The Influencer Tasked with Reviving Frasers Group’s Slazenger Brand
Frasers Group has enlisted digital creator Alexei Hamblin to spearhead a revival of its legacy tennis brand, Slazenger. Hamblin will craft a content‑driven strategy aimed at younger, socially‑savvy consumers while leveraging the retailer’s extensive distribution network. The partnership signals Mike Ashley’s intent to modernise a heritage label that has struggled to stay relevant in a crowded sports‑apparel market. Initial plans include limited‑edition collaborations and a refreshed e‑commerce experience.
Scholastic and BlushCrunch Studio Announce Dandy’s World Book Partnership | Exclusive
Roblox creator BlushCrunch Studio has teamed with Scholastic to turn its hit horror game Dandy’s World into a series of books. A guidebook and novel are slated for spring 2027, followed by a graphic novel in fall 2027, with Scholastic...
How Nestlé Turns Creator Content Into Brand-Suitable Ads at Scale
Nestlé has launched an integration between CreatorIQ and CreativeX that uses AI to grade influencer content for paid‑media suitability. The system streams creator submissions from CreatorIQ to CreativeX, scores them against Nestlé’s branding, storytelling and effectiveness criteria, and feeds the...
Symphonic Targets Catalog Acquisitions and Indie Artist Financing Deals with Launch of Symphonic NEXT
Symphonic, a Tampa‑based music‑technology firm, launched Symphonic NEXT, a program linking independent artists, labels, and managers with catalog financing, royalty advances, and acquisition opportunities. Led by Michelle Garramone, NEXT offers flexible deals ranging from $25,000 in trailing‑12‑month earnings to multi‑million‑dollar...
Novi AI Launches Long Video Agent for AI Narrative Video Creation Up to 5 Minutes
AI video platform Novi AI unveiled its Long Video Agent, a tool that transforms a story idea, script, or screenplay into a complete narrative video of up to five minutes. The solution consolidates script writing, visual generation, voiceover and editing...
Should Influencers Form an LLC? Key Advantages and Legal Considerations
Social media influencers are turning personal brands into lucrative businesses, prompting many to consider formal structures. Forming a limited liability company (LLC) offers liability protection, pass‑through taxation, and a vehicle to hold valuable intellectual property. The article outlines how an...
L’Oréal Romania Taps SAMY to Manage Creator Marketing Across All 21 Group Brands
L’Oréal Romania announced a partnership with global social‑first agency SAMY to run influencer marketing for its entire portfolio of 21 brands, starting in June 2026. SAMY already handles L’Oréal’s creator relationships in Italy, Spain, the UK, the Nordics, Latin America...
Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Taps LTK for Social Commerce Push
Sports Illustrated Swimsuit has partnered with LTK to launch its first creator‑driven social commerce channel. An official LTK profile will let fans discover and purchase items featured in editorial content, talent spotlights, and live runway coverage. LTK will also enable...
Patreon Rolls Out Network Features to Drive Fan Discovery, Creator Membership Growth
Patreon announced its biggest product update yet, adding network features that surface creators to new fans and turn free followers into paying members. The rollout includes Quips, a short‑form post format in a refreshed Home feed, and Collaboration posts that...
FiveTwoNine’s Creator Fund Is Bringing Missing Creator Economy Voices to Advertising’s Grand Stage
FiveTwoNine launched the Creator Fund in 2025 to bring emerging, diverse creators into the Cannes Lions advertising festival. Applications surged from 100 to over 300, with 20 creators selected each cohort through a juried process that scores diversity, entrepreneurial spirit...
Spotify Is Adding Artist Verification Badges on Profiles
Spotify announced the rollout of a "Verified by Spotify" green check‑mark badge that will appear next to artist names in search results and on profile pages. The company says more than 99% of the artists listeners actively search for will...
Fortnite’s Official Star Wars Experiences Feature Expanded Voice Lines
Epic Games and Disney are launching three official Star Wars islands in Fortnite on May 1, built with top creators JOGO Studios, Future Trash, and Beyond Creative. These islands feature exclusive assets, including authentic Darth Vader voice lines and iconic Star Wars...
Sorry, AI Artists. Spotify’s Not Letting You Become ‘Verified’ on Its Platform.
