YouTube revenue is at an all-time low, in part due to the recent departure of several major advertisers over concerns about their products being associated with hate speech. Many on YouTube now rely on services like Patreon for income as much or more so than their YouTube partnerships. That said, Patreon is typically only successful for content creators that have already built a brand and a following. Is this the beginning of the end for YouTube as a cottage industry? Is there room for scrappy newcomers to make a living anymore?
This is an interesting question. You'd probably have to decide on an angle from which to address Youtubers, either as celebrities or small business entrepreneurs or a combination of the two, as it's a pretty unique career and there is no clear historical equivalent to compare it to. It would be important to acknowledge that youtube is only one element in a broader career for many youtubers - Troye Sivan and several other musicians attribute a degree of their success to it, but it would be a stretch to say they'd be nothing without it. Even in the case of beauty youtubers, who often get the short end of the reputation stick, many of them are industry professionals (Glam&Gore is an LA-based special effects makeup artist, pixiwoo are celebrity makeup artists, etc). This is not to say that this is the story for most Youtubers, but just something to bear in mind. Beyond Patreon, you would also have to consider one-off and also contract sponsorships, as well as business opportunities external to youtube. Other video-hosting apps and sites (RIP Vine) experience crossover with youtube so you'd want to touch on that as well. OK textblock over. – Cat7 years ago
As its been since Roman walls, hate speech, so thoughtfully scrubbed now that the sopranos is off the air, is any speech that Augustus dent want to hear. But not every wall is controlled by GE and the NBA and the lords of middlebrow decency, or the Jews theyve married,...ah, my credo, all graffiti says the same thing, This is not my wall. a roman aphorism. – Antonius8657 years ago
This would be interesting to look at from a variety of perspectives: beauty, gaming, lifestyle youtubers- I think it is different in each one. I've heard from a lot of the 'smaller but still popular' youtubers that the new advertising rules have ruined a lot of their income, so it really depends ob what type of personality/ look you are portaying. One thing that annoys me is that content aimed at young adults/ children is becoming more popular because advertisers feel comfortable working with those youtubers. It's starting to annoy me for example, that a lot of beauty youtubers have changed their personality/ content to become more kid-friendly, and have began making more videos about topics such as making friends at school or revision techniques, etc. – kwoodhead17 years ago
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