Navigating the Creator Economy

Lorde leaving Universal after a deal she signed at 12 has sparked a lot of conversation. She's made it clear there's no bad blood, and she framed it pretty simply: a child agreed to terms before she really understood what she was giving away. But that dynamic isn’t limited to 12-year-olds. It still plays out across the industry. Artists sign agreements they don’t fully understand, complex royalty structures, rights that shift hands, clauses that only reveal themselves years later. The system has historically relied on that imbalance. What’s changing is visibility. Information is easier to access, and some artists are asking better questions.... or choosing not to sign at all. But it’s not a clean shift. For every artist taking control, many are still trading long-term rights for short-term advances. The model hasn’t gone away. It’s just adapted. Dance music saw an early version of this. Artists built audiences independently, so ownership wasn’t theoretical; it directly shaped outcomes. If you controlled your masters or publishing, you controlled the upside across streaming, touring, and increasingly, sync and brand deals. That’s what's different. When you control the rights, you have options. When you don’t, the value still gets created; it just flows elsewhere. Artists are getting smarter. And while more established artists have greater choices, I think decisions like these show people on the up that alternative paths are out there.

In retail, many chase the next big thing—a new style, a new way to reach consumers—triggering a frantic race to adopt. But most trends fade as fast as they appear. The real game-changers are curated habits that prove they can stand the test of time. I’ve championed social commerce as the future of retail for over a decade. In hindsight, that barely scratches the surface. It’s now a deeply ingrained consumer behavior. The imperative isn’t just to adopt it, but to evolve with it—constantly and intentionally. At HSN, social commerce was core to our strategy. We pioneered the blend of shopping and entertainment. That’s the essence: finding the sweet spot where entertainment, connection, and commerce converge. Soon after, platforms like Twitch began enabling users to both game and shop in real time, blending entertainment with commerce. Fanatics has successfully leaned into this model as well, immersing fans in live experiences while showcasing gear in action, often worn by their favorite athletes and community, turning fandom into a powerful trust signal. More recently, TikTok Shop collapsed the purchase funnel into a single scroll. It's no longer discover, then buy. Now, it’s see it, want it, buy it—seamlessly, in-platform. So, as we look ahead, how do I see this "social commerce habit" evolving? Here's what I expect: 🔹 Creator Integration is Non-Negotiable. For Gen Z, in particular, TikTok Shop has become a primary discovery engine. They trust their favorite creators to genuinely try products and offer honest feedback. The more brands lean into authentic partnerships with creators, the more trust they build in this integrated shopping experience. It’s about relationship-driven commerce. 🔹 Embrace a Zero-Click World. Speed and simplicity are paramount. Consumers need to be able to see, buy, and receive as fast as humanly possible. This means minimal clicks, minimal friction, and no moments for reconsideration. It's about instant gratification and removing all barriers between desire and ownership. 🔹 Elevate Live Shopping. This is a powerful return to the personal connection and real-time interaction that defined the best of traditional retail. Shoppable videos and live sessions transform social media into a personalized shopping aisle. Imagine experts demonstrating products, showing how they fit or can be styled, all in real-time, tailored to your interests. It brings humanity back to digital retail. 🔹 Unlock the Power of Virtual Try-Ons. A longstanding hurdle in e-commerce is "try before you buy." AI-enabled virtual try-on features solves that, making online shopping more immersive and convenient. This translates directly into higher conversion rates, deeper engagement, and customers spending more valuable time interacting with your brand digitally. It’s time to stop treating social commerce like a trend. This is commerce, full stop. It’s a fundamental consumer behavior that belongs at the center of every modern retail strategy.

