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Like many industries during the pandemic, the music industry was a sector that was rocked to the core when live in-person events were temporarily shut down. With no way for artists to tour or throw live shows, companies like Deep Root Records had to make a smart pivot toward technology to still support artists. The independent Black-owned record label based in New York City, founded in 2014, has been known for its live music experiences — including their annual Yacht Party Series in New York and Paris. But when the pandemic hit last year, the company had to find a way to save its live shows so they could continue to thrive in a new realm. It wasn’t before long until Deep Root Records pivoted the way many other brands and labels did, and turned toward hosting virtual shows online. The live show to livestream concept was the root of Deep Root Records’ success during the pandemic, but their ability to collaborate with other labels and brands in the same predicament is what helped put...
Editorial Note: Opinions and thoughts are the author’s own and not those of AFROTECH™. TikTok may go dark in the United States. As a former TikTok employee, the way the ban will work here in the United States will be different than the one in India in 2020. The first difference is the politics surrounding why the bans are happening in the two countries in the first place. In India, the ban was less about TikTok and more so about the strained relationship between India and China. The root of their strain comes from the dispute that China and India have related to who owns Aksai Chin, which India claims to be part of its Ladakh region. China has claimed the land since 1962 and the Sino-Indian War. Due to the longstanding tensions between the two countries since, India opted to use economic tools against China, which in this case meant banning Chinese companies from doing business in India. When TikTok was banned from India so were WeChat, Alibaba, and Xiaomi. In the United States,...
Editorial Note: Opinions and thoughts are the author’s own and not those of AFROTECH™. TikTok is once again finding itself at odds with the U.S government as it fights to stay available here in the U.S. Previously, TikTok had to go up against The Commitee On Foreign Investment In The United States because the company’s ties to China through its owner Bytedance prompted some concerns by the U.S. government for national security. President Joe Biden signed a new law in April 2024 that would force the sale of TikTok to a U.S.-owned entity, or it will face a permanent ban here in the U.S. starting January 2025. TikTok then asked the Supreme Court to place a pause on the potential ban to hear its arguments on why the platform should be able to operate in the U.S. The Supreme Court will hear the start to its arguments on Jan. 10. Today, TikTok is a place not only to discover content but also to engage in commerce. TikTok Shop launched in September 2023 and has quickly become a mainstay...
TikTok is a social media app that truly requires no introduction. Unless you’ve been in a coma for the last 5+ years, you’ve either used the app yourself, or had extensive exposure to it from friends, family members or reposts on other websites. Now that the United States government is mounting a full-scale attack on the Chinese app, more members of the public are looking into TikTok’s background and earnings than ever before. TikTok has an estimated worth of anywhere from $20 billion to $100 billion in 2024, according to the Wall Street Journal , making it the biggest social media app on the market by a wide margin. Given that TikTok is worth such a staggering amount, it only seems fair that we examine and investigate the source of this income. The app has seen over 3 billion downloads since hitting the international market in 2018, and maintains an estimated 1 billion daily active users, meaning TikTok has access to one of the largest audiences in the history of web development....
As the future of short-form video-hosting platform TikTok remains uncertain, one user is already creating a new home for creators. Viola Carmona is the founder of Tussle, an emerging livestream platform described as “the ultimate battle app” for creators to thrive. Carmona told AFROTECH™ that t he concept emerged following the experiences of her online peers who needed help with their earnings from TikTok through livestreams. TikTok’s Live feature, launched in 2019, allows creators to earn virtual gifts in the form of diamonds from supporters to earn revenue, the company website mentions. The more creators utilize this feature, the more they can be rewarded. Per TikTok, creators can earn a 50% split with the company following deductions for “the required payments to app stores, payment processors, and any other adjustment required under our terms and policies.” In December 2023, a report revealed that TikTok has generated $10 billion in total global consumer spending, and users have...
Sometimes you unknowingly walk into your purpose, which seemed to be a common theme for some on the main stage of the Samsung Galaxy Creator Collective 2023. The multi-day event took place March 21-22, gathering diverse content creators from all over to support them along their journeys of turning their passion into profit with 40 hours of programming. From #TeamGalaxy’s Jaden Smith and Harry Hudson speaking on maintaining your authenticity as a creator to keynote speaker Marques Brownlee, or MKBHD, sharing insight into his journey, there was something valuable for everyone to take away — whether you were an aspiring creator looking to get in the game or already established your footing. Creators like Brownlee — who happens to be the latter — appear to make it look easy, but people may not be aware of the years he’s put in to build his platform making tech videos.
There is an entire Chinese industry profiting off of racist videos about Africans. Yes, you read that correctly. Sadly, in the year that is 2022, racism is still a global epidemic and a recent report from Rest of World is proof of it. For example, the Chinese video app, Kuaishou, drew in tens of thousands of viewers, who watched as a young Chinese man hosted a beauty pageant where he scrutinized Zambian women. And ladies and gentlemen, this is one of the main sources of primetime entertainment in China. In this specific video, viewers watch the young man dish out lines to the women to repeat back to him, and comments like “All good – except too Black,” flood the video via the app. One contestant also begins to sing after being instructed to do so. Another person commented, “Number five has straight legs,” about another woman participating in the pageant. The host of the show is 28-year-old Cheng Wei, who has roughly 10 million followers across various Chinese social media platforms...
