2020, A Breakout Year For The Creative Economy. Axios profiled the creative economy, highlighting how 2020 has been a standout year for creators. “Nearly every major app geared towards content creators has seen significant percentage increases in downloads this year,” the report finds. Throughout the pandemic, Twitch doubled the number of streamers on its platform, while TikTok’s number of downloads was so high Axios could not fit them on its data chart. Other stats include Patreon’s $1.2 billion valuation, 1 million Cameo videos have been sold to-date, and Substack’s top 10 publishers earn more than $10 million a year.

Re:Create ED Speaks For Internet Users As Creative, Economic Force Before Senate Panel. In a Senate IP Subcommittee hearing held Tuesday as part of its ongoing review of the DMCA, Re:Create Executive Director Joshua Lamel testified on behalf of the consumer and new creator communities, describing them as a “new creative force that is having a real economic and social impact on communities across America.” In his opening statement, Lamel highlighted the more than 50 million people who consider themselves online creators and “function like any other small business on Main Street. They create goods, employ people, and offer services just like brick and mortar.” A copy of Lamel’s full testimony is available here.

EFF: Americans Deserve Better Than The CASE Act. In a new op-ed, Electronic Frontier Foundation’s (EFF) Corynne McSherry and Katharine Trendacosta warn about the significant problems with the CASE Act which would turn regular online activity into a daily financial risk for many Americans. They specifically call out efforts to work the bill into “must pass” spending legislation: “It should be telling that this bill has had almost no debate in Congress. That means no chances for senators and members of the House to hear about the fatal flaws of this bill.”

Bandcamp Fridays Bring Money To Artists Struggling During Pandemic. The online music marketplace Bandcamp started an initiative at the beginning of the pandemic to help artists survive by waiving Bandcamp’s full revenue share on its sales, while still allowing artists to sell music and merchandise. Rolling Stone reported that from the nine Bandcamp Fridays the company has held in 2020, they have distributed $40 million to artists and labels. Bandcamp announced the company will be continuing the initiative through 2021.