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YouTube and Patreon Still Aren’t Paying the Rent for Most Creatives
Without major platform overhauls, the creator’s gold rush will come to an end
In 2020, YouTube’s highest earner, according to Forbes, was nine-year-old Ryan Kaji, who made $29.5 million — up from $26 million in 2019. Gaining fame through unboxing and reviewing toys, Kaji surged to the top of YouTube’s charts after publishing a 2015 video in which he reviews more than 100 toys, and he’s remained there ever since. Drawing inspiration from other YouTubers like EvanTubeHD and Hulyan Maya, who also reviewed toys, Kaji and his mother started the channel when he was three years old. To many in his generation, Kaji’s living the dream — in a study of 3,000 children ages eight to 12 conducted by the Harris Poll in 2019, the most popular career aspiration among respondents was YouTuber.
Children aren’t the only ones who dream of making a living with platforms like YouTube. As tech YouTuber Shelby Church writes in OneZero: “Becoming a YouTuber is one of those things that feels within the realm of possibility for just about anyone.” And YouTube isn’t the only platform that appears to offer people a chance to convert their passion into fame and fortune. Aspirational stories abound of streamers making $16,000 on Twitch overnight, a viral TikTok skateboarder making…
