#32: Creators Disillusioned By JPEG Casinos

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NFT Makers Are Boycotting Low-Fee Exchanges Over Tumbling Royalties (Bloomberg)

Earlier this year, two leading NFT exchanges chopped the royalty rates payable when a token changes hands, seeking to post-bull market NFT trading activity (the lower the fees, the more traders in the jpeg casino). This change and market decline shrunk the royalties payout from a peak of $269M in Jan ‘22 to just $2.4M last month. Now, deprived of the core revenue stream, major creators of digital collectibles are starting to boycott the dissenting exchanges as a protest against sinking royalties.

Twitter Is Throttling Patreon Links, Creators Say It Undermines Their Livelihood (The Markup)

An investigation by Markup suggests Twitter/X is slowing down traffic on links to Patreon, WhatsApp, and Meta's Messenger app by ~2.5 seconds, impacting creators' ability to reach new supporters. Aimed at preventing users from leaving the X site, this move is another example of how social media algorithms undermine creators’ monetization efforts, and it shows who really owns the relationship with followers.

Reddit is Killing Blockchain-based Community Points (TechCrunch)

The platform is winding down Community Points — the blockchain-based “internet points” program designed to reward creators and developers — in favor of prioritizing rewards programs that are less difficult to scale. It’s not the only rewards program that Reddit has killed recently - earlier this year, Reddit shut down its coin system for peer-to-peer rewarding.

How Meta and AI Companies Recruited Striking Actors to Train AI (MIT Technology Review)

The striking actors, paid up to $300, were used to create a database of human emotions, voices, faces, and movements. However, the broad nature of the contracts they signed could have far-reaching implications, potentially allowing their data to be used in ways not yet imagined.

Think You're Messaging an OnlyFans Star? You're Talking to These Guys (Vice)

OnlyFans management agencies are hiring anonymous workers, known as "chatters", to manage creators' inboxes, ghostwrite messages, and build intimate relationships with subscribers (which can drive 50-60% of a creator’s earnings). While some critics liken it to "fraud" or "e-pimping", others argue it’s still a beneficial service to content creators.

The Techno-Optimist Manifesto (Marc Andreessen / Substack)

In his 5,000-odd-word essay, the legendary tech investor argues that technology and markets are the engines of perpetual material creation, growth, and abundance. The reviews are mixed, and - interestingly - the author does not use the word “crypto” even once.

• Disney is rewarding TikTok fans with digital rewards for engagement.

• Sidemen, a British YouTuber collective, is raising a VC fund.

• Film3 Summit in LA will host filmmakers leveraging blockchain.

• Reddit is launching Halloween-themed Collectible Avatars.

• Angry Birds, 'The Voice', Warner Music artists to launch avatar skins.

• Generative art tattoos are here.

• Creators.org launched as an NGO advocating for creator issues.

• Fashion and commerce will converge into phygital.

• Instagram now lets you turn photos into stickers for reels and stories.

• Instagram tests Meta Verified-only feed.

• YouTube tests new text-based community notes feed.

• Discord is growing its developer monetization efforts.

• Spotify is launching a personalized in-app Merch Hub.

• Patreon acquired live-streaming events platform Moment.

• Fave raised $2M to connect music fans with artists and each other.

• Grandstand raised $3M to help athletes create own paid communities.

• Async Art, the early NFT platform, will wind down operations.

• 9 ideas to help turn fan moments into relationships.

• Music merch could bring millions of people onchain.

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