Clubhouse Allows Users To Monetize Their Content

Starting today, clubhouse users will be able to get paid for their content by other users. The audio app launched its payment system called "Clubhouse Payments" which gives users the chance to support content creators they love by sending them money. According to Clubhouse, the entire amount sent goes straight to the user and the company doesn't take a cut, although we aren't sure how long this will continue.

To send money, all users with the updated version of the app can go to the profile of the creator they wish to support and tap the "Send Money" button. They then select the amount they wish to send and link a credit or debit card. Payments will be processed using Stripe's software.

Created in April 2020 by Paul Davison and Rohan Seth, Clubhouse soared in popularity during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown, mainly due to its semblance of exclusiveness. Access to the app was based on invitations and only available to iPhone users. It was so popular that invitations were put up for sale for about $400 on eBay. One month after the app was created, it was valued at nearly $100 million. The company raised $10 million in Series A funding capital from private venture firm Andreessen Horowitz. In December, the number of registered users jumped to 600,000.

Popular users of the app include Tesla's founder Elon Musk and Facebook's CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who have both been in Clubhouse rooms.

Other social media apps have witnessed the potential of a live-audio app, with Twitter rolling out its live-audio feature called "Twitter Spaces". Discord and Telegram have also launched their audio chat features, Stage Channels, and Voice-Call. LinkedIn and Facebook are reportedly working on theirs.

This new feature to allow creators to get paid might be a move to incentivize creators to stay on the app, as the company, which is now valued at about $1 billion has been said to be experiencing a drop in the number of active weekly users.