Hi there. We need to talk about the Butter Board. I just saw it on Reels (which means it went viral on TikTok about two weeks ago) and it's unhinged. I love butter as much as the next gal, but putting it on a board like it's charcuterie is a bridge—ok, board—too far.

–Hannah Doyle

YouTube Unveils Its Next Chapter

At its “Made on YouTube” event earlier this week, YouTube (and two guys who look suspiciously like my bosses) announced a slate of updates designed to “reward creativity.”

The details:

• YouTube is expanding its YouTube Partner Program (YPP) by lowering the thresholds to qualify and allowing Shorts creators to apply.

• Starting in 2023, YPP creators will be eligible for Shorts monetization.

• A new music licensing tool will allow creators to monetize long-form content that uses popular music.

If the words “Shorts monetization” jumped off the page, you’re not alone. YouTube effectively put the behemoth we now know as the creator economy on the map when it introduced YPP back in 2007. This next phase of monetization feels just as significant.

Big picture: After two years of hyping up Shorts (in TikTok’s shadow), YouTube is becoming the first major platform to graduate from the oft-criticized creator fund model to something more sustainable for short-form creators.

But it’s a little more nuanced than make a video → get a check, as some creators pointed out. After tallying up the total ad revenue from Shorts each month, YouTube will allocate an unspecified portion of that revenue to cover music licensing. After that, creators will get 45% of the remaining revenue and YouTube will get 55%.

Our Take

While some creators feel YouTube could have better communicated its new revenue sharing structures (read: just how much will the music labels get?), this development is a win for any creator hoping to optimize for longevity.

With static creator funds like TikTok’s, the take-home pay for creators shrinks as the platform grows. But with a monetization model like YouTube’s, creators can tap into a source of income that has room to grow as they do.

The Hits Keep Coming for Twitch

Not the good kinds of hits either. Here’s what went down on Twitch this week (and yes, Mercury is in retrograde).

Crisis 1: Top creators petitioned Twitch to end gambling on the platform, after the popular streamer Sliker admitted that he took some $300,000 from colleagues and fans—without paying anyone back—to fund his gambling addiction.

• FYI: Streamers sponsored by casinos for gambling streams have pushed “slots” to become the seventh most popular category on Twitch.

In response to calls from streamers including Hasan Piker, xQc, and Ludwig, Twitch announced plans to prohibit the streaming of certain unlicensed gambling sites starting October 18.

Crisis 2: A Bloomberg investigation revealed “widespread” child predation on Twitch, alleging that up to 279,000 kids and pre-teens were targeted by thousands of accounts that find, follow, and manipulate underage streamers.

Twitch told Bloomberg it’s 1) started addressing the problem and 2) quadrupled the size of its law enforcement response team.

Crisis 3: Twitch is overhauling its revenue share terms, which doesn’t sound like a crisis until you hear that the platform announced that it used to give special revenue share terms to top performers.

Now, Twitch is moving to a 50/50 revenue sharing model for all creators, walking back what was a 70/30 premium agreement for some streamers.

Our Take

No platform is perfect, but Twitch’s recent transgressions do it no favors in the ferocious battle of the platforms to establish dominance. If Twitch can’t clean up its act, might its 30 million U.S. users go elsewhere?

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Spotify Jumps Into Audiobooks

The streamer known for music and podcasts (and that Call Her Daddy deal) is adding a third medium: audiobooks. U.S. Spotify users can now search and purchase audiobooks from a catalog of over 300,000 titles.

The details: Spotify is implementing a pay-per-book model. Book prices vary but are comparable to other sellers.

Our Take

Spotify’s audiobook play represents a meaningful opportunity for dealmaking. We see a future in which Spotify entices major creators to exclusively host their podcasts and books on the platform in return for a majorly synergistic distribution setup—perhaps even a hybrid podcast and book tour.

🔥 Press Worthy

• Chamberlain Coffee partners with Blank Street to bring exclusive (and fall-themed) beverages to NYC this weekend.

• KSI’s brother, Deji, will fight champion boxer Floyd Mayweather in November.

• ESPN is launching a Creator Network with a focus on TikTok.

• Stop working with dozens of tools to manage your creator business. Norby is the all-in-one solution.*

• Rhett McLaughlin’s debut album, Human Overboard, drops today.

• TikTok bans on-platform fundraising for politicians and for government accounts.

• Robert Kyncl, YouTube’s former chief business officer, is named CEO of Warner Music Group.

*This is sponsored advertising content.