Sep 8, 2010

YouTube stars make big money — but why?


“The top 10 YouTube stars have one thing in common. They’re awful. Just really, really bad. What I mean to say is, they suck. So who the hell is watching them? According to analytics and advertising company TubeMogul, these guys — and one gal —brought in six figures over the last year.

The “how” is fairly obvious. The money comes from banner ads — the revolving advertisements for Tortino Pizza Rolls, “World of Warcraft,” Vitamix blenders, etc., that reload every time you click a video. The more views a video gets, the more money it earns from banner ads — and splits with YouTube parent company Google. To earn the $100,000 to $315,000 that TubeMogul estimates, each YouTube rock star gets watched a whole heck of a lot. But it’s why these YouTube auteurs are raking in six figures that’s annoying.

You won’t see one-hit viral wonders such as “David After Dentist” or “Double Rainbow” in the top 10. The YouTube stars in the Top 10 have a growing body of work and a loyal viewer following that pretty much guarantee repeat viewings. It helps that the majority of the top earners appeal to an adolescent audience, that special demographic that enjoy watching videos over and over ad infinitum if it’s something that strikes their funny bones. Have a look at the list and you’ll get what I mean.

Shane Dawson $315,000…”

Read more at MSNBC

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