Each week, we handpick a selection of stories to give you a snapshot of trends, updates, business moves, and more from around the creator industry. This week, a hip-hop icon pretended to take over for a popular creator while a major media outlet whipped up its version of a hot meme.
Creator commotion
The new Moist Cr1TiKaL is…T-Pain? With help from Ray William Johnson, Ironmouse, and others, the creator whose real name is Charlie White pretended to move on to a “second season” hosted by T-Pain. Moist then informed us that season two is canceled and he’s back to hosting his channel. Still, T-Pain is a pretty good get for a guy who sits in his room talking about YouTube drama.
Asmongold officially leaves OTK. The streamer has departed from the organization he co-founded. Other members, such as Emiru, have indicated that their OTK status is still active.
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Ludwig’s critics won’t stop his VTuber plans. After the creator debuted his virtual model in a stream, some critics replied that the space should be reserved for “native VTubers.” Oh well; Ludwig has plans to continue streaming using his animated avatar.
Sway House got the band back together for a reunion stream. The live broadcast featured the housemates (and their friends) who came together as a YouTube supergroup during the early years of TikTok.
The court of law
Thomson Reuters sets a new precedent for generative AI training. The corporation emerged victorious in a case described as the first major copyright lawsuit of the AI era. Will the protections afforded to rights holders be maintained in future cases?
YouTube and TikTok have evaded a “choking challenge” lawsuit. In this particular instance, the platforms are not being held accountable for hazardous trends that propagated on their respective platforms. There’s evidence to suggest that the tide could be turning in those cases, so YouTube and TikTok should enjoy the wins for now.
Passes hit with class action lawsuit. Allegations of child pornography are at the center of a case that targets the creator marketing platform.
The ad world
TikTok launches Oscar hub. The app’s community of film critics, clip channels, and movie buffs are in the spotlight with their own destination. The Oscars go live this Sunday, with Conan O’Brien hosting on ABC.
YouTube will be the presenting sponsor of the PGA’s Creator Classic Series. Three tournaments slated for 2025 will pit golf creators against one another. YouTube will be the place to go to catch all the action on the links.
Events and happenings
Sean Evans, Rhett & Link and Marques Brownlee join Variety’s SXSW Podcast Brunch. Multiple creators of note will join forces for a March 8 panel that will discuss strategies in the rising world of video podcasts. Variety Chief Awards Editor Clayton Davis will moderate.
Movers and shakers
After MrBeast gig, Marc Hustvedt heads to Contrarian Thinking. The longtime creator economy exec, former President of MrBeast, LLC, and Tubefilter Co-Founder is heading to Contrarian, a digital media company dedicated to financial education and empowerment. Contrarian’s new President will work closely with Founder and CEO Codie Sanchez.
The internet is a strange place
Internet memes spoke the New York Times‘ Lemony Garlicky Miso Gochujang Black Butter Gnocchi into existence. The best way to respond to memes is to turn them into reality. Social media users joked that the wordy dish would be the ultimate example of the heightened descriptions on the New York Times cooking app. It was all fun and games until @nytcooking actually released a L.G.M.G.B.B.G. recipe — and it ended up looking quite lemony and garlicky indeed.
