TOGETHER WITH

It's Friday and Minecraft is going IRL. In honor of the title’s 15th anniversary, Mojang Studios will recreate the first few hours of gameplay by bringing fans into real-life “Minecraft biomes.”

YES, AND?

An iconic ‘70s rockstar is going on tour—and taking a YouTube cover band with him

The video: Back in 2018, a YouTube group called the Band Geeks decided to “indulge their inner teenagers” by uploading a cover of one of their favorite progressive rock hits: “Close to the Edge.”

• That song, an 18-minute epic from the band Yes, isn’t exactly easy to perform—so when the Band Geeks executed it flawlessly (and attracted 500K+ views in the process), Yes’ original lead singer took notice.
  
  

• That musical icon (aka Jon Anderson) had already been searching for a backing band to perform Yes’ 1970s hits. Reaching out to Band Geeks frontrunner and Blue Öyster Cult member Richie Castellano seemed like the obvious next step.

The partnership: Castellano told Rolling Stone that he “was just floating” during that initial call with Anderson; by the time they hung up, the former Yes sing had already suggested a collaboration.

• That partnership has now produced a tour (titled “Yes — Epics & Classics Featuring Jon Anderson and the Band Geeks”) and an album called True, which is due out this year.
  
  

• The musicians’ next collab is already underway: Anderson and the Band Geeks kicked off a fresh tour on May 30 with a show in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

The big picture: YouTube has changed enormously since the discovery of creators-turned-stars like Justin Bieber, but that doesn’t mean it’s lost its mojo as a musical kingmaker. The Band Geeks’ story is clear evidence of the impact YouTube can have on artists’ careers—especially when the right people happen to be watching.

🔆 GIVEAWAY 🔆

Creator Logic is giving away two free tickets to VidCon and $1K in cash. Here’s how to enter:

Are you ready to connect with top creators and industry leaders at one of the biggest gatherings in the world of digital content? You’ll love this:

From now until June 12, Creator Logic is giving entrants a chance to win 2 free Industry Track tickets to VidCon. 🎉

Those passes will provide you and a pal access to all four days of the big event, which is set to take over the Anaheim Convention Center from June 26 to June 29.  

To make your VidCon experience even more worthwhile, Creator Logic’s giveaway will also cover travel and accommodations with $1,000 in cash. That means you’ll have free tickets, access to dedicated networking and peer-to-peer learning sessions, and all the cash you need to attend VidCon in comfort. 

The total prize value: $2,698.

Exciting, huh?

Enter to win →

HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

• Five-person trickshot group Dude Perfect has announced the upcoming debut of “Dude Perfect Dodgeball,” a new Fortnite mode themed around a GoPro-sponsored YouTube video. (Tubefilter)
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• Fable Studio is introducing viewers to Showrunner, a streaming service stocked with AI-generated shows. The startup’s ultimate goal: to turn Showrunner into “the Netflix of AI.” (Gizmodo)

• Gamefam—a self-described “metaverse developer and publisher”—has launched a $5 million Creator Fund to support UGC creators. (VentureBeat)
  

• Twitch reportedly plans to terminate the contracts of its existing Safety Advisory Council members and fill their vacated positions with Twitch ambassadors. (The Verge)

COLUMNS • STREAMERS ON THE RISE 📈

After 10 years on social media, this gaming streamer is “leveling up in life”

How it started: Gaming has been GavynXP’s jam for as long as she can remember. The streamer spent her early childhood devouring educational games and eventually moved on to watching her brother play Street Fighter (while following along on an unplugged console, of course.)

• By 2015, GavynXP knew she wanted to create gaming content—but at the time, it didn’t seem like viewers were showing up for Black women gamers. So, she went in a different direction.
  
  

• Lifestyle and fashion content became the hallmark of GavynXP’s YouTube channel…until the pandemic hit. Creating consumerism-fueled content didn’t feel right with so many people out of work, so GavynXP pivoted: she launched a Twitch account and spent eight months studying the platform, immersing herself in the gaming community, and learning the tips and tricks of streaming.

How it’s going: Three years later, that dedication has paid off in a big way. Roughly 10,000 followers now tune into GavynXP’s Twitch streams, which revolve around gaming news segments and adventure-based titles like Tomb Raider.

• GavynXP’s career is flourishing outside of streaming, too. The creator holds a steady day job as an actor, and is also “going back to more lifestyle fashion content” on YouTube.

What’s up next: For now, GavynXP says her main goal is to continue creating content “as a gamer, as an actor, as just a person living in this world”—but that doesn’t mean she’d object to being “on the TwitchCon stage,” “hosting an Xbox showcase,” or even opening her own creator space:

DATA • U.S. TOP 50 📈

Billie Eilish is eating YouTube views for lunch

The content: Billie Eilish’s third studio album is only two weeks old, but it’s already a first-class hit on YouTube.

• That success is the product of some serious social media marketing. Since the album’s debut on May 17, Eilish’s official channel has promoted Hit Me Hard and Soft with dozens of associated videos—many of which have reeled in millions of views in a matter of days.
  
  

• One song in particular seems to be feeding the hype. The official music video for “Lunch” has now attracted 22 million views, while a related Short has earned Eilish’s channel a whopping 93 million views.

The stats: All that buzz sent Eilish flying up the charts during the last full week of May. The “Bad Guy” singer rose to become the second-highest ranking musician in the U.S. Top 50, coming in just behind Jason Derulo (a singer who seems to have perfected the art of Shorts memes).

• Eilish’s elevated ranking was accompanied by some seriously hefty stats. The musician earned 316.7 million views in just seven days—a total nearly twice as high as her previous weekly haul.
  
  

• The result: Eilish’s official channel crossed a lifetime total of 15.5 billion views and scored a spot at #8 in the U.S. Top 50.

WATCH THIS 📺

Netflix just dropped a docuseries about a TikTok dance cult

The series: Dancing for the Devil has arrived. The three-episode show—which explores the controversy surrounding the talent management company 7M Films—dropped on Netflix yesterday, bringing with it an onslaught of social media commentary.

• Viewers of the show have already made their way to TikTok, where content abounds about the highly visible, cult-like roster of dancing creators built by Shekinah Church pastor Robert Shinn.
  
  

• Want more details? Check out the full Tubefilter article here (or grab some popcorn and settle in for a three-episode binge-watch).

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Today's newsletter is from: James Hale, Emily Burton, Sam Gutelle, and Josh Cohen. Drew Baldwin helped edit, too. It's a team effort.