Creator Economy: The Creator Economy is made up of independent creators who make a living by releasing videos, music, journalism, podcasts, and other forms of creative work online, leveraging platforms like YouTube, TikTok, Substack, Instagram, SoundCloud, and Twitch to reach audiences without transferring their copyrights to traditional intermediaries like publishers, record labels, and movie studios. In 2024, the creator economy generated close to $250 billion in revenue, with over 207 million creators participating. Unlike corporate copyright conglomerates, which tend to be mostly foreign owned, the creator economy is dominated by individual American creators, who retain their copyrights.

Why it Matters: Artists, journalists, authors, filmmakers, and musicians participating in the Creator Economy have different needs and interests from the corporate intermediaries who dominate traditional media. They need access to open platforms without fear that error-prone copyright enforcement mechanisms like site blocking will shut them down. They need robust protections for the fair use that powers their critiques, commentary, and teaching, so that corporate copyright holders can’t abuse copyright to shut down their channels or steal their revenue. They probably don’t need copyright to last for 70 years after they are dead. Policymakers need to take these needs seriously as they consider how to update copyright policy for 21st Century creativity.