YouTube Merchandise, Membership tries to recoup YouTubers' losses

By JC Torres/June 21, 2018 10:45 pm EST

YouTube has made many changes of late in response to the scandals that its stars and content filters have brought about. But while many of these changes were made to appease authorities and sponsors, YouTube has also alienated quite a number of its own creators, making it harder for them to monetize their hard work. At VidCon 2018, the video streaming giant has announced new programs that they hope will appease those disgruntled YouTubers, including allowing them to sell without having to go to other third-party (a.k.a. not YouTube) platforms.

YouTube may be a great way to show off a product or show how it's made. But when it comes to selling those items, not so much. YouTubers would always have to resort to ecommerce platforms like Etsy or Gumroad to reach their fans. And any time or transaction spent outside of YouTube is time lost for creators and viewers and money lost for YouTube.

With the new Merchandise feature, everyone wins. Details are still forthcoming but creators will be able to choose from over 20 items they can customize and sell, courtesy of Teespring. It's pretty much a more streamlined way for YouTubers to sell shirts, mugs, and more, with their brands imprinted on them, of course.

Don't think you're big enough to have merch buyers? YouTube's new Channel Membership subscription might be more to your liking. For just a recurring fee of $4.99 a month, you can get access to badges, emojis, and Members-only content like livestreams, videos, and shoutouts. It's pretty much YouTube Sponsorship but for a wider audience. Particularly creators who have not yet reached the required number of subscribers.

YouTube has been taking steps to reinvigorate its community and save its brand after numerous scandals rocked its ship. In addition to formally becoming Google's music streaming platform, YouTube has also just now introduced Premieres for playing pre-recorded videos on livestreams. With VidCon underway, these changes might just be the beginning.