Audio-chat app Clubhouse launched a monetisation feature for its creators on the platform without charging any hidden fees or commission.
The new feature Clubhouse Payments will enable users to send payments through the platform by tapping a ‘Send Money’ option. While the firm will not take any payment from the transaction and all of the payment will go to the creator, a small card processing fee will be charged by its processing partner, Stripe.
The feature will initially be available among a small test group and then rolled out to other users and the firm says it will be “the first of many features that allow creators to get paid directly on Clubhouse.”
The San Francisco-based company, whose app lets people gather in audio chatrooms to discuss different topics, requires newcomers to be invited by existing users before they can join. Clubhouse was launched in April of 2020 and has been available on iOS only ever since and the Android app is in the works.
The app gained more popularity after Tesla boss Elon Musk and Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev had a surprise discussion on the platform.
Commenting on the new launch, Stripe CEO Patrick Collison tweeted: “It’s cool to see a new social platform focus first on participant income rather than internalized monetization/advertising.”
When the startup raised a Series B in January which reportedly gave it the unicorn status, part of the $100m funding was planned for its creator grant program, used to “support emerging Clubhouse creators,” it had said at the time.
However, the firm has been in the headlines for many other reasons. Since its launch, Clubhouse faced criticism over reports of misogyny, anti-Semitism and COVID-19 misinformation on the platform despite rules against racism, hate speech, abuse and false information.
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