TOGETHER WITH

It’s Hump Day and Zuckerberg is gaining on Musk even faster than expected. According to TechCrunch, Threads’ weekly active user base is already one-fifth the size of Twitter’s.

ELEVATE GOOD TIMES

TikTok is joining forces with Warner Media Group to discover the internet’s next breakout musicians

TikTok is on the hunt for “the next wave of emerging stars.” The Bytedance-owned platform has announced a “wide-ranging, first-of-its-kind” deal with Warner Media Group, which will cover licensing of WMG music for use on TikTok, use of TikTok’s promotional capabilities for artists signed to WMG, and an emerging artists program called Elevate.

Through that multi-year contract, TikTok aims to solidify its self-proclaimed position as “the destination for music discovery” (as phrased by the platform’s North American artists partnerships lead, Rachel Dunham).

The program’s first six participants have already been selected. As members of Elevate’s inaugural class, TikTok-savvy artists CHINCHILLA (400K followers), Sam Barber (800K), Omar Courtz (90K), Isabel La Rosa (300K), Kali (1M), and LU KALA (280K) will “share new content and updates on upcoming music releases” and offer viewers “an intimate look at the evolution of their music careers.” That content will be available on TikTok and through the platform’s @musicontiktok accounts, while live performances will be filmed in the artists’ hometowns as part of a TikTok original series.

The first edition of Elevate won’t wrap until October, but TikTok is already planning to include both signed and unsigned artists in future cohorts. In the meantime, musicians can promote their latest tracks via the app’s “new release” feature—and hope that TikTok will take notice in time for the launch of its burgeoning TikTok Music streaming service.

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HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

• Bytedance’s Lemon8 app has experienced a significant drop-off in daily active users since March of this year. (Tubefilter)
  ​

• CEO Ami Gan has announced her departure from OnlyFans after “spending nearly three years” at the company. (TechCrunch)
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• An update to Instagram’s Reels templates will allow users to mimic the text and transitions of original videos. (The Verge)
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• According to TechCrunch, TikTok is expanding its subscription-based music streaming service (aka TikTok Music) through closed beta tests in Australia, Mexico, and Singapore. (TechCrunch)

DATA • U.S. TOP 50 📈

Jason Derulo isn’t just climbing the music charts—he’s becoming a YouTube icon, too

Jason Derulo is a pro when it comes to capturing his audience’s attention. The singer has a knack for inserting his own name into catchy songs—and now, he’s taking those self-promotional skills to YouTube Shorts.

Derulo’s social media-centric marketing strategy has boosted the official music video for his new single, “Glad U Came,” which has nearly 1 million views. It’s his non-musical clips, however, that keep mans coming back for more. Derulo has figured out how to attract a wide audience by leveraging popular short-form trends and collaborating with the platform’s top creators.

The pop star hyped “Glad U Came” by connecting it to the Australian sports group How Ridiculous, and has also met up with Korean star Ox Zung. He’s using pop culture references to his advantage, too, with videos centered on cultural hits like Squid Game and beloved characters like Batman.

It’s a winning combination: over the course of just seven days, Derulo collected an impressive 118 million weekly views.

• That rise in traffic added up to a 21% week-over-week increase.

• The result: Derulo’s primary YouTube hub is now the 47th most-viewed channel in our U.S. Top 50 chart.

• That kind of social media success is nothing new for the pop star. After 15 years on YouTube, Derulo has accumulated nearly 10 billion lifetime views and 18 million subscribers.

MEAT MEETS MAKEUP

Fans waited in line for over twelve hours to attend Jeffree Star’s “makeup and meat” shop launch

Jeffree Star’s two passions have come together under a single roof. On July 14, the beauty influencer celebrated the grand opening of a brick-and-mortar “makeup and meat” shop by welcoming fans to Casper, Wyoming. The new “Jeffree Star Store” is located just twenty minutes from Star Yak Ranch, a locale acquired by Star after his move to the Cowboy State in 2020.

The yaks were a big part of Star’s Friday launch (in jerky form).

Attendees endured long waits in order to snag the influencer’s yak meat and beauty merch. Queuing fans enjoyed ice pops that featured Star Yak Ranch branding, while rapper Yelawolf kept things lively with a free performance. That entertainment was much-needed: according to Business Insider, some attendees waited over 12 hours for their chance to enter the store.

One fan named Liset Garcia told Oil City News that they “came all the way from Bentonville, Arkansas—14, 15 hours from here” to catch the big opening. Another Star enthusiast, Odessa Castillo, said she drove from Wisconsin just for the shop’s launch. The motivation behind that interstate journey: Castillo told Business Insider that “Jeffree means everything to me.”

In combination with a series of notable brand deals and the stunning success of Jeffree Star Cosmetics, dedicated fans like Garcia and Castillo have made Star one of the internet’s most influential creators. His nearly twenty-year career has hit some major bumps along the way (including a 2020 scandal resulting from Star’s close association with Shane Dawson)—but as the launch of his new store demonstrates, the influencer’s die-hard fanbase is still very much alive.

WATCH THIS 📺

Could you survive a 72-hour train ride across the U.S.?

Spoiler alert: you won’t get much sleep or save any money. The seven-hour layover isn’t much fun, either.

Despite those discouraging factors, Vox video producer Dean Peterson hopped aboard a 72-hour, cross-country Amtrak ride to experience the reality of American train travel. His consensus: the journey is long, the food isn’t great, and the trains aren’t what they used to be…but it might still better than dealing with the TSA.

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