1.5M in US earn a living as a digital creator or influencer

1.5M in people in the US earn a living as a digital creator or social media influencers. That stat is both encouraging and frightening if you’re trying to grab attention online to market music or live shows.

1.5M in US earn a living as a digital creator or social media influencer

The competition and opportunities are greater than ever to build an audience, according to a new Interactive Advertising Bureau study.

More than 1.5 million Americans work as digital creators – a nearly eightfold increase since 2020. 10% of full-time internet-dependent U.S. jobs are now digital creators and social influencers who generate content and build audiences.

25% Annual Growth

While traditional media is expanding at roughly 5% annually, the creator sector is now growing at five times that pace.

Overall, the U.S. digital economy now tops $4.9 trillion annually and fuels 28.4 million U.S. jobs.

“The creator economy has clearly become a major factor in the digital growth story, driving spend, engagement, culture, and of course, employment,” said David Cohen, CEO of IAB. “The impact is felt across the ecosystem, shifting the way that we think about information, entertainment, commerce, and community. In some ways, it has become a self-fulfilling prophecy. The more that creators succeed, the stronger the platforms they use become.”

Learn more about the IAB’s economic research series “Measuring the Digital Economy: Advertising, Content, Commerce, and Innovation” here

Bruce Houghton is the Founder and Editor of Hypebot, a Senior Advisor at Bandsintown, a Berklee College Of Music professor and founder of the Skyline Artists Agency