Only 4% of content creators made over $100,000 last year.[Socialmediatoday] Yet venture capital is pouring hundreds of millions into this space. What do they see that most people miss? After years in retail and sourcing, I'm fascinated by this shift in how value is created in the digital economy. The creator economy is transforming from a views-driven popularity contest into a serious business ecosystem with multiple revenue streams: 📍 Professional services now account for 36% of creator income. [WPBeginner] 📍 Digital products generate 18% of revenue. 📍 Traditional brand partnerships contribute just 11%. This explains why we're seeing major investments like Spotter's $200M YouTube creator fund [TechCrunch] and Slow Ventures' $60M bet on creators as entrepreneurs. [Business Insider] These VCs aren't investing in viral dancing videos. They're backing creators who build real businesses with diversified income. Take MrBeast or Vivian Tu - they've built empires not by chasing algorithms but by developing six or more revenue streams that complement each other. The most successful creators now operate like mini-conglomerates: 📍They create content that builds trust. 📍They leverage that trust to sell products and services. 📍They reinvest profits into building lasting assets. This model challenges everything we thought we knew about digital business. The smartest players aren't chasing views - they're building assets. What business lessons have you learned from watching how top creators operate? #CreatorEconomy #Monetization #Investing

I'm convinced that Gen Z verticalized communities are one of the fastest paths to $1M+ in revenue - whether as a side hustle, bootstrapped startup, or venture-backed business. Here's why 👇 🌟 Look at TKS (The Knowledge Society) - charging $489/month + $1k deposit with 4,000+ active students. That's $24M+ annual revenue potential from a program focused on ambitious 13-17 year olds. 🌟 Ali Abdaal's Part-Time YouTuber Academy: 1,500+ students paying $1,499 per cohort = $2.2M+ per cohort teaching creator skills to young audiences. 🌟 Even micro-communities are crushing it - saw a TikToker selling out coffee experiences in her condo repeatedly. Imagine turning that into a $150/year "Serendipitous Society" membership with exclusive tastings, merch, and content. The business model is proven: - Low overhead (mainly community management) - High margins (digital-first with strategic IRL moments) - Sticky revenue (annual memberships) - Network effects (value increases with member quality) We're seeing this explode across verticals: - ZCON (Gen Z conference backed by LinkedIn, Yahoo, Spotify) - Creator Economy NYC (monetizing through brand partnerships) - The PR Habitat (PR professionals) - Her Game Plan (sports) - The Z List (consumer) - Build Clubs (AI) My prediction: By 2025, every profession will have its verticalized community involving Gen Z. Charge $1k/year, get 1,000 members = $1M revenue with minimal overhead. The playbook is simple but execution is key: 1. Pick your niche 2. Curate high-signal members 3. Create exclusive experiences 4. Add brand partnerships 5. Scale thoughtfully I run GenZtea, a global community across 21 countries, and I've never been more bullish on the space as we are partnering with big brands + universities. The opportunity is massive and we're just getting started. Here are some from my market map: Z Fellows (Cory Levy), The Knowledge Society (Hari Mahesh), Creator Economy (Brett Dashevsky), Fabrik (Jaclyn Pascocello & Gwen Wiscount), Whop (Keta Bagashvili), Girls Into VC (Isabella Mandis), Reach (Dylan Huey), STUDENTpreneurs , Build Club (Annie Liao 🇦🇺), Party Ventures (Nia Johnson), BUDDY (Claire Wright), Pie (Gustavo Casas), Swsh (Alexandra Debow), Partiful (Shreya M), AfterWork (Zoya Khan), Posh (Avante Price), Mindot (Natalie Abuchaibe), Monday Girl (Rachel Wong), Sigma Squared Society, Verci (Ami Yoshimura 🍵), Mighty Networks (Gina Bianchini), Changemakers (Yasmin Kahkesh), next play (Ben Lang), The PR Habitat (Damaryan Benton) Who else is building in this space? Drop your community below 👇 #GenZ #Community #StartUp #Future #Innovation #Entrepreneurship P.S. Want the full breakdown of the community landscape + opportunities? Check out my newsletter in the comments (next edition is all about market predictions 2025 with Gen Z lens)

