Good morning. In Wednesday’s issue, we told you how comedian Ethan Klein accused multi-channel network BBTV of stealing $620,000 from him. The latest update? Klein said BBTV has paid him back. We’re pretty sure Klein’s having a good Friday—hope you do, too.

— Hannah Doyle & Nate Graber-Lipperman

News Roundup: Twitter's Next Phase

A year ago this week, Elon Musk set into motion his plan to buy Twitter, and no one knew what to expect. Now? We know to expect the unexpected—and this week in Twitter headlines was proof.

Headline: Creators Weigh In On the Legacy Blue Checkmark

Context: Musk announced that Twitter would end its signature verification badge on April 20, and many creators have publicly questioned how the change will impact Twitter’s utility. 

• Designer Rob Sheridan argued for the necessity of the verification badge for marking legitimate news during times of crisis, while actor Yvette Nicole Brown suggested the blue checkmark has already lost its meaning.

• After April 20, only paying subscribers can get blue checks on their profile. In November, Colin and Samir asked if creators would pay for verification—and roughly 80% said no.

Headline: NPR Quits Twitter

Context: The news site will no longer update its 52 Twitter accounts (including the main NPR account with 9 million followers) after being labeled as “state-affiliate media.”

• FYI, the U.S. government does not have editorial control over NPR, and the news organization only received about 1% of its budget from federal funding in 2020.

• This marks the first major media organization to publicly quit the platform, which could open the door for other media companies (both big and small) to follow suit. 

Headline: Twitter Merges with X Corp.

Context: X Corp. is a privately held firm that the WSJ suggested could become the parent company to Musk’s many ventures—including Neuralink, SpaceX, Tesla, and The Boring Company.

• The move could signal the next phase of Musk’s plan to turn Twitter into an “everything app” similar to China’s WeChat, where users can text, order food, read the news, and more.

The Lofi Girl Universe Expands

Popular French YouTube channel and music label Lofi Girl launched a new 24/7 livestream on Wednesday featuring Lofi Boy, a new character with new synthwave beats. Ahead of the debut, the channel’s two launch videos reached YouTube’s Trending charts.  

Context: Since 2017, Lofi Girl has been known by its 12 million subscribers for calming livestreams featuring relaxing lo-fi hip-hop music. Despite the streaming channel’s popularity, it has faced claims of copyright infringement (later determined to be “abusive”) that got Lofi Girl’s streams temporarily taken down last year.

FYI: Lofi Girl currently brings in revenue through YouTube ads, streaming the songs their label owns on platforms like Spotify and Apple Music, and a merch store.

What’s next: By introducing new characters (and opening up the door for new genres of music) Lofi Girl appears to be building out the creative world around its unique and well-loved brand.

iDubbbz Hosts 2nd Annual Creator Clash

On Sunday, the creator boxing event Creator Clash will return for a second year in Tampa, Florida—and it has big shoes to fill.

Context: In 2022, Creator Clash sold out the 10,000-seat Yuengling Center, drew more than 100,000 pay-per-view buyers, and raised $1.3 million for the Alzheimer’s Association, American Heart Association, and Healing Horse Therapy Center. 

What’s new: This year, Creator Clash is moving to a bigger stadium and welcoming new faces including challenge creator Michelle Khare, comedian Jarvis Johnson, and gaming creator CrankGamePlays.

Amanda Golka, creator of Swell Entertainment, attended last year’s event and told NBC News that this year is a “really big test” for Creator Clash’s longevity, given the saturation of boxing events in the creator space like Jake Paul, Logan Paul, and KSI’s regular fights and Ludwig’s Chessboxing event.

Tell us: Is creator boxing still a viable business opportunity? Why or why not?

🔥 Press Worthy

• Travel creator Nathaniel Drew is teaching an editing course.

• Tinx is publishing a book on love and self-help.

• KSI returns to YouTube after taking a self-imposed break following his use of a racial slur.

• MrBeast is named one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People.

• Comedy TikTok creators Alex and Jon share how much they make per branded post.

• It’s like Y-Combinator for Creators. Here's how Everbloom is revolutionizing the way YouTubers build their careers.*

*This is sponsored advertising content.

📚 Thank You For Pressing Publish

The content we’re looking forward to reading, watching, and listening to this weekend.

• Can you ever quit being a creator? The New York Times profiles Lee From America on her transition from TikTok creator to the corporate world.

• The Ringer’s film studio produces a documentary with the Duplass brothers on singer-songwriter Jason Isbell, showing the ups and downs of using your personal life as an inspiration for art and the challenges of producing an album through the pandemic.

• In a recent episode of her podcast Anything Goes, Emma Chamberlain mused on the obsession with having an “aesthetic” and her belief that our identities aren’t confined to our physical being, but rather a combination of our online and physical presences.

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