Good morning. I saw on Logan Paul’s IG this weekend that PRIME is running an ad during the Super Bowl. The average cost of a 30-second spot during the big game this year? $7 million. And to think, PRIME is barely a year old.

–Hannah Doyle

TikToker Ari Elkins Launches a Music Label

Ari Elkins, a music creator who shares song recommendations from his blue suede couch on TikTok, is teaming up with music publisher Avex USA to form the joint venture music label Blue Suede Records.

The details: Elkins will lead Blue Suede’s talent acquisition efforts, while Avex will oversee the day-to-day logistics.

So why Elkins?

• He’s amassed 2 million followers since April 2020 by curating songs on TikTok and sharing weekly Spotify playlists.

• The 22-year-old is also the host of Spotify’s Soundtrack Your Day podcast and Simon Cowell’s TikTok show, Stem Drop.

Avex seems to understand the value of Elkins’ social expertise. Last year, the publisher launched its Selene label, which has signed several artists with large TikTok followings including alt-pop vocalists Sadie Jean and Austin George.

Big picture: TikTok is becoming a key part of the music business, particularly when it comes to discovery and distribution. The Elkins/Avex partnership suggests that labels have been taking note—first by plucking talent from the FYP and now by partnering with TikTok creators to identify the next big thing.

Looking ahead: Elkins is a trusted curator on TikTok, but he’s going up against major labels like DefJam and Capitol Music Group with history and pedigree on their side. He’s joining the uphill battle many indie labels have fought for years.

What might give Elkins an edge? His social savvy and marketing know-how earn him cache with TikTok artists who are looking to sign with a label that speaks their language.

When Should Creators Get Their Own Studio Space?

Morgan Eckroth, the creator behind MorganDrinksCoffee, recently announced that they’ve rented a studio to produce videos for their 7+ million followers across TikTok and YouTube.

Context: Eckroth monetizes their specialty coffee and competitive barista content (they came in second place at the World Barista Championship last year) through brand partnerships, AdSense, and TikTok’s Creator Fund. For the last three years, they made videos at their apartment and at the coffee shop where they worked after closing.

Why invest in a studio? “In this space, we’re going to have the opportunity to dive into different content I’ve been wanting to do for a really long time, but haven’t been able to out of the restrictions of where I was filming and what I had access to,” Eckroth said in a YouTube video.

Colin and Samir's Take

Investing in a studio space means increasing your overhead with a new fixed expense. For creators whose creativity pays their bills, that means their creativity is what determines whether they can pay that fixed expense. A studio investment can be the right move when it meaningfully reduces friction, enhances the quality of your content, or unlocks new abilities for you or your team.

Sponsored by Norby

What makes a creator stand out in a crowd?

By being clear about who they are and what matters to them.

In other words, a personal brand.

We get it. Figuring this out is easier said than done. After all, it took Colin and Samir close to a decade to figure out theirs.

Developing your personal brand is a journey of self-discovery (and a long one at that). If you’re unsure where to start, don’t worry. Thanks to Norby, you don’t have to go it alone.

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Get ideas for building your own personal brand by checking out this guide they published.

Amazon Pays Creators To Test Its TikTok Competitor

Amazon is paying creators to make videos for its FYP-like shopping app, Inspire.

According to Insider, Amazon is running incentives like:

• Paying creators $250 for every <30-second video they make about specific categories.

• Handing out cash and/or Amazon gift cards to creators who upload videos to their Amazon storefronts.

When it launches to all US customers in the coming months, Inspire will compensate creators with a cut of sales made from their direct links (much like LTK). Content can be repurposed from other platforms, so long as it’s original to Amazon.

Big picture: Amazon storefronts are becoming an increasingly popular monetization tool for creators on other platforms like TikTok and Instagram. With Inspire, Amazon looks to be making an attempt to own the consumer’s journey from a creator’s profile to the Amazon checkout page—and it’s counting on creators as its focus group.

👀 Creator Moves

• Yes Theory is hiring a video editor. Preferably based in Australia.

• Mythical’s Sporked publication is looking for a part-time editorial intern to work in their Burbank, CA, office.

• Theorist is hiring a creative director to lead the growth and creative oversight of their Food Theory YouTube channel.

Wanna help this newsletter shine week after week? There’s still time to join us as a full-time writer.

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• OnlyFans sponsors mountain bike athlete Lewis Buchanan.

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