Good morning. Did you get a chance to listen to the viral AI-generated song featuring fake vocals from Drake and The Weeknd before it got removed from streaming services? While there’s already talk of lawsuits against the song’s creator, it certainly feels like we’ll only see more AI-generated songs moving forward—especially when they sound this realistic.   

— Hannah Doyle & Nate Graber-Lipperman

Trial Between Teen Creators and Mother of YouTube Star Kicks Off 

A trial between 11 teen creators and the mother of 15-year-old YouTube star Piper Rockelle began on Monday, with the group accusing Rockelle’s mother of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse during appearances they made in content for Rockelle’s channel.

The details: In a 147-page complaint filed in January 2022, the 11 creators who were part of the “Piper Squad” starting in 2020 accused Rockelle’s mother, Tiffany Smith, of compromising her position of “care and control” by staging romantic relationships and encouraging the children to be “sexually aggressive” while she produced videos for the channel, which has over 10 million subscribers.

The creator group alleges they were never compensated for their work and appearances, though they say they weren’t promised payment and Smith initially didn’t have a permit to work with minors. The creators are each asking for roughly $2 million in damages.

The group includes…

• Symonne Harrison, 16, an actress and dance creator from Ohio.

• Sawyer Sharbino, 17, a comedy creator and actor from Texas.

• Claire Rock Smith, 14, a prank creator and Rockelle’s cousin.

Big picture: Despite kids’ content being a booming industry—two of the 10 top-paid YouTube creators in 2021 were children—child creators have surprisingly few protections, both under the law and from platforms like YouTube. 

“You can have the production of Disney Channel, starring your child, in your home…we need to expand [rules for child labor] to the activities of children in the intimacy of their home,” Catalina Goanta, an associate professor in law and technology, told NBC News.

Gaming Creators Call Out Nintendo Amidst Video Takedowns

Last Friday, gaming creator Eric “PointCrow” Morino called out Nintendo for blocking or outright removing several of his and his peers’ videos on YouTube—leaving creators worried about their future content ahead of Nintendo’s major Legend of Zelda release next month.

• Morino shared that 28 of his videos (which have over 55 million views combined) are no longer available on YouTube.

• With another copyright strike, his channel could be terminated.

Context: Gaming creators like Morino and Croton have built their content around taking on popular challenges in games like Nintendo’s Zelda. 

Creators argue that their content documenting this gameplay is in line with Nintendo’s online video guidelines (and that it generates hype for the games themselves). They believe Nintendo’s recent moves suggest the company is “willing to ignore their own rules to strike down content they don’t like,” Morino told Dot Esports.

What’s next: Morino hopes to start a dialogue between Nintendo and creators to “move forward with the excitement…about future games.”

YouTube Sunsets Shoppable Links in Favor of Affiliate Program

YouTube is shutting down a tool that allowed creators to tag third-party products in their videos and link directly to buying pages, Insider reports.

Details: The tool was part of a pilot program launched in 2021 that enabled creators to earn a monthly payout using the feature. 

• According to Insider, some creators earned $50 to $100 each month using the tool.

• YouTube reportedly also promised favorable video placement for creators who utilized it.

Looking ahead: YouTube has made several moves to double down on ecommerce in recent years. The company wrote in a recent blog post that its affiliate program—where creators earn a commission off of product sales via unique affiliate links—is a better “long-term solution” to invest in, as creators have the potential to earn much more as their videos age than they could from previous “short-term incentive programs.”

🔥 Press Worthy

• Kai Cenat gets banned on Twitch.

• Instagram adds support for multiple links in bio.

• Kenny Beecham appears on ESPN’s First Take.

• Airrack brings YouTube CEO Neal Mohan to Coachella.

• Spotify partners with Jellysmack to license creators’ videos.

• YouTube TV took home a Technology and Engineering Emmy.

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