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- Influence Weekly 387 - Warner Music Group Sues Crumbl Cookies For Copyright Infringement In Social Media Marketing
Influence Weekly 387 - Warner Music Group Sues Crumbl Cookies For Copyright Infringement In Social Media Marketing
Creator Economy Split Reflects Divergent Income Models, Survey Finds
Nii Ahene
May 02, 2025
Spotlight Stories
YouTuber Jesser Signs With CAA, Eyes Expansion Beyond Basketball Content
White House Boasts 100 Media And Influencer Interviews On Day 100 Of Donald Trump's Presidency
Warner Music Group Sues Crumbl Cookies For Copyright Infringement In Social Media Marketing
Creator Economy Split Reflects Divergent Income Models, Survey Finds
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Great Reads
Yessir Media, a company co-founded by Will Bryan and Katharine Bradley in March 2025, has transformed Roblox from a gaming platform into an animation tool, producing narrative content at a fraction of traditional costs. Their approach combines live-action "digital puppetry" with professional animation techniques, allowing them to create an episode in just 1-2 weeks.
Yessir Media offers animation production services using their Roblox-based methodology as well as combined packages of animation and Roblox game development. The founders aim to connect traditional animation studios with content that engages today's children on platforms like Roblox. Drawing inspiration from 1990s Nickelodeon, they envision a kid-centric approach that respects children's intelligence and autonomy.
As AI-generated animation becomes more prevalent, Yessir Media positions its human-centered approach as a counterbalance, valuing the authentic, handmade feel of their work. With their first projects launching soon, their long-term goal is to develop original series and feature-length films while demonstrating financial success in this space.
Meta announced the global expansion of advertising on its Threads platform to all eligible advertisers worldwide. This grants advertisers access to Threads' over 320 million monthly active users. Ads will initially appear in select markets before gradually expanding. The rollout includes brand safety controls allowing advertisers to filter content sensitivity levels.
While Threads' growth has been substantial, Meta maintains measured revenue expectations, with Instagram projected to generate over $32 billion in U.S. ad revenue in 2025, accounting for 50.3% of Meta's total U.S. ad revenue.ethical questions about AI-generated content and consent in the creator economy.
The European Commission imposed significant fines on Apple and Meta for violating the Digital Markets Act (DMA), marking the first penalties under the bloc's new digital competition rules. Apple received a €500 million fine for restricting app developers from informing users about alternative purchasing options outside its App Store. Meta faces a €200 million penalty for its "consent or pay" model that forced users to either accept personalized ads or pay for ad-free subscriptions.
Both companies must comply within 60 days or risk additional penalties. The fines come amid escalating trans-Atlantic trade tensions, with the U.S. criticizing EU regulations targeting American tech companies. However, the EU emphasized regulatory impartiality, stating it doesn't discriminate based on a company's ownership or location. The penalties were relatively smaller than previous EU antitrust fines, potentially signaling a more measured approach as the bloc enforces its new digital market regulations while navigating international relations.
Campaign Insights
Edtech company LAMY is expanding its TwoPlus1 financial literacy platform with new user-generated content (UGC) capabilities, enabling Gen Z users to create and share interactive financial content like virtual business plans, budgets, and investment simulations. The platform now features drag-and-drop editing tools and a peer-learning community with creator rewards.
LAMY aims to transform how Gen Z approaches financial education through this participatory, user-driven model that increases engagement while reducing content costs. The company plans to integrate AI assistance and explore new monetization opportunities going forward.
Luxury Experience & Co (LE&Co) is a company that facilitates face-to-face connections between brands and creators/influencers through exclusive gifting lounges at major events like the Super Bowl, Oscars, and Coachella. Founded in 2018, LE&Co curates a select group of luxury brands and relevant talent to attend these lounges, providing an environment for genuine relationship building beyond transactional digital exchanges.
The company's strategic matching process ensures brands meet appropriate creators for their target audiences. LE&Co also provides education to both parties on maximizing these partnerships. Metrics like engagement, follower growth, website traffic, and conversion rates are tracked to demonstrate ROI for brands. With a focus on creating valuable connections, LE&Co is expanding into new verticals like the WNBA to meet growing industry demands.
