Clubhouse, the buzzing audio-only social app, is looking for ways to monetize the platform for its creators, CEO Paul Davison told CNBC on Monday.
After debuting last year, the Clubhouse is now valued at around $ 1 billion and hosts more than 2 million users. The premise is relatively simple, as there are no text-based video, photo or chat rooms. Users will enter the application and will be received in some live virtual rooms, where they will be able to see a list of the participating people. If they click on the room, the audio will be enabled and they will be able to hear the conversation. Think of Clubhouse as an application for unfiltered live podcasts.
The app most recently saw an increase in the number of users on Monday morning, Eastern Time, when Tesla CEO Elon Musk joined the platform to discuss a number of topics.
The Clubhouse revenue plan is similar to Patreon’s crowdfunding service model, which allows independent creators to receive funds directly from their audience. Patreon charges a small fee for these transactions, and it is unclear how much or if the Clubhouse would take a percentage of subscriptions.
It also plays on a theme that social network users have been complaining about. If a creator cannot make money on a particular platform, he is likely to switch to another when it gains strength. The Clubhouse has been betting since the beginning of its existence that it can attract more users, offering them a way to earn money.
“There are so many amazing people who are smart, who are funny, who have experience in the field, who are really great at bringing people together,” said Davison in an “Squawk Box” interview. “And what we want to allow them to do is make a living directly at the Clubhouse through things like subscriptions and ticket events and getting tips from listeners who will be happy to pay them directly for the experiences they are creating for them.”
Currently, there is no way for users to pay for content directly through the app. The platform itself is free, there are no ads or premium plans for users. Davison said on Monday that the Clubhouse plans to introduce some type of model “sooner or later”.
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