> I hope I convinced you to mentally categorize the average hard-working streamer’s career hopes accurately — well into the lottery ticket territory.
98% of channels on Twitch aren't monetized. They don't get revenue share because they don't generate any revenue. The bar for monetization on Twitch is very low. So low that "the average hard-working streamer" should be able to meet it pretty easily. Among monetized channels the percentage making minimum wage is closer to 1.5% - very low, but not what I would call "lottery ticket territory".
It's also worth noting that at the time of the leak about 50% of active channels on Twitch were about a year old. It takes years to start seeing any sort of "real" money from entertainment, and that's not unique to streaming. The chart in the article showing distribution of earnings seems to show a pretty typical power distribution, which is to be expected in entertainment media.
1. subscriptions
it takes only 250 tier 1 subscribers to reach that 15 000$/year, if we take into account, that twitch is taking 50% from charges
2. ads
This actually turns away all the casual watchers, who are not subscribing, but only donating. Subscribers do not see ads in most cases anyway, so there is not that much income for streamer.
3. bits
They were implemented to take away cut from donations. Not really useful, compared to other types of donations from paypal, patron or from donations that are going into cryptocurrencies wallets.
I'm very sceptical about that twitch streamers who do streaming as a serious job only get 15 000$/year(more like 15 000$/month would be more realistically, otherwise there would be not that many twitch thots who have switched from streaming in adult industry to twitch - their income numbers from streaming on twitch were posted to be in range of 60 000$ - 90 000$ per month, so they are not nowhere that poor, as those who are donating to them). For a well established streamer donations are rarely less than 100$ per stream. That makes very decent salary even for US.
PS only insane person can write with green ink article, to irritate anyone else who is trying to read that BS crap article.
Can't edit, but it's 92.8%. I typo'd it.
"People have always invested incredible amounts of their youth into pursuing dead-end career choices. But we deserve to do so for the right reasons and to channel our creativity towards better goals."
These new platforms are unique in that they give a widespread young audience the idea that this is some sort of ordinary career. Nobody ever believed that about comedians.
* passive income folks whose business is to teach passive income
* van lifers who earn by... selling the van life.
Ultimately they're profiting on the difference between reality and people's wishful thinking.
His Twitter bio even said "I got famous on the internet telling people how to get famous on the internet".
I wonder if this isn't true of e.g. Spotify as well.
