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2020's been a breakout year for the creator economy

Data: Apptopia; Chart: Axios Visuals

Nearly every major app geared towards content creators has seen significant percentage increases in downloads this year, according to data from Apptopia.

The state of play: Cameo expects to make $100 million from video transactions this year, a spokesperson tells Axios. Over 1 million Cameo videos have been sold-to-date, Tens of thousands of talent now use the app to sell videos.


  • Substack has more than 250,000 paid subscribers and that its top 10 publishers collectively earn more than $10 million a year. 
  • Patreon is now valued at $1.2 billion, after raising $90 million in September. More than 6 million people pay creators through its service globally.
  • OnlyFans will earn $300 million in profit this year, per The Information. The subscription service lets creators monetize exclusive videos, sometimes racy ones.
  • Twitch has doubled the number of streamers on its platform during the pandemic.

Be smart: Other apps where creators play a central role are experiencing explosive growth, per AppTopia. Those apps include Webtoon, an app for digital comic artists and Caffeine, a live streaming and chat app, and Bigo Live, a Chinese live-streaming app.

The big picture: TikTok's number of global downloads this year was so big we couldn't fit it on the same chart as its peers above. TikTok's success has led to a mad dash in mobile video investments by competitors.

  • Reddit acquired Dubsmash, the short-form video app akin to TikTok, the company Monday.
  • Snapchat last month launched its TikTok competitor, called Spotlight.
  • Facebook launched its competitor, called Reels, in August.
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