Articles
The creator economy magazineAnalyses of the European creator economy from primary sources. Pick a topic and read.
Sephora gives advice in ChatGPT and sells new launches with creators on TikTok
This year Sephora is advising on cosmetics through its own app in ChatGPT, while Ulta with Google also offers purchases of selected products in AI. In July, AI brought Czech e-shops twice as many orders as in January, but only 0.6% of orders at the average e-shop.
Spotify will let Czech podcasters keep 90% of fan money
From 20 October 2026, even a Czech podcast with three episodes, a hundred listeners or viewers over the last thirty days and a hundred hours of listening can offer paid membership on Spotify.
Paid consultations on LinkedIn are for the US only, for now
In May 2026, LinkedIn announced paid consultations straight from the profile, Advice Sessions, and is not yet taking a cut. The host, however, needs a Premium Business subscription.
Hannah Stocking stars in and produces a TikTok micro-series
TikTok is co-producing creator-led micro-series with the studio Made By Us. Hannah Stocking stars in and produces one of them. TikTok's press release does not say who owns the series or who finances them.
Cobra 11 on YouTube leads the young to RTL+, says its boss
Stephan Schmitter, CEO of German broadcaster RTL, claims old Cobra 11 episodes on YouTube lead young viewers to RTL+ subscriptions. Yet in February 2024 he said putting lots of content on YouTube had no value. From standard watch page ads, YouTube pays partners 55% of net revenues.
A party host sells the same rooftop to guests and brands
IRL influencers, or community hosts, sell an event to guests and to brands. In October 2026 the Pie app offered members of its programme an average of $445 a month, so far from investor money. Since 2024 Hinge has given $2.3 million only to groups with free or low-cost meetups.
OpenAI bought a tech podcast that interviewed its own boss
TBPN, the tech show that had Sam Altman as a guest, has belonged to OpenAI since spring 2026. It made roughly $5 million from advertising in 2025. Silicon Valley’s big interview podcasts make money from advertising that powerful guests bring in.
Dude Perfect to make videos inspired by Disney franchises
Dude Perfect, which an investor compared in 2024 to the early years of Disney, has entered a partnership with Disney. It will make videos for its own channels inspired by Disney’s franchises, from Star Wars to the Avengers.
Toys"R"Us to build creator studios in selected stores
The returning toy chain is preparing spaces in the US where influencers and toy makers are set to film. At a studio inside a Walmart in Tennessee, creators pay $60 to $100 an hour. An Indian furniture retailer and a Kentucky distillery open their spaces only to creators selected from applications.
Deezer cuts AI music from recommendations, YouTube labels it
From 14 October, YouTube Music is starting to show a label on tracks where AI played a significant role. Deezer says it receives nearly 90,000 fully AI-generated tracks a day and removes them from recommendations itself. By the end of 2026 it will let listeners hide fully AI music in search too.
Creator engagement barely explains brand recall
Andrew Tindall of System1 names seven global companies betting on brand investment. Unilever, the first of them, engaged more than 50,000 creators at the football World Cup. Yet according to a System1 study with TikTok, creator ad engagement explains only around 0.2% of brand recall.
Creator video usage rights have no standard terms in the US
Usage rights, a brand’s right to use a creator’s video in ads, have no standard US terms. Digiday says a licence usually runs thirty days and is mostly priced off the media budget. In Czechia, an undefined licence follows the contract’s purpose, or is presumed to cover only Czechia for up to a year.