A new survey reveals a divide in the creator economy, with commerce-focused creators showing more financial resilience compared to those relying primarily on social platforms. The survey of 121 creators found 99% of commerce creators utilize affiliate marketing, providing a buffer against platform volatility. Only 7% of commerce creators expressed major concerns about a potential TikTok ban, compared to 47% of TikTok creators.
However, creators across segments share frustrations with opaque platform algorithms, especially smaller creators. Economic pressures are impacting creators, with 52% reporting decreased consumer spending. AI adoption varies, with TikTok creators leading but commerce creators showing higher occasional usage. Larger creators express more optimism about social platforms' future. When selecting tools, creators prioritize performance and simplicity.
The White House celebrated its 100th day of President Donald Trump's presidency by hosting 100 interviews with media outlets and influencers on the White House campus. While President Trump sat down with ABC News, White House staff and administration officials participated in interviews with conservative outlets like The Blaze, Daily Wire, and MAGA podcasters.
Deputy Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt hosted briefings with "new media" figures, allowing them to ask questions. The administration aimed to provide transparency by engaging with alternative and conservative media voices, in addition to traditional outlets. The celebration highlighted the administration's outreach efforts to its base through non-mainstream channels.
Warner Music Group, one of the major music companies, has filed a lawsuit against cookie company Crumbl for copyright infringement. The lawsuit alleges that Crumbl used WMG's copyrighted songs in social media marketing campaigns without proper licenses. WMG claims Crumbl misused at least 159 sound recordings and compositions across platforms like TikTok and Instagram, including songs by popular artists like Lizzo, Mariah Carey, and Taylor Swift.
This legal action follows similar lawsuits against other brands by major music companies for unauthorized use of music on social media. WMG is seeking damages up to $24 million and a permanent injunction to prevent further infringement. The case highlights the challenges brands face in legally incorporating popular music into social media content marketing efforts.
Me4U is a startup that creates AI digital twins of creators to engage with fans through text, voice, and visuals while maintaining the creator's authentic persona. By analyzing a creator's content, Me4U builds an AI companion that can have personalized conversations, synthesize the creator's voice, and generate realistic AI images depicting the creator.
The platform addresses key challenges for creators: generating sustainable income through a subscription model, creating fresh content through fan prompts, promoting across social platforms automatically, and saving time by automating fan interactions. For fans, the AI twins provide an immersive experience and a deeper connection beyond traditional parasocial relationships
Heineken has launched a new campaign titled "#SocialOffSocials" aimed at encouraging in-person socializing amid growing digital fatigue. The campaign features celebrities Joe Jonas and influencer Seth Phillips and is backed by Heineken's global study revealing consumers spend an average of nearly 6 hours daily on devices.
Key findings show over half feel overwhelmed by social media pressure, and many report increased loneliness despite digital connectivity. The campaign dramatizes how creators would react to empty feeds if people socialized more in-person, positioning Heineken as a facilitator of authentic experiences. Research shows most look at their phones less when socializing in-person and wish for a return to pre-smartphone socializing norms.
Doing Things, a media company with 40 creator-led brands, has appointed influencer Jake Krantz as creative director to expand their short-form video strategy. Krantz will collaborate with the creative team to produce 6-15 second videos optimized for TikTok and Instagram, blending his voice with the brand's sensibility.
This move signals Doing Things' evolution from a meme incubator to a comprehensive creator-driven media company. They plan to bring more creators in-house not just as talent but as creative collaborators, fostering an ecosystem where creators shape content direction authentically. The goal is to mesh creator and brand voices seamlessly while giving creators ownership over the creative process.
RAD Intel, an AI-powered platform, has unveiled an enhanced version of its proprietary RAD Score system that provides transparent, data-driven recommendations for influencer marketing campaigns. The RAD Score ranks influencers and content based on their potential performance, optimizes content in real-time, assesses cultural relevance, and verifies brand safety.
By offering "breadcrumbs of information" to justify its AI recommendations, RAD Intel aims to address the skepticism around black-box AI systems in the creator economy. The company serves major brands like MGM and Hasbro, as well as agencies within Omnicom, providing transparent AI-driven strategies across influencer selection, audience understanding, and content planning. With rising demand, RAD Intel projects 4-5 times revenue growth over the previous year and has launched an acquisition initiative to further expand its creative intelligence capabilities.
