March 8: The creator economy has received over $1.3 billion in funding in 2021 alone and is growing fast we can expect the creator economy to double from 50 million to 100 million creators in the coming years.
Activities that comprise the creator economy :
- Videos
- Podcasts
- Blogs
- Online courses
- Influencers
- Amazon publishing/self-publishing
A lot of people, particularly the Gen Z (younger generations), don’t want to be a part of the traditional 9-to-5-based job industry. Instead of trying to fit into corporate roles of how they can best use their skills, they take their skills and create a money-making venture around that.
The surge in growth in the creator economy has also been driven by the notable shift in the career aspirations of Gen Z. A recent study showed that about 29% of American students would rather become creators instead of doctors, lawyers or engineers. This trend will continue to result in a global shift in the workforce in the coming years.
Money is Important
Why do creators have a hard time talking about money? A majority have a skewed way to think about money, dealing with money, asking for money, and even spending money.
We are talking about getting paid for your most authentic content, what you are worth, working up to a level where you can easily talk about money, when someone asks you how much would your services cost, that you would have a solid answer.
And the even worse creators may have to wait for 15-30 days or more for an invoice to get paid? Why is it ok for the creative industry to delay payment, to have to wait for work done?
Also read: How popular content creators are building inclusive community with Facebook Gaming
A Good Artist is a Hungry Artist ?
Do you agree? Let’s burst the myth. Gone are the days of cookie cutter content and hyper-polished social posts that can often feel forced or inauthentic to both the creator and their audience.
That’s why I was excited when I learned about Clash. Not only is everybody empowered to unleash their inner creator and earn income from their posts — but the false illusions and markers of success that other platforms ascribe key value to (such as “like” counts, follower totals or brand partnerships) are tucked away out of public sight, allowing the content itself to shine through as the main value ad on offer. Creators are encouraged to use Clash to better connect with their most die-hard fans, while posting their most authentic, real-world, unfiltered videos those fans most want to see.
Such has been the case for “FerretDaddy” (aka, Calvin Banning), who says,
“Clash platform is a fantastic way to be extremely creative. There’s a formula to different social media platforms, but Clash seems to be more designed for me to do whatever I want within what I’m good at or within a niche. It allows me to create videos documenting something from start to finish, rather than some trending song or clip that everyone is going to see anyway. It definitely allows more creativity, so my goal is just to create fun content that I’ve been thinking about forever, but didn’t feel was right until now.”
Another early adopter of the next-generation video platform, Christina Tessman, has said
“Clash alleviates the pressure of having to go viral with numbers. It’s more about connecting with my followers, as opposed to trying to put something out for everybody to like constantly. I can do more requests and post more sincere content. On other platforms, there’s a lot of pressure to hit those thresholds.”
This is just one of many creator success stories shared since the mid-October launch of the app, which has seen more than 3,500 users getting paid for their content in the first 3 months.
More than 6% of the millions of users on the platform (even users who don’t consider themselves creators) are earning, and some of them are even paying their rent and other bills from the 4M Drops that have now been circulated across the app.
Money may not be the main reason someone starts doing something they enjoy, but it can be important to decide whether it is worth the time and effort.
Thanks to the new creator economy and platforms that are simplifying, streamlining and democratizing the content creation and compensation ecosystem while strengthening sustainable digital support opportunities for creators.
Also read: Mobile developer Nifty Games brings big sports content to small screens