Good morning. Tim Walz, the governor of Minnesota and the Democratic nominee for vice president, uploaded a how-to video to his YouTube channel over the weekend. Walz filmed his process of fixing his retro car from 1979, leading us to ask: Who knew Donut Media-style uploads would become a key campaign strategy this election season?

— Hannah Doyle & Nate Graber-Lipperman

TikTok Pivots From Music Streaming

TikTok’s days as a music streaming service are over—before it could even make it to the US. This week, TikTok announced that it’s shutting down TikTok Music in November.

Catch up quick: Last year, TikTok rolled out its music streaming platform in Brazil, Indonesia, Australia, Mexico, and Singapore. Its goal was to compete against Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Music, leveraging its power in music discovery and promotion. 

But the benefits didn’t outweigh the costs. During its months-long dispute over licensing with Universal Music Group earlier this year, TikTok initiated a round of layoffs in its music department. Now, instead of spending more resources on a standalone music streamer, TikTok is partnering with other listening platforms with its “Add to Music App” button.

• “Our Add to Music App feature has already enabled hundreds of millions of track saves to playlists on partner music streaming services,” Ole Obermann, TikTok’s global head of music business development, said in a statement.

• Worth noting: Music streaming giant Spotify has taken inspiration from TikTok with vertical videos in its feed and expanded its partnership with UMG.

What creators are saying: Competing in the music streaming category would’ve been a tough battle for TikTok.

• “We didn’t get TikTok Music here in the States, but I really think the fact that it didn’t fully get off the ground globally just underlines the market share of existing [digital service providers] like Spotify and Apple Music,” music creator and producer Kato On The Track told us.

• “The Add to Music App is great for artists and fans,” music newsletter writer Rob Abelow said on X. “If TikTok emerged as a strong competitor to Spotify, it’s tough to know how that would’ve impacted artists.”

Unpacking Marques Brownlee’s New App Launch

Tech creator Marques Brownlee launched a new app called Panels on Monday, promising users a curated gallery of phone wallpapers designed by select artists (who receive a 50/50 profit share from app sales).

“You guys have always been asking me where I get my wallpapers…so now we’ve put them all in one place,” Brownlee said in his announcement video.

FYI: At launch, Panels has a free, ad-supported tier as well as a premium subscription that runs users $50/year.

So what did fans think? Many critiqued the app’s business model and user experience.

• “You say your wallpaper app is ‘free,’ but that comes with the caveat that you have to watch two 30-second ads per wallpaper,” one viewer commented on the announcement video.

• “This is the easiest possible type of app to make, especially considering how crazy profitable it is...which seems like the only reason they made it,” design creator Concept Central tweeted.

• Central also pointed out that the app asks for personal data, such as location tracking and activity on other websites.

Looking ahead: Brownlee addressed fans’ concerns on Tuesday, promising to fix “excessive data disclosures,” dial back ad frequency, and deliver enough value to justify the premium price tag moving forward.

“Part of building in public is getting mass feedback immediately, which is pretty dope—almost exactly like publishing a YouTube video,” he tweeted.

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Creator Subscription Revenue Heats Up

Creators have generated more and more sales from subscriptions over the last several years, with total revenue from creator subscriptions estimated to reach $350 million by 2025—or 27% year-over-year growth, according to trend database eMarketer.

So how are creator platforms responding? Two examples:

• TikTok announced a redesigned subscription tool on Monday that will allow creators to offer up to three different tiers and host exclusive content (such as videos, lives, and notes) behind a paywall.

• Patreon introduced a new “Autopilot” feature last week that helps creators 1) identify free members who engage most frequently and 2) convert those viewers into paying members by automatically offering subscription discounts via email.

🔥 Press Worthy

• California passes a law that makes it illegal for social platforms to share “addictive feeds” with kids.

• The YouTube TV app will start looking more like Netflix.

• Ironmouse surpasses Kai Cenat as the most-subbed Twitch streamer.

• Cleo Abram launches an interview show called Huge Conversations.

• Animation creators Glitch Productions’ YouTube series The Amazing Digital Circus is coming to Netflix.