHD is building another home for a segment of his audience, and unlocking opportunities for new forms of creative and revenue.

YouTube Announces Its Newest Class of Music Creators

The company is giving 27 indie artists partner support and content funding

YouTube unveiled the latest lineup for Foundry, the company’s music development initiative. Made up of 27 musicians from 14 countries, the latest cohort of artists will have access to specialized partner support and seed funding to back their up-and-coming content development. Since launching back in 2016, the program has worked with over 150 musicians, including pop superstar Dua Lipa, who was a part of Foundry’s inaugural class.

Our Take

Music makes up the majority of YouTube’s most popular videos of all time. Using the influence and reach of a company like YouTube is the perfect way for growing artists to springboard their careers.

🔥 In Other News

• Curacity, a influencer/hotel matching platform, raised $3.25 million

• Facebook gave us a preview of their upcoming audio features

• Lil Nas X dropped an “uncensored” version of his new music video

• Reels is the largest contributor to growth on Instagram 

• Nothing launched its first product on Unbox Therapy’s YouTube Channel

🤝 Check This Out

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