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The creator economy magazineAnalyses of the European creator economy from primary sources. Pick a topic and read.
What will YouTube present to creators at Made On YouTube 2026?
YouTube is calling creators to New York on 23 September for its annual Made On YouTube event. The official programme for 2026 has not been published. Last year it showed Veo generative tools for Shorts, livestream news and AI clips.
Advertising Week targets $100 million in creator-brand deals
Advertising Week has made creator Dhar Mann its Chief Creator Officer and opened a marketplace where $100 million of deals are to be struck between 500 brands and 2,500 creators. The event starts on 5 October 2026.
YouTube says mainstream has not disappeared, it has moved to creators
A new YouTube and NRG report argues mass culture has simply regrouped. In the US sample aged 14 to 44, 77% see creators as widely known, against 79% for Hollywood stars. Backrooms, which began on YouTube, grossed over $393 million.
Spotify opens podcast monetisation to Poland, not Czechia
Spotify added 35 new regions to its Partner Program, and Poland is among those named. A Czech creator cannot apply to a programme that pays for advertising and for video plays by subscribers. At home, that leaves 30% of advertising on Podcasty.cz and YouTube income.
Creator economy will not hit half a trillion by 2027
Slides cite half a trillion dollars as the size of the creator economy. It is a single 2023 Goldman Sachs estimate for 2027. Today's models count a broader market and still come out about a fifth lower for the same year.
Brands change marketing for Gen Z, but platforms and creators keep trust
Morning Consult data show that for 94% of brands, Gen Z trusts them less than US adults do. A parallel ADWEEK analysis finds that changing the marketing tone does not reliably change that. The highest trust sits with platforms and creators.
YouTube turns a creator's organic video into paid advertising
Brands are no longer waiting for organic reach and are buying it with creator posts. YouTube launched Creator Partnership Ads, and paid promotion of creator content is set to grow 48% in the US this year, to $13.2 billion.
Chipotle built a national campaign from creators' footage alone
Chipotle made a national campaign only from footage shot by 100 creators: 345 hours from more than 50 restaurants, with no shots filmed by the brand. Three spots run on national TV and social media. The creators' material became the core of the ad.
Ambition is there, infrastructure is missing
Steven Bartlett and Authentic want to put up to $400 million into creators and build companies around them. The ECB says European venture funds have about a sixth of US capital. Europe lacks capital and infrastructure, not talent or audience.
Over 60% of creators report burnout and uncertain income
The market treats creators as small businesses but gives them none of the support firms have. A new survey of 542 creators finds 62% report burnout, 69% uncertain income and 89% lack access to care that understands their work.
Suno moves to licensed music as lawsuits keep piling up
Suno built its new v6 models on licensed music from major labels. Copyright disputes with Sony and Universal do not end there, and a fresh lawsuit targets voice and name, which catalogue licences do not protect.
Bartlett and Authentic aim to put up to $400 million into creators
Steven Bartlett and Authentic Brands have launched OBSN, aiming to deploy up to $400 million in creator businesses. Steven.com brings audience and data, Authentic retail and licensing across 50 brands. A creator with millions of followers is to become a company.