Interesting People
FlightStory, the global media and investment company founded by entrepreneur Steven Bartlett, announced the appointment of Leon Farrell as Product Director to lead its Creator Ventures Studio.
Farrell joins FlightStory from Warner Music Group, where he drove revenue generation for global artists including Dua Lipa, Muse, and Ed Sheeran. His expertise spans global campaign management and strategic brand partnerships that expanded artists’ digital footprints and boosted revenues.
As a former corporate marketer, beauty content creator Jade Lily leverages her industry expertise to craft platform-specific content plans, balancing aspirational aesthetics with relatable presentation. She emphasizes consistency, spontaneity in production, and genuine brand partnerships.
Despite challenges like burnout and comparison traps, Jade remains focused on developing her community and exploring emerging trends like subscriber-only content. Her advice underscores embracing social platforms early and maintaining an authentic voice.
Leilani Green, a 23-year-old beauty influencer, shares her "big sister" strategy for authentic connection and successful brand partnerships. After four years of patient content creation, she has secured deals with major brands like Sephora Collection, MAC, and CoverGirl.
Green presents herself as an online "big sister" to build genuine relationships with her audience across Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube. Her approach prioritizes inspirational and informative beauty content, with product reviews and creative makeup transformations. Green values creative freedom in collaborations, allowing her to create content that resonates with her followers.
She focuses on the "saves" metric to evaluate content performance and longevity as a resource. A key partnership with Invisalign showcased her influence beyond just beauty products. Moving forward, Green aims to explore more collaborations, travel opportunities, and ultimately have her face featured in Sephora stores.
YouTuber Jesser, a sports content creator with nearly 29 million subscribers, has signed with Creative Artists Agency (CAA) for representation across all areas. Known for his basketball content and collaborations with NBA stars, Jesser plans to expand into additional sports categories like soccer, football, and baseball under CAA's guidance.
He operates his own content banner Bucketsquad and apparel brand Bucketsquad Apparel. Jesser has an extensive list of brand partners including Nike, Gatorade, DraftKings, and many others in the athletic wear, gaming, and consumer goods sectors. With this new representation from CAA, the three-time Streamy Award winner aims to further grow his brand marketing presence and diversify his content creation beyond just basketball.
Industry News
Fixated, a creator-focused digital entertainment platform, has expanded its operations through the acquisitions of talent management firms CAMP Talent and Moondust Management. The move brings notable creators like Jason Nash, Theo Wisseh, and Catarina Mello under Fixated's umbrella. Additionally, Fixated appointed Jeff Shaivitz as SVP of Business Development and Brand Partnerships, leveraging his over 20 years of experience from companies like BENlabs and Studio71.
This growth follows Fixated's recent $12.8 million investment and is part of the company's strategy to consolidate services across the creator economy landscape by combining talent representation, content production, gaming, and monetization. Fixated aims to build an infrastructure that allows creators to scale their platforms into full-fledged businesses.
TikTok recently launched its fourth Agency Accelerator Program in Australia, targeting experienced media agency professionals. Over 100 industry experts have participated since its inception, gaining exclusive insights, expert workshops, mentoring and networking opportunities.
Previous participants praise the program's impact on their careers, noting its thoughtful approach and ability to challenge conventional thinking about media. The program aims to develop exceptional talent in Australia's evolving media landscape, as the video advertising market continues to grow rapidly. With applications closing soon, successful applicants will take part in sessions from June to August 2025.
Meta reported stronger-than-expected Q1 revenue of $42.31 billion, beating estimates, driven by a 16% year-over-year increase in ad sales. The company guided for Q2 revenue between $42.5-$45.5 billion, in line with expectations, but warned of reduced ad spend from Asia e-commerce exporters due to trade policy changes.
Meta increased its 2025 capital expenditure outlook to $64-$72 billion to support AI efforts and higher infrastructure costs. Reality Labs posted a $4.2 billion operating loss in Q1. Meta's AI assistant now has nearly 1 billion monthly users, while Threads hit 350 million. The company faces potential headwinds in Europe due to regulatory issues around its subscription service.