When it comes to mortgages, don’t play with the bank’s money — or you risk undergoing foreclosure. Amazingly, according to a press release, foreclosures throughout the United States were at an all-time low in 2021 — despite the devasting effects of the pandemic. The press release, which was dropped by ATTOM — a company that collects foreclosure data throughout the United States — reveals that just over 150,000 properties are in default as of 2021. Illinois and Florida, however, are the two states in the union that have the highest rates of foreclosure, and one in approximately 7,600 properties throughout the United States faced a potential filing in 2021. “The COVID-19 foreclosure tsunami that some people had anticipated is clearly not happening,” said Rick Sharga, executive vice president at RealtyTrac, an ATTOM company, in a statement provided in the press release. “Government and mortgage industry efforts have prevented millions of unnecessary foreclosures, and while it’s likely...
Have you ever watched a creator on Instagram whose Live is just as quality as cable television, if not even better? The tech giant’s “Creators” program now allows you to help chip in to pay what you believe their content deserves. Content creators and influencers can add livestreams as a stream of income thanks to the latest Instagram badges feature. Hypebeast reports that U.S.-based Instagram users over the age of 18 with over 10,000 followers will be able to get paid for their Live content. In October, the new feature started out in its testing stage. Now, the rollout has reached 50,000 users and will continue to expand. Followers can take their support of creators’ Instagram livestreams to a new level by purchasing badges in increments of $0.99, $1.99 and $4.99, according to the outlet. In gratitude for their support, badge owners will receive a thank you message in return, as well as their comments and questions will receive increased visibility for the duration of the Live....
Advanced and innovative practices in the tech space continue to shape the future of the entertainment industry. As brands cash in on the trends creating new entertainment experiences, more tech companies are emerging to set the standard. #BeApp — a new digital platform that allows users to livestream their favorite music artists and concerts — is striving to create inclusive ways for the average person to access various forms of entertainment, no matter where they’re located. Courtesy of #BeApp Founder Ray Smith — a West Philadelphia native who’s worked in the livestream space for over 15 years — realized at a young age that his access to big-ticket concerts and festivals was limited. Now, he’s created #BeApp to democratize a simpler way to bring people real-life entertainment experiences on their devices. “The inspiration is really born out of a lack of being able to access entertainment,” said Smith. “We’re using the power of the web to connect people with music when there is no...
Though concert halls are closed and artists have stopped touring, you can still get a front-row seat to some amazing musical experiences. TIDAL has partnered with Facebook’s virtual reality platform Oculus “to bring live, immersive, and intimate music performances straight into people’s homes,” the press release says. Oculus Quest headsets, much like Facebook, help connect people with each other and the world through innovative, world-class VR hardware and software. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Meta Quest (@metaquest) The global music streaming service and social media titan wants fans to feel like they’re standing in the crowd at exclusive performances with VR, high-quality audio, and 2D video. The concerts will be available via virtual reality in the Venues app (found in the Oculus Quest) and in 2D video and high-quality audio in TIDAL. “At a time when livestreamed performances are seen as the new norm, TIDAL’s partnership with Oculus provides music lovers an...
Artists have gotten quite crafty by finding loopholes to still connect with their fans during quarantine. Erykah Badu has even gone as far as to develop her own livestream company, to perform her “Quarantine Concert Series” from her Dallas home. Variety reports that Badu launched the company last month charging viewers $1-$3 fees for the audio content. Just ten days after her in-person tour was postponed, Badu hired a “back-end” livestream company and paywall service to essentially broadcast from the comfort of her bedroom. “I had to quickly think of something, and like every other artist in the industry, we thought of livestreaming,” Badu told Variety. “I had to figure out a way to keep morale up for all [my] musicians and techs and engineers and keep all of us employed.” To successfully launch her series, Badu first had to scout for a proper platform. “I [spoke with] a lot of streaming companies, including the main ones, and they didn’t have what I thought was adequate for what I...
On Monday, people around the world watched as the Notre Dame cathedral went up in flames. Several outlets — like CBS — immediately began to livestream the fire on YouTube. Then, something strange happened. People noticed that beneath the the Notre Dame livestream, YouTube began to insert information about the 9/11 attacks. Multiple people on Twitter posted screenshots, including Joshua Benton, the director of Harvard’s Nieman Journalism Lab. “Why in the world is YouTube putting information about9/11 underneath the Notre Dame livestream from France 24?” Benton tweeted , adding, “(Especially since it seems like, at least for right now, ongoing renovations are the most likely cause, no indication of terror).” Why in the world is @YouTube putting information about 9/11 underneath the Notre Dame livestream from @FRANCE24 ? (Especially since it seems like, at least right now, ongoing renovations are the most likely cause, no indication of terror) https://t.co/A3HP36epxx...
The French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM) has filed a lawsuit against Facebook and YouTube for their mishandling of of videos showing the Christchurch shooting, according to the Agence France-Presse . Agence France-Presse reported that CFCM’s complaint said they were suing the French branches of the two companies for “broadcasting a message with violent content abetting terrorism, or of a nature likely to seriously violate human dignity and liable to be seen by a minor.” Those type of acts are punishable by three years imprisonment and an $85,000 fine, according to the Agence France-Presse. The shooting originally broadcasted on Facebook Live . Facebook said it removed 1.5 million videos of the New Zealand shooting in the 24 hours after it streamed. However, Facebook couldn’t identify all of them before upload, and videos exploded across social media. In addition to a livestream, the shooter uploaded a 17-minute video to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. Each of those...