Walk Away

Why Twitch’s underrepresented creators are going on strike

What’s up Publish Press readers? This OnlyFans saga is getting wild. First, they announce they’re banning explicit content, then, six days later, they change their mind. While I’m glad they reversed the ban if I was an OnlyFans creator I would be feeling a little bit of whiplash. 

 - Max Lowenthal

In Today’s Issue 💬

→ Why underrepresented Twitch streamers are going on strike

→ The details on the new partnership between Shopify and TikTok

→ A look at Moment House, the company pioneering pay-per-view for creators

Streamers Take “A Day Off Twitch” To Protest Hate On the Platform

Source: Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Twitch streamers are going on strike. The platform’s underrepresented creators are boycotting the site on September 1st following months of targeted abuse, urging both streamers and viewers to avoid visiting or using the platform. Originally organized by streamer RektItRaven and popularized on Twitter using #ADayOffTwitch, the creator strike is intended to hold the platform more accountable for creating safe spaces. 

The boycott comes after years of Twitch’s relative inaction on its toxic culture. Underrepresented streamers often face frequent harassment - most recently taking the form of ‘hate raids’, where hundreds of fake users overrun streams with racist and offensive comments.

Creators have faced even more targeted attacks in recent months following the launch of Twitch’s new tagging feature, which has allowed trolls to identify creators based on characteristics like gender identity or sexual orientation.

Twitch’s Diversity Problem:

• 66.4 million hours → The difference in watch time between Twitch’s top female and male creator in the first quarter of 2021

• 46% → The percentage of women who have experienced bullying on Twitch based on gender or race

• 2 → The number of women in Twitch’s Top 50 most followed creators

Our Take

This streamer strike is part of a wider conversation around emotional + physical safety and the harassment that disproportionately affects underrepresented creators. Being in the public eye doesn’t mean creators should be made to feel unsafe based on who they are. Twitch already benefits from these creators by taking 50% of their subscription revenue, now they need to earn that cut by making the platform safe for everyone. 

Shopify & TikTok Officially Partner to Build In-App Shopping

Source: TikTok

TikTok is officially moving into ecommerce. After months of speculation, the short-form video platform announced earlier this week that it was teaming up with Shopify. The collaboration will let creators sell goods directly on their profile in the form of a Shopping tab & interactive in-video product links.

The partnership will launch with select creators across the U.S., U.K., and Canada in the next few weeks, but is expected to be available to all Shopify merchants with a TikTok for Business account by the end of the year. The news is the latest in a string of socially designed ecommerce tests that TikTok has launched in the last year, including Walmart’s QVC-esque live streams and Levi’s custom denim ad campaign. 

Our Take

TikTok accelerates fandom faster than any other app. Pair that kind of growth with an in-app shopping experience and we’re likely to see creator merch and products sell out faster than ever before. 

Moment House Raises $12 Million to Build Pay-Per-View Events for Creators

Source: Moment House

Live events are back...kind of. Earlier this week, live media platform Moment House announced it had raised $12 million in venture capital funding to continue to expand its international footprint. The company, which connects artists to fans through online ticketed events called “Moments”, has blown up in the last year, wooing creators like KSI and Cody Ko + Noel Miller’s TinyMeatGang. The platform offers creators a centralized way to manage merch and live streaming on a single platform while giving creators 100% of ticket revenue in exchange for charging fans a small fee. 

Our Take

Pay-per-view models are great for creators because audiences will pay much higher rates than brands ever will. Advertisements require millions of views to make a living, but with pay-per-view 100 views at the right price point can be enough to make a difference.

🔥 In Other News

• TikTok is testing longer videos 

• Podcasters are losing influence after signing with Spotify

• Nas Academy is hiring a Head of Product

• Substack is letting users pay for newsletters with Bitcoin

• Rally.io raises $50 million to help creators launch their own tokens