Convergence, a new talent management firm, has launched in Los Angeles aiming to become a comprehensive economic engine for creators. Founded by advertising veteran Charles Ifegwu, the company positions itself as more than traditional representation by offering development services for creator-led shows, podcasts, brand IP and more.
This model aligns with industry analysts reporting creators seeking more comprehensive support structures beyond just brand deals. With 90% of brands planning increased creator budgets this year, Convergence aims to stand out by maximizing opportunities for creators through content, commerce and new business ventures. The launch comes as talent managers are urged to serve as strategic partners focused on long-term growth over viral sparks.
AI-powered influencer marketing analytics platform Influsence Inc. projects over $30 million in Annual Recurring Revenue during its first full year, positioning it for a potential $250-300 million valuation. The platform utilizes AI-driven predictive analytics to help brands optimize influencer selection and marketing spend based on data analysis of past campaigns, audience behavior, and market trends.
With 4,000 enterprise clients awaiting deployment, Influsence aims to meet the massive demand for data-driven insights to guide global influencer marketing initiatives by major brands and agencies. The founding team has established industry expertise, including the former founder of an early influencer marketing platform.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has filed a lawsuit against Snap Inc., alleging Snapchat violates a 2024 state law restricting children's access to social media platforms. The law prohibits children under 14 from opening accounts and requires parental consent for those aged 14-15, targeting platforms with "addictive features" that may harm young users.
The lawsuit claims Snapchat provides accounts to underage Florida users without parental consent and identifies features like push notifications and disappearing content as addictive. It seeks an order halting alleged violations and penalties up to $50,000 per violation. State attorneys indicate more enforcement actions are expected against other platforms as multiple states attempt regulating youth social media usage.
BBC Studios has announced a partnership with The Podcast Exchange (TPX), establishing TPX as the exclusive third-party advertising reseller for BBC podcasts in the Canadian market. The deal grants brands and agencies access to BBC's portfolio, including popular titles like "Global News Podcast," "World of Secrets," and "Football Daily." Canada is described as one of BBC's largest markets for podcasts outside the UK.
This move aligns with BBC Studios' broader international commercial strategy, which includes launching a dedicated audio production unit and partnering with Triton Digital to support growth efforts abroad. The partnership aims to capitalize on the rapidly growing Canadian podcast market and the trend of listeners seeking content from other countries.
Truelink Capital, a private equity firm, has invested in Channel Factory, an adtech company that leverages AI to optimize ad placements across social media platforms. The deal aims to capitalize on the growing creator economy and contextual advertising market. Channel Factory's proprietary AI technology analyzes billions of videos to enhance brand safety and ad targeting. It has established relationships with major ad agencies through its position as a leading buyer of YouTube advertising.
The investment will fuel Channel Factory's global expansion and development of its core technology to support additional platforms beyond YouTube, positioning it as a one-stop provider for contextual targeting. Channel Factory's Creators Buddy division, which connects influencers with brands, also contributed to its investment appeal as influencer marketing expands into B2B sectors. The transaction underscores the convergence of adtech and the creator economy.
Snap reported better-than-expected Q1 revenue but declined to provide Q2 guidance, citing macroeconomic uncertainties that could impact ad demand. Revenue grew 14% YoY to $1.36B, but ad revenue from brand advertising dipped 3%. Snap cited potential impacts from the ending of the de minimis trade exemption as a factor weighing on advertiser outlook.
While topline grew, Snap experienced "headwinds" to start Q2 and is taking a cautious approach by lowering full-year expense guidance. Daily active users reached 460M, up 7M QoQ, but fell slightly in North America. The Snapchat+ subscription service now has 15M paying users.
GRIN, a creator management platform, has launched two new integrated tools - Social Listening and Affiliate Hub - to help brands better connect different aspects of their creator marketing programs. The Social Listening tool allows tracking of brand mentions, hashtags and social conversations across platforms within GRIN's system.
It provides sentiment analysis to understand how brands are being discussed positively or negatively. The Affiliate Hub enables management of affiliate links, discount codes, performance tracking and return on investment calculation for creator partnerships. By integrating these capabilities with their core campaign management platform, GRIN aims to eliminate data fragmentation issues brands face when using multiple disconnected tools.