Spotify announced a new “Verified by Spotify” badge that will appear on artist profiles and in search results, signaling that the artist is a real human creator rather than an AI‑generated persona. The badge is unavailable to AI‑only acts at...
Acast Expands Team and Upgrades Studio Production
Acast is rolling out video podcast distribution in Sweden through Apple Podcasts’ HLS integration, marking one of the first global partnerships for the format. To support the launch, the company hired Otto Jorméus as Content Director and Gustaf Angelin as...
Instagram Cracks Down on Content Aggregators
Instagram announced that accounts that regularly repost others’ photos or carousel posts will no longer appear in the platform’s recommendation streams. The rule, which previously applied only to Reels, now extends to static images and swipeable carousels, aiming to reward...
Taylor Swift AI Trademark Fight Could Benefit Famous Athletes
Taylor Swift has filed trademark applications with the USPTO to protect her voice and likeness from generative‑AI misuse, following a similar move by actor Matthew McConaughey. The filings illustrate a new legal strategy that could be adopted by athletes facing deepfake...
The UK’s PRS for Music Paid Out $1.41B to Songwriters, Composers and Publishers in 2025
PRS for Music announced that it distributed £1.07 billion ($1.41 billion) to songwriters, composers and publishers in 2025, a 4.9% increase over the prior year. Total royalty collections rose 7.7% to £1.24 billion ($1.63 billion), led by streaming growth and a record‑high £101.4 million from...
Canva Announces Their New Collaboration with Claude Design by Anthropic Labs
Canva announced a deeper partnership with Anthropic’s Claude Design, embedding the AI‑generated draft engine directly into Canva’s Visual Suite. The integration lets users import Claude’s ideas, HTML artifacts and interactive code for drag‑and‑drop editing without regenerating content. Canva also introduced...
Omnicom’s Creo Unveils Agentic AI Tool for Brand-Influencer Content Compliance
Omnicom Media Group's specialist unit Creo has launched an agentic AI tool that automatically edits influencer‑generated content to meet brand compliance before publishing. Built with Google Cloud, the solution leverages Gemini and Veo generative models to identify and resolve issues...
EXCLUSIVE: Depop Partners With Kasey Musgraves on New Shop
Depop announced a partnership with Grammy‑winning singer‑songwriter Kacey Musgraves, launching a new Shop Drop that showcases 20 pieces from her personal wardrobe. The items, priced under $100, will be released in weekly capsules beginning Monday at 3 p.m. EDT. All proceeds...
30 Days of Using Za’atar the Wrong Way: How Spice Startup Hayati Used Repetition to Hit 21,000 Instagram Followers
Hayati, a Palestinian‑American spice brand, leveraged a quirky Instagram series called “Day X of using za’atar the wrong way” to accelerate its social following. Founder Yasmine Borno filmed unconventional recipes—za’atar on nails, popcorn, and parmesan potatoes—turning entertainment into education. The repeatable...
Vine Makes a Comeback
Divine, a new short‑form video app backed by Jack Dorsey and built by former Odeo lead Evan Henshaw‑Plath, revives the spirit of Vine with an archive of about 500,000 restored clips. The platform mandates native recording or C2PA verification to...
ZAO Call Out TuneCore After Being Wrongly Flagged For AI-Generated Music: "Can't Get A 'Person' To Explain Why We Were...
Veteran metalcore band ZAO was mistakenly flagged by digital distributor TuneCore for using generative AI on unreleased tracks from their upcoming project “Pillars.” The group posted a DAW screenshot showing raw, unquantized recordings to prove the music was entirely human‑made....
IShowSpeed Goes Live Across The Caribbean In 12-Hour Island Tour
IShowSpeed, the 20‑year‑old YouTube and Twitch star, has launched a 12‑hour livestream island tour across Dominica, Guadeloupe, St. Kitts & Nevis, and St. Maarten in partnership with travel booking giant Expedia. The collaboration, branded through the Exspeedia platform, lets fans watch the adventure,...
Why Bad Bunny and Kobalt Are Winning the New War for Music Royalties
Bad Bunny’s six‑album tour in Puerto Rico turned into a cultural and economic engine, selling out 31 shows and drawing more than half a million fans while generating roughly $733 million for the island. At the same time, innovators such as...
