Happy Friday. Before we get into the issue, let’s go back to May of 2007. Samir and I were graduating from High School and Charlie Bit My Finger had just been uploaded to YouTube. Today, the viral hit has over 882 million views and is being auctioned off as an NFT. After the sale, the YouTube relic will be deleted off the platform forever, so enjoy it one last time before it’s gone.

Today, Max is diving deep on three stories that explore what the future of creator monetization will look like. Shout out to Publish Press readers Fawzi Itani, Rodolphe Ködderitzsch, and Carmel Kundai for recommending the stories for this issue on Twitter. If you’ve got something you want us to cover, hit us up @ColinandSamir. 

In Today’s Issue 💬

→ What YouTube’s new ad policy means for growing creators 

→ Why Gucci is trading the runway for Roblox

→ How digital events are the golden ticket to creator/fan interaction

YouTube’s New Ad Policy

More Ads, More Problems

Earlier this week, YouTube announced that they would begin placing ads on smaller, non-partnered channels, and keep 100% of revenue generated in the process. As it stands today, creators have to earn the right to run ads by reaching 1,000 subs and 4,000 watch hours within a 12 month period. This new rule gives YouTube the right to run ads on all content, regardless of whether or not the creator is in the Partner Program (either by choice or ineligibility). Creators aren’t too happy about it.  

• YouTube Isn’t Free → Every service it offers is subsidized by advertising. By locking a piece of the revenue behind the platform’s partner program, the company creates an extra incentive for small creators to level up and earn their cut. Creators that don’t want their content monetized with ads will have to look elsewhere to host their content.

• Best Friends Forever → Every video uploaded on YouTube is eligible to earn ad revenue in perpetuity. It’s why creators like Casey Nestiat can go months without uploading but still earn thousands. By monetizing small creators, YouTube is taking 100% of that “forever revenue” from over 32 million non-partnered channels, most of whom will never be eligible to monetize their content.

Our Take 

As a creator, building a following on an ad-supported platform is like building a mansion in someone’s backyard: it's your house, but on someone else’s land. Creators, now more than ever, need to diversify distribution and revenue streams by releasing content on multiple platforms and developing direct relationships with fans.Ad-supported platforms like YouTube also need to communicate any changes in a way that doesn't discourage their most important users. Reserving monetization as a perk for partner program creators is a powerful signal to creators to commit to building an audience on the platform. But, properly communicating the company’s strategy can be the difference between frustrated but understanding users and an angry mob demanding answers and threatening to leave.

Gucci’s Latest Digital Experience - A Video Game

Why Roblox is quickly becoming the future of high fashion

Earlier this week, Gucci announced Archetypes by Gucci Garden, a two-week long multi-media installation that exists exclusively in the digital world of Roblox. The in-game experience places players in the shoes of a mannequin, whose appearance changes as players explore the game. It’s the second in a series of partnerships between the gaming platform and high-fashion brand, who collabed to launch in-game Gucci clothing late last year.

But why is one of the world’s most famous brands integrating with a video game? 

• Enter The Metaverse → As the internet continues to evolve, how we represent ourselves online will become just as important as who we are IRL. It’s why Gucci created a matching installation to its Roblox launch in Florence Italy, and why 67% of the iOS revenue generated by Fortnite comes from the game’s cosmetic item shop.

• Creating Content 2.0 → Roblox isn’t just a video game, it's a self-defined “experience platform”. The company’s biggest titles pull in over 1.9 million concurrent players and partner with brands like Scooby-Doo and Nike. Players are drawn to gaming because of its interactivity and immersion. You can hang out with friends, explore and build worlds, or even raise a pet. There’s so much more to do than just watch, like, comment or subscribe.

Our Take 

Gaming creators are building the model for what the next generation of content will look like - immersive, customizable, and fully interactive. It’s why we’re already seeing the biggest names on Roblox and Minecraft spin up companies with 40+ employees and generate hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue a year. As the next generation of creators grow up using platforms that let them customize their content, companies like YouTube and TikTok will need to lean into more immersive and interactive experiences. Expect to see the gap between gaming and traditional social media shrink as more and more creators realize the value of going beyond the camera and into the digital places where fans spend time.

Spotify, Zoom, and Discord Launch Digital Events

Is it too late, or just in time?

In the last week Zoom, Spotify, and Discord have announced pay-per-view features that allow creators to launch ticketed events on their platforms. The features vary by company - with Spotify focusing on pre-recorded concerts and Zoom/Discord focusing on live speakers and conferences - but strategy is the same: build a way for creators to monetize live, premium content with fans across the globe.

• By the Numbers → Dua Lipa’s virtual livestream event broke 5 million global viewers with a single performance. That is 33x the size of the world’s biggest music venue, and blew Dua Lipa’s last tour - 110 shows around the world over two years - out of the water.

• Up Close & Personal → Hosting events digitally allows creators to push the limits on what's possible when it comes to fan interaction. Experiences like Travis Scott’s experimental interactive Fortnite show or Billie Eilish’s extended reality digital concert show us that events online can turn a passive listening experience into fully interactive fan experiences.  

Our Take 

A common complaint with non-ticketed digital events is that it’s impossible to follow the chat or interact with your favorite creators. Creators with millions of followers need to find ways to connect with fans 1:1 or risk compromising brand and community value. By releasing digitally ticketed events for artists, speakers, and game developers, platforms like Spotify, Zoom and Discord are helping creators develop the next wave of monetized audience engagement. 

🔥 In Other News

• Gaming creator collective 100 Thieves signed popular variety Twitch streamer Fuslie to their content team

• Twitter is reportedly working on a subscription service 

• Snapchat is cutting back on it’s daily million-dollar Spotlight fund and launching a new version of its AR glasses

• Creators only keep 56% of the revenue from Ticketed Spaces on Twitter

• Facebook is launching a live shopping show

👋🏻 👋🏽  Hey from Colin and Samir

First of all, thanks for all the feedback, we really appreciate all the thoughtful responses, tweets, and DM’s about The Publish Press. We’re taking in all of your feedback and working on making the issues better every week. We have two requests:

1. Share The Publish Press with a friend - We’re working on building this community and would love to expand our audience. If you know someone interested in the creator economy, forward them this email or share the site with them, that would be awesome. 

2. Can someone please explain to us what this tweet means… we’ve been trying to figure it out all week.