Triller was never for us!
You should never make promises that you can’t keep. On August 17th, 2021, Triller hosted their first Creator Conference one month after Fanbase hosted their conference in Atlanta, Georgia. The creative conference was created at Fanbase so that we can give creators equity, as well as provide them with a meaningful partnership. Fanbase exists for all artists and creatives whose content is being re-appropriated by others, especially on social media. This is also particularly, with black creatives who have been infamously known to have their content taken by non-black creators and artists. Triller, “saw” the in-equality that was created and saw an opportunity to highlight these creators of color. Triller subsequently launched the Assembly For Black Creators program fund. Designed to give black creators access to brand deals and other monetary compensation for the work that they deserve.
It was reported earlier this month the money that Triller was to disburse to these black creators was not adequate, on time, or in some cases not at all. A Washington Post article, written by reporter Taylor Lorenz, focuses in on Triller seemingly taking advantage of some creators and getting rid of the lucrative incentives offered to them.
Another name for this is,
“Highway Robbery”.
This makes receiving compensation harder for black creators in the social media space. This is a left turn for influencers on a digital platform known for paying big money to their top creators. During the pandemic, Triller showed off extravagant “Triller money,” to get talent on the app.
Throughout the pandemic years, Triller made high valued partnerships with content creators, promising some $10,000 per stream to TrillerTV for their A-list TikTok stars. That was just one of the high-priced expenses that Triller made. Another was a rented-out black Rolls-Royce with a vanity plate reading “TRILLER” for Charli D’Amelio, TikTok’s most popular creator in the United States at the time.
So the question is,
“What is Triller prioritizing?”
Keeping their promises to the people who bring the creativity to the platform that they need? The same creative that admitted that other creators on their app steal, emphasized with the creation of their black creator’s fund.
Who knows? All I can say is that this is certainly not the end of their problems.
In more recent news, Swizz Beatz and Timbaland are currently suing Triller for not making their payments on the popular series, “Verzuz,” after purchasing the live streamed competition show back in March of 2021.
In December 2021, Triller announced plans to become a publicly traded company through a merger with SeaChange International. Shortly after the announcement, both companies agreed to exit the merger.
