TOGETHER WITH

It's Sunday and here’s a handpicked selection of stories to give you a snapshot of trends, updates, business moves, and more from around the creator industry.

But first, would you press X for cash? Back in January, the platform formerly known as Twitter partnered with Visa to develop an in-app digital wallet and peer-to-peer cash transfers. Now, some X users are starting to see the functionality debut.

PLATFORM HEADLINES

Platforms are going local, branching out, and cozying up to Trump

The contention: Are Roblox creators big on brand deals or mostly focused on fans? There’s some controversy currently over whether the metaverse platform is hamstringing creators by keeping brand relationships for itself (and its year-old ad program). But creators told Digiday they’re not relying on brand deals to make money. Instead, individual players are filling their wallets.

The expansion: Spotify’s Partner Program is branching out. After launching its new monetization program in the U.S., U.K., Canada, and Australia earlier this year, Spotify is eyeing more territories. The program (which is aimed at rewarding creators making “premium” video content) will push out to creators in France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Ireland, New Zealand, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland this April.

The campaign: While Spotify expands, Snapchat is going local. With its multicity “Creator Connect” campaign, the app is diving into Indian communities and searching for up-and-coming content creators to provide with mentorship, networking opportunities, and growth tools.

The removal: Meta, on the other hand, seems to be adding more of its own campaigns to the DEI chopping block. In 2021, the tech giant committed $25 million to We the Culture, an in-house initiative designed to support and uplift Black creators. But after that initial investment, the money seems to have dried up. Now, as Mark Zuckerberg cozies up to the new Trump administration and Meta axes DEI programs, We the Culture’s landing pages have been erased from existence.

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How to Prioritize Your Video Ideas like a YouTube Pro

Every pro YouTuber knows the importance of coming up with hundreds of ideas. But what they don’t know is the importance of organizing and prioritizing those ideas to make more hit videos more consistently. 

Top YouTubers needed a way to quickly evaluate their ideas for maximum impact, so they turned to Spotter Studio: the ideation system that helps pro YouTubers ideate, validate, and package their next hit video using personalized insights inspired by the world’s best Creators

The result: Spotter Studio’s Idea Bank.

The Idea Bank is dedicated to helping creators get more views on their videos. The feature empowers you to rapidly organize video ideas—and discover which are most likely to go viral.

Here’s how it works:

• Capture ideas effortlessly: Quickly add ideas without barriers.

• Organize effectively: Tag, filter, and sort ideas based on customizable criteria.

• Prioritize your best ideas: Rank and transition ideas into Projects based on relevance, engagement potential, and other insights with your score and title strength.

Sign up for a free trial and start bringing your ideas to life:

Try Spotter Studio 7 days for FREE →

MONEY MOVES

Up-and-coming apps are raising money for music remixes and college kids

The funding round: Hook, a music-focused social media app that lets users (legally) remix songs by major artists, has raised a fresh $3 million round, bringing its total investments up to $6 million.

The crowdsourced campaign: Meanwhile, Connyct, a college-students-only social network, has raised $50,700 through crowdfunding investment platform Wefunder. The vast majority of that sum—$50,000—came from one lead investor, but Connyct is hoping others will chip in $200,000 to help it meet the round’s $250,000 goal.

MOVERS AND SHAKERS

Creator industry execs are saying goodbye, getting hired, and climbing the ranks

The fresh hire: A Brat TV exec just scored a new gig. The production company’s former Head of Talent, Shannon Martin-Resnick, has joined Proud Management as VP of Talent, and will spearhead creator partnerships. Proud is also promoting Kym Conley, its Director of Operations & Business Development, to COO, a move it says will “reinforce its commitment to authentic brand-creator collaborations.”

The (partial) farewell: While Proud Management says hello to a new VP, TikTok is saying goodbye to its ad chief. As ban talk continues, TikTok‘s President of Global Business Solutions, Blake Chandlee, is leaving the company after six years. He’ll remain an advisor, and said his exit was part of “streamlining” TikTok’s Global Business Solutions and Global Monetization Product Technology teams.

WATCH THIS 📺

Golf creators are having a moment on YouTube—and on the green

Hitting the green: Grant Horvat is going pro. The million-subscriber golf YouTuber hit the minor league Abacoa March Classic in Jupiter, Florida earlier this month, where he finished 25th out of 92 competitors. And, of course, he also vlogged about what it’s like to get on the green.

Next up: on April 5, Horvat’s YouTube channel will be the official broadcast partner for a LIV Golf tournament pairing six pros up against six content creators, including Horvat himself and Bob Does Sports‘ Fat Perez.

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Today's newsletter is from: Emily Burton, Drew Baldwin, Sam Gutelle, and Josh Cohen.