Libsyn Video on Spotify, New Patreon Feeds, & More
Libsyn has enabled video distribution on Spotify across all its hosting plans, letting creators upload MP4 files for a $25‑per‑month fee. Patreon rolled out a redesigned home feed that surfaces creator collaborations, free posts and recommended creators, claiming a five‑fold...
Can Student Influencers Woo Classmates to This District?
Detroit Public Schools announced a $1 million marketing push that includes hiring roughly two dozen student influencers to share district news on TikTok, Instagram and other platforms. Each influencer will receive a $250 monthly stipend, training on social‑media policy, and coaching...
Meta Launches Stablecoin Payouts In Colombia And The Philippines
Meta has begun offering creators in Colombia and the Philippines the option to receive payouts in the USDC stablecoin, using either the Solana or Polygon networks. Creators must link a compatible third‑party wallet such as MetaMask or Phantom, and Stripe...
An Idiot’s Guide to Music AI Companies
The AI‑generated music market is exploding, with platforms like Suno, Udio, Boomy, Klay Vision, ElevenLabs and others racing to produce songs at scale. Suno claims to create around seven million tracks per day and faces lawsuits from Universal and Sony,...
Pinkpantheress Says There’s a ‘Sensitive’ Reason Why Its Hard for Artists To Get a Hit on TikTok Today
PinkPantheress says TikTok’s music promotion is now oversaturated, making viral hits harder to achieve. The platform’s algorithm offers no clear formula, and Gen Z listeners quickly detect inauthentic, label‑driven content. She observes that genuine fan‑posted snippets still spark breakthroughs, but artists...
Why so Many Creators Are Joining the C-Suite
Companies across industries are creating C‑suite‑style roles for influencers and creators, from T‑Mobile’s chief switching officer to the NFL’s chief kindness officer. Brands argue that these creators bring authentic social capital that can translate viral buzz into real‑world sales, as...
Good Gamers Is Recreating Star Wars: Battlefront Inside Fortnite
Good Gamers, a leading Fortnite creator studio, is releasing its new map Frontlines on May 1, built with Epic Games’ officially licensed Star Wars assets. The mode mirrors the classic Star Wars: Battlefront shooter, featuring player classes, Jedi heroes, and...
Vince Staples Pushes Back After YouTube Restricts “Blackberry Marmalade” Video
Vince Staples is contesting YouTube’s decision to place an age restriction on his new music video “Blackberry Marmalade.” The rapper used his X account to tell adults to share the video with younger fans, arguing that the content conveys essential...
Expedia Bets on Creator-Led Marketing with IShowSpeed Partnership
Expedia has signed a global partnership with livestream star IShowSpeed to capture Gen Z travelers, launching a Caribbean‑focused, 12‑hour livestream and a dedicated Exspeedia.com hub. The campaign blends real‑time travel discovery with fan‑driven interactivity, allowing users to watch behind‑the‑scenes footage, book...
Apple Loses Bid to Pause App Store Fee Changes as Case Heads to Supreme Court
Apple’s attempt to pause its new App Store fee reforms was rejected by the Ninth Circuit, reinstating the requirement that developers may link to external payment options without Apple taking a commission. The court found Apple had not shown irreparable...
Ndovesha AI Launches Unified AI Agent Platform for Marketing, Content Creation and Digital Growth
Ndodesha AI unveiled an expanded all‑in‑one AI agent platform that lets businesses generate marketing assets, automate content creation, and launch digital properties from a single workspace. The suite includes agents for social media images, ad creatives, videos, logos, landing pages,...
Want a Pop Star Collab? Brands Need to Be Ready to Take Risks
At an ADWEEK House panel during the Possible conference, leaders from Maybelline, Nespresso, creative agency Croing and Latin Grammy‑winner Joaquina discussed how brand‑pop‑star collaborations have evolved. They emphasized that successful partnerships now require genuine artist‑brand alignment, deeper creative involvement, and...
California Bill Giving Former Child Influencers the Right to Erase Monetized Content Clears Two Senate Committees
California's Senate Bill 1247, aimed at protecting former child influencers, cleared the Senate Privacy, Digital Technologies, and Consumer Protection Committee and the Senate Judiciary Committee with unanimous votes, moving it to the Senate Appropriations Committee. The legislation mandates that family...