The integrated approach enhances analytics by allowing brands to analyze relationships between campaign performance, creator results and overall brand awareness. It also delivers standardization benefits and cost efficiencies by consolidating functionality into one system. GRIN's CEO Ryan Debenham states their mission is to make creator marketing easier for brands through innovation, integrated technology and defined best practices.
A Katy-based kids creator camp, founded by Katy ISD students, secured a $350,000 deal on Shark Tank with investor Barbara Corcoran taking an 18% stake. The camp, called Creator Camp, teaches kids aged 6-13 skills like filmmaking, editing, animation, coding, and content branding. With over 750 campers last summer across major Texas cities, the founders aim to expand nationwide using Corcoran's investment and mentorship.
Focusing on turning screen time into creative outlets, the camp equips kids with technical abilities aligning with their aspirations like becoming YouTubers. Creator Camp prioritizes accessibility through financial aid, appealing to kids' interests while imparting valuable creative and entrepreneurial skills.
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Stonyfield Organics has partnered with YouTube sensation Ms. Rachel on a strategic marketing campaign for its YoBaby yogurt line, targeting parents of babies and toddlers. The yearlong collaboration features Ms. Rachel on packaging for Stonyfield's new no-added-sweetener products and includes educational videos called "O is for Organic" about organic food and farming. Stonyfield's Brand Director Lizzie Conover explained the business strategy: "Our baby business is the entry point to our portfolio.
If we capture parents at YoBaby, they are more loyal through their kids' lives." Rachel Accurso, who holds master's degrees in early childhood and music education, has amassed 14.5 million YouTube subscribers with her educational content focused on vocabulary, shapes, and colors. The campaign includes a $200,000 donation to charities No Kid Hungry and Room to Grow, plus a consumer sweepstakes offering yogurt supplies, Ms. Rachel toys, and gift cards, with one grand prize winner receiving a personalized video from the popular educator.
The Detroit Pistons' incredible journey from a 14-win season to the NBA playoffs has captivated fans worldwide, including Jack Kelly from Australia. Kelly's lifelong passion for the Pistons transformed from fandom to a content creation career. Despite the 14-hour time difference, he's built a platform as "Pistons Jack," recently throwing out the first pitch at a Tigers game.
Kelly's unwavering support through the team's struggles exemplifies how sports can provide constancy. Now experiencing playoff success, Kelly reflects on his path, driven by self-belief and an unrelenting love for the franchise that has allowed him to forge unique player connections across the globe.
Revolve, an online fashion retailer, earned the highest media value at the Coachella festival this year, solidifying its dominance through influencer marketing tactics. The company hosts an exclusive, invite-only event called Revolve Festival featuring celebrity performances and brand activations.
While bigger names like Adidas and Chanel also ranked high, Revolve's strategic use of influencers and immersive experiences continues driving engagement and visibility at the popular cultural event. Other notable brands included celebrity-founded companies like Hailey Bieber's Rhode Skin. The data insights highlight the enduring power of influencer marketing for brands looking to tap into key cultural moments.
The New York Times is planning to restrict podcast access, placing its most popular shows behind a paywall while maintaining advertising revenue. According to a Wall Street Journal report, non-subscribers would be limited to three episodes of "The Daily," while new episodes of "Serial" would become subscriber-exclusive. Though implementation details remain flexible, the Times eventually intends to tie most podcasts to subscriptions and potentially limit archive access to paying customers.
This strategic shift comes seven years after "The Daily" launched in 2017 with modest expectations of 2,000 downloads but quickly amassed 42 million. Despite this success, Times executive Jimmy Saunders emphasized at the Publishing Insider Summit that the company maintains a cautious approach to podcast development, only creating new shows when convinced of listener demand.
Basketball YouTuber Kenny Beecham's media company, Enjoy Basketball, is expanding through a partnership with Peyton Manning's Omaha Productions. The collaboration enabled Beecham to land an interview with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver on his podcast "Numbers on the Board."
The appearance highlights how the NBA is embracing creators to reach younger audiences who consume highlights and other content beyond just live games. Omaha Productions is helping produce Beecham's show and grow his "basketball-tainment" brand that blends entertainment with basketball analysis and education. The NBA sees value in working with creators like Beecham to promote the league to millennials and Gen Z fans.