"I can't brand early, it will ruin the content" We must expect more from creators. This is gold standard. Last week, the IPA (Institute of Practitioners in Advertising) and Jane Christian shared the most significant digital marketing finding of the past decade. Creator campaigns have the highest long-term ROI of any media channel. And a huge lasting brand multiplier (ie. they return more over two years vs the first few weeks). AKA. Creators are brand-builders, not salesmen. I've found similar evidence in my System1 research with TikTok and Effie Worldwide. Creators are one of the few digital channels that can consistently deliver brand growth. Not just sell a couple more shoes that week. But what struck me in this is the wild variation in return on investment from creator campaigns. There's no relationship between media investment and profit. It's a gamble each time. Sure, this will be down to it being a new, smaller channel with less data to study. But System1 has found the creative quality of creator content varies TWICE as much compared to brand-made short-form ads. It's why I refuse to call them "influencers". Because they aren't marketers, they make content for a platform. In all my research with Josh Fruttiger, we've confirmed that creator content that brands in the first few seconds and makes the audience feel something triples the brand outcomes in channels like TikTok. Just like my favourite creators right now. James B films his parents, Michael and Teresa, telling authentic stories that bring people joy. They've moved over to creating paid content. Everyone loves it, even though the brand is ALWAYS introduced in the first few seconds and regularly throughout. It's first-class stuff. Amazing what you can do when you're so entertaining. But here's the kicker. Marketers must judge the results from Michael and Theresa over years, not by clicks this week, like how TV campaigns. All creators should hold themselves to standards like this, working with skilled agencies and marketers to help them grow brands. It's a huge opportunity. You can read my full column and all the data here: https://lnkd.in/e6emmZ23 I share #advertising and #marketing insights daily, follow for more.

India’s fastest-growing career doesn’t have an offer letter. For a long time, content creation in India was seen as a side hustle and something you did after college, work, or while figuring out your “real” career. GenZ didn’t buy into that idea and the data now proves it. Nearly 75% of young creators in India today see content creation as a genuine career. And this isn’t driven only by fame or followers but how work itself is changing. Platforms like YouTube, Instagram and Shorts have become career infrastructure. Distribution is free, reach is global and monetisation isn’t limited to a single paycheck. What makes this career different is leverage. Creators build audiences first, then layer income through partnerships, sponsorships, subscriptions, communities, products and even businesses built off their content. As creators, we are not chasing virality every day. We are building systems that compound attention over time. The most misunderstood part is that this career is not just about making money. It’s about choosing what you work on, who you collaborate with and how your work fits into your life. Content creation isn’t an alternative career anymore. For an entire generation in India, it is the career.

The ultimate power move in music isn't a chart-topping hit—it's re-recording your entire catalog. When Taylor Swift's masters were sold against her wishes, she didn't just complain—she headed back to the studio. "When something says (Taylor's Version)," she explained, "that means I own it." Four albums in, her strategy has paid off spectacularly. Music copyright is multi-layered: composition rights (melody/lyrics), master recording rights (the actual audio), and performance rights (for public playback). Artists often control some but not all—which is why re-recording creates new masters they can fully own. Crucially, Swift retained her publishing rights for her early albums, making the re-recording strategy feasible in the first place. Swift isn't the first to play this card. JoJo re-recorded her early albums after a label dispute left them unavailable on streaming services. Def Leppard created "forgeries" of their hits to gain leverage in digital royalty negotiations. Frank Sinatra founded his own record label and re-recorded his classics for creative freedom. The financial impact is staggering—Swift's re-recordings consistently outperform the originals. Red (Taylor's Version) broke Spotify's record for most-streamed album in a day by a female artist, effectively devaluing the original masters. This strategy has contributed significantly to Swift becoming a billionaire in 2023—largely through music revenue, a rare achievement in the industry. Meanwhile, music catalogs have become hot investment properties, with over $5 billion spent on acquisitions in 2021 alone. Investors view music rights as stable assets that generate reliable returns. The industry has noticed. Labels are now extending re-recording restriction periods from 5-7 years to 10-30 years in new contracts. Musicians should consider strategic pushback: leveraging existing fanbase data in negotiations, pushing for shorter contract terms, and seeking reversion clauses that return masters after a certain period. If full ownership isn't possible, joint ownership structures with labels offer an alternative—even partial control provides a seat at the table for future decisions. As Brendan Brown of Wheatus, who re-recorded "Teenage Dirtbag," bluntly advised: "Never give away your publishing or your masters... there's no excuse not to hoard your s*** and keep it under your bed." If you could see any artist reclaim their back catalog through re-recordings, who would it be and which album deserves the "(Artist's Version)" treatment first? #IPidity #copyright #WorldIPday #MastersOfTheirDomain P.S. Interested in how IP supports investment in the music industry? Tune in to WIPO's IP Finance Dialogue on May 13. We'll be discussing ongoing research we're conducting on this topic. Register here: https://lnkd.in/eD9cXSak

