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YouTube CEO says proposed EU copyright law threatens creators
Europe is currently considering new legislation that would require companies like Google and Facebook to scan all uploaded content and remove any copyrighted material. Known as Article 13, the move has faced a lot of pushback, and YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki has addressed the issue in her latest letter to creators. "This growing creative economy is at risk, as the EU Parliament voted on Article 13, copyright legislation that could drastically change the internet that you see today," she wrote.
Facebook rolls out its Watch video service worldwide
Facebook launched Watch last year in the US as a platform for episodic TV content, and now it's going international. The social media company announced that the VOD service will be "available everywhere" as of now, giving creators around the world an alternative to YouTube. "We are supporting publishers and creators globally in two critical areas: helping them to make money from their videos on Facebook and better understand how their content is performing," said Facebook in a statement.
YouTube is reportedly paying creators to promote new features
YouTube is paying some of its top creators up to six figures to use and promote features like subscriptions and pinned comments in chat, according to Bloomberg. The report doesn't identify the creators (the terms of their deals aren't public and they won't want to risk YouTube's ire), but given the sums involved, it's a safe bet several of the platform's biggest names are receiving the payments.
YouTube tests Explore tab for even more video recommendations
YouTube experiments with new features all the time, including GIF-like video previews and auto-generated thumbnails. Now, the video-sharing company is testing a new Explore tab that it will roll out to one percent of iOS YouTube app users over the next few weeks.
Epic gives Unreal Engine creators a larger cut of product sales
Epic Games announced today that it will be taking a smaller cut of sales made through its Unreal Engine Marketplace, where creators like digital artists, sound designers and programmers can sell products that game developers can use in their own projects. Going forward, creators will now get to keep 88 percent of their product sales as opposed to the 70 percent they were taking previously. Not only that, Epic Games will be applying this new split retroactively, so any sale made on the platform since it launched in 2014 will be subject to the new rate.
Mental health and the relentless YouTuber life
Jacques Slade was spending a week at the beach recently, away from the internet and his responsibilities as a full-time YouTube creator, where he's about to reach 1 million subscribers. It was supposed to be a time to relax and enjoy life. But being stress free, even on vacation, doesn't come easily for him. Slade, who makes videos about sneakers and technology, said he couldn't fully enjoy it because he was worried about not having anything to post on YouTube when he returned. "I don't have content for the next four or five days," Slade worried. "What's that gonna do to me? What's that gonna do to my bottom line? When I come back, are people still gonna watch my videos?"
Vimeo wants to power Facebook, Twitch and YouTube livestreams
Vimeo made clear its focus on its creator community last year when it introduced livestreaming tools, now it's expanding its efforts with new distribution features that will help creators grow and expand their audiences. Announced today are "Simulcast" and "Publish to Social", both designed with creators in mind and, no doubt, to help the platform develop its visibility beyond a single destination.
Facebook takes on Twitch and YouTube in game streaming push
Last year Facebook launched a Creator app for video hosts to create more video content for the social network. Now it's doubling down on the concept, this time for those who make gaming videos. It's a pretty clear bid to compete with YouTube, Twitch and Mixer for the attention of gaming fans who love watching other people play video games.
Facebook's Creator app will help video 'stars' create more 'content'
Facebook's future is all about TV, and the company has been slowly giving video content creators the tools to participate in (and monetize) that future. Now the social media giant is launching the Facebook Creator App, a "one stop shop" to make original video, go live with exclusive visuals and also keep an eye on audience response with an "insights" feature for analytics. The new app is available on iOS now (with Android coming soon) for individuals with a Facebook Page or profile.
YouTube clarifies how much cash its creators can make
A lot of creators rely on YouTube to make a living, but despite recent efforts to improve, the Google-owned site still takes videos down for no good reason. On top of that, mismatching ads to offensive videos recently spawned an "adpocalypse" that deprived legitimate creators of revenue. In a blog post, YouTube now says it will unveil new icons to let you know to what extent your video is being monetized. It'll also give you a new way to appeal directly in the Video Manager for copyright and community guideline problems.
Kickstarter changes terms regarding unfinished projects
Kickstarter updated its terms of use late last week, mostly cleaning up the site's fine-print language to better spell out the relationship between project creators and backers. It will remain hands-off while project leads enter agreements with their supporters, which worked well for the funding platform to this point, as it reached $1 billion in pledges in March. Those contracts are the focus of the revised terms, as Kickstarter is now emphasizing the actions creators must take if they fail to live up to their word as well as the potential consequences if they walk away. The boldest inclusion stressed that creators who are unable to satisfy the terms "may be subject to legal action by backers." While Kickstarter still won't involve itself in the proceedings, this opens a clearer lane for possible lawsuits from project backers should creators fail to live up to their agreement or offer alternative solutions.
Comixology sends out call for comic creator info
As we've said before, Comixology has essentially conquered the App Store for comics on the iPad. There are a few companies and options out there for buying digital comic books, but Comixology (with its Comics app) has secured a huge collection for sale, and offers up great prices in conjunction with huge comics publishers almost every week. Now it sounds like the company is trying something completely new. It's sent out "a call for creator info," which is a 26 week initiative (starting at the Baltimore Comic-Con) to put together photos and information about 6,000 different comic book creators, from artists and writers to inkers, letterers and editors. They're hoping to collect all of this information via the company's Twitter account, and then presumably it'll all be included in the app eventually, creating a huge database of comic book creators to browse through. Comixology is hoping to do one letter a week, so by midway through next year, they should have a pretty substantial amount of information. They've already put together a great resource for us comic book readers on the iPad and a database like this would also be much appreciated.
