TOGETHER WITH

It's Thursday and YouTube is giving Shazam a run for its money. The platform’s latest test feature: a tool that lets users search for songs by humming.

CLOSING SHOP(IFY)

TikTok is shutting down its Shopify storefronts to make room for another ecommerce venture

The expansion of TikTok Shop isn’t just bad news for TikTok’s ecommerce rivals—its long-term partners are taking heavy damage, too. Starting September 12, TikTok says it will begin shuttering the digital storefronts brought to its app by third-party partner Shopify.

That date marks the end of the storefronts’ two-year run on TikTok, which resulted from a 2021 agreement expanding the app’s relationship with Shopify. Brands that facilitated direct-to-consumer sales through those storefronts included Kylie Jenner’s Kylie Cosmetics.

Now, TikTok is pulling the plug on that integration—and directing creators to its own ecommerce solution.

When September 12 rolls around, products will no longer be visible within TikTok’s Shopify storefronts or available through videos, live streams, and ads. If creators want to continue selling merch on the app, they’ll need to switch to TikTok Shop. Once they do, their preexisting Shopify storefronts will be disconnected.

🔆 SPONSORED 🔆

This October, the world’s top creators will unite in Dallas. Do you have your ticket to VidSummit?

Only one event unites the top 1% of content creators—and this year, VidSummit is coming to Dallas, Texas.

From October 3-5, dozens of high-profile influencers, brands, and marketers will unite to share rare insights into all corners of the creator economy. As VidSummit 2023 ticket holders, attendees will have the opportunity to:

• Listen in on keynotes from Michelle Khare and Zach King 💬

• Dive into YouTube’s future with Creator Liaison Rene Ritchie 🔮

• Learn about generative AI from Kwebbelkop 💻

• Roast YouTube channels with MrBeast and Airrack 👀

• And so much more 🔥

Most importantly: VidSummit is ​an exclusive space for creators​, marketers, agencies, and brands—not fans.

Without the fan presence found at other events, influencers and brands have the freedom to share the real details of what they do—from making millions a month with YouTube ads to securing high-paying sponsorships. In other words: VidSummit is the only event where the creator industry’s leading experts can reveal everything they know about audience growth, brand building and influence gain.

Are you ready to become an industry insider? Smash the button below to snag your ticket to VidSummit 2023.

Reserve your seat today →

HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

• Froyo brand 16 Handles says its sales have grown by “double digits” since Danny Duncan came on as Chief Creative Officer last year. (Tubefilter)
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• According to The Information, TikTok hopes to push users towards TikTok Shop by banning links to third-party ecommerce sites like Amazon. (TechCrunch)
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• Spotify has announced a new update that will allow podcasters to “highlight specific episodes, cross-promote other podcasts, and display promotional banners.” (The Verge)
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• A new study indicates that Facebook’s “state-controlled media” labels may negatively affect the performance of Russian and Chinese content while increasing user engagement with Canadian posts. (Engadget)

DATA • STREAMERS ON THE RISE 📈

This gamer has been streaming full-time since 2016. His advice to upcoming creators:

Rhykker firmly believes that “the best content is going to come from a place of passion, not from a fear of starvation.” It’s why he encourages burgeoning creators to stream for the fun of it, rather than to make money.

It’s also why he never intended to leave his 9-to-5.

Things didn’t quite work out that way. In fact, Rhykker has been a full-time content creator since 2016, when his job as a game journalist took an unexpected turn. At that point, the creator had been posting and streaming about games like Dungeons & Dragons and Diablo for a solid decade. He loved “sharing the passion of the hobby” on YouTube and Twitch, but it was still just that: a hobby.

Then Rhykker got the news that he (along with several other staffers) had been laid off from their jobs at The Escapist. Suddenly, he had the opportunity to devote all of his attention to creating content.

Rhykker says he’s “been immensely fortunate” that his career in content creation “has worked out since then as a full-time gig.” His fans are fortunate, too: the creator’s heavily-researched videos now cover everything from the latest gaming news to detailed guides for titles like Diablo IV and Dragon Age: Inquisition. For more info on Rhykker’s content and career, check out our full interview with him here.

GEN Z GAMERS

Sorry, Twitch: it looks like YouTube is Gen Z’s favorite place to watch gaming creators

Twitch might be a haven for gaming streamers, but video game-loving teens are still into YouTube. According to a recent study from Precise TV and Giraffe Insights (aka the Precise Advertiser Report – Teens & Youth), 76% of teenagers who watch creators play video games do so on YouTube—as compared to the 34% who tune in on Twitch.

It’s worth noting that YouTube’s audience is, in general, absolutely massive. Per the PARTY report, a whopping 82% of U.S. teens between the ages of 13 and 17 watch YouTube. YouTubers like MrBeast and PewDiePie rank among teens’ favorite gaming influencers.

But YouTube isn’t the only platform poaching video game-loving teens.

According to PARTY, about 40% of respondents who watch gaming creators tune in on Facebook—a figure 6% higher than Twitch’s share. The livestreaming platform has another, younger rival to reckon with, too: for the first time ever, Kick reached 20% of Gen Z gaming viewers, according to PARTY.

WATCH THIS 📺

This stop motion artist is all set for spooky season

Pumpkin spice lattes are back at Starbucks and Target is in full Halloween mode. In other words: it’s already autumn in our hearts (if not on the calendar).

Ben Treat gets it. In fact, the stop motion artist’s latest animation is about as spooky as it gets. The 45-hour feat—which features “a grotesque and twisted being” called the Wicker—has already garnered millions of views on TikTok. Check it out here (if you’re feeling brave enough).

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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.