2017: Emma Chamberlain posts her first Youtube Video. 2019: She launches Chamberlain Coffee. 2023: Forbes estimates the coffee company to have brought in $20 million in revenue. 2024: Emma assumes the role of co-CEO at Chamberlain Coffee, steering the brand's strategic direction. January 30th 2025: The first Chamberlain Coffee café opens its doors in LA, marking the brand's entry into physical retail. From my point of view, two things stand out: 1️⃣ Emma’s trajectory is the blueprint for the next era of creator-led businesses. She didn’t stop at influence, she quickly found the right people to build her infrastructure. This isn’t just a brand extension; it’s a long-term play to own the entire experience. Creators who think beyond digital will define the next generation of legacy brands. 2️⃣ Retail isn’t dying; it’s evolving. It was once about transactions - now, it’s about destination. The best brands don’t just sell products, they engineer experiences. They create places where people don’t just shop, but connect, share, and belong. This shift matters because the next evolution of commerce isn’t just about what we consume, but where we experience it. Physical spaces give brands depth, presence, and permanence, things digital alone can’t provide. Chamberlain Coffee’s café is more than a storefront. It’s a signal of where creator IP is heading: from URL to IRL, from content to community, from hype to heritage. What other creator brands do you think will take this leap next? 👀

Reach is getting cheaper. Attention is getting expensive. Creator monetisation models are tightening across platforms. Distribution is being reweighted toward retention, watch depth, and repeat engagement. Surface reach is becoming less reliable. For a long time, scale alone created influence. A large audience meant predictable visibility and predictable monetisation. That relationship is changing. Platforms are increasingly rewarding content that holds attention rather than content that simply spreads. The signals that matter are becoming behavioural. How long people watch. Whether they return. Whether they stay engaged across multiple pieces of content. This shifts the economics of the creator model. Large audiences built on occasional viral spikes will find reach harder to sustain. Smaller audiences built on consistent engagement will become more durable. Influence is becoming less about how many people see you once and more about how many people choose to keep watching. In the next phase of the creator economy, the strongest creators will not necessarily be the biggest. They will be the ones people stay with. #CreatorEconomy #DigitalStrategy #AudienceGrowth #MarketingStrategy #SocialMediaStrategy

As a creative who specializes in photography filmmaking, I usually receive emails and messages from creatives seeking advice. Over the years, I’ve written down and reminded myself of certain key points with each project. I thought it would be beneficial to share some of these ideas here on LinkedIn. 1. Debrief: After each project, taking the time to debrief is essential. Reflect on what you did to achieve the goals, identify the challenges faced, and consider how you and your team can learn from the experience. Evaluate whether your ideas were too ambitious or if the brand or client didn’t fully connect with your vision. Gathering all this information helps you refine your approach and apply these lessons to your next project, guaranteeing continuous growth and improvement. 2. Clear Communication: Establishing open and transparent communication from the start ensures that everyone is on the same page, from the production team to the client. This helps manage expectations and keeps the project moving smoothly. 3. Collaboration: Successful projects are built on collaboration. Engaging with your team, valuing their input, and working together towards a shared vision is key to creating something special. 4. Adaptability: Flexibility is crucial in creative work. Whether it’s adjusting to last-minute changes or finding creative solutions on the fly, being adaptable keeps the project on track. Remember to be Nimble! 5. Storytelling: At the core of every project is a story. Whether it’s a photo shoot or a film, the ability to tell a compelling story that resonates with the audience is what sets the work apart. Story is everything. 6. Attention to Detail: The little things matter. Paying close attention to every element—from lighting and composition to styling and post-production—elevates the final outcome. It's all in the details. 7. Client Relationships: Building and maintaining strong relationships with clients is just as important as the creative work itself. Understanding their needs, keeping them involved, and delivering on promises fosters trust and long-term partnerships. Remember no client is the same. 8. Passion and Purpose: Bringing your passion and sense of purpose to every project keeps the work authentic and impactful. It’s not just about the final product, but the process and the message behind it. This is your personal stamp and DNA don't forget it. 9. Professionalism: From meeting deadlines to maintaining a positive attitude, professionalism sets the tone for the entire project and ensures a smooth experience for everyone involved.