The Ankler Ditches Substack to Fly Solo
The Ankler, a Hollywood‑focused B2B publisher with about 150,000 paid subscribers, has left Substack and launched its own website powered by Automattic’s Passport paywall. The move lets the company keep roughly $10 million in annual revenue without the platform’s 10% cut...
Libsyn Drops the Velvet Rope on Video Podcasting
Libsyn has lifted its video‑podcasting restrictions, allowing every creator on its platform to publish, distribute, and monetize video episodes without a waitlist or tier limits. Users can now push video content to major outlets such as Spotify and YouTube from...
Thai Influencer Sells Premium Durians for Dirt Cheap to Avoid Rotting Amid Surplus
Thai influencer Pimrypie used a four‑hour live stream to sell premium Monthong durians at as low as $3 per fruit, far below the usual $21‑$24 price, in an effort to prevent a looming surplus. The broadcast attracted 700,000 peak viewers...
Dhar Mann Bets on Speed Dating to Fix Creator-Brand Matchmaking
Dhar Mann Studios launched a creator‑brand speed‑dating event in Los Angeles, pairing more than 50 influencers with marketers during its Creator Economy Summit. The participating creators collectively command over 650 million followers, spanning emerging talent and established names like Jordan Matter and Jena Frumes. The...
Inside Thayers’ TikToker-Led Product Development Strategy, with Nina Pool and Shelby Ann Bell
Thayers turned TikTok stars Nina Pool and Shelby Ann Bell into product consultants for a new Hydrating Milky Mist priced at $14.99. The concept originated from Pool’s June 5, 2025 TikTok, prompting Bell’s DIY spray test and a flood of community requests. Within 24 hours...
Artlist Hits $300M ARR, Unveils Artlist Studio for AI-Powered Video Production
Artlist announced the launch of Artlist Studio, an AI‑powered video production platform that replicates a full‑scale filmmaking workflow. The company reported a record $300 million annual recurring revenue, fueled by a 600% surge in new users in Q1 2026 versus the same...
Taylor Swift Voice Trademarks, T.I. Catalog Lawsuit, D4vd Murder Case & More Top Music Law News
Taylor Swift has filed three trademark applications with the USPTO to protect the spoken phrases “Hey, it’s Taylor” and “Hey, it’s Taylor Swift,” as well as a stage‑image of herself. The filings aim to block AI‑generated deepfakes that could misuse...
Influencers Aren't Optional Anymore - They Are Critical to Any Good Media Plan
Influencer marketing has shifted from a peripheral add‑on to the backbone of modern social media plans. With 61% of consumers trusting creator recommendations more than brands, algorithms now favor influencer content, making it the most effective tool for reach, persuasion,...
Autodesk Announces AI Rigging and Neural Layer in Flow Studio
Autodesk unveiled AI Rigging and Neural Layer for its Flow Studio platform, promising to turn 3D models into animation‑ready characters within minutes and deliver cinematic‑quality rendering without a traditional pipeline. The AI‑driven rigging automates bone creation, skinning and motion capture,...
DJ Vlad & Aries Spears Go Back And Forth Online Amid Pay Dispute
DJ Vlad’s YouTube channel VladTV is embroiled in a new pay dispute, this time with comedian‑actor Aries Spears, following a similar controversy with rapper Boosie Badazz. Spears claims he is under‑compensated for his appearances, while Vlad argues his videos generate far...
A New BookTok Bestseller List
Media Control and TikTok have introduced the United Kingdom’s first official BookTok bestseller list, merging NielsenIQ BookData sales figures with TikTok engagement metrics. The inaugural March 2026 ranking is topped by Rachel Reid’s *Heated Rivalry*, while Irish romance writer Chloe...
Adobe Releases Photoshop and Lightroom Updates
Adobe announced a major update to Photoshop and Lightroom, introducing several productivity‑focused features. Rotate Object becomes generally available, offering non‑destructive, real‑time object rotation. Layer Cleanup automatically renames and removes empty layers, while Firefly Boards links Photoshop and Lightroom for seamless...