Twitter Spaces: Spaces, which is Twitter’s answer to live audio chat platform Clubhouse, is now testing a feature that would let users monetise on the conversations they host. Ticketed Spaces is being tested among iOS and Android Twitter users based in the US at the moment, and to participate in the testing, the users would need to apply separately via the mobile app of the microblogging website. A small group of users would then be selected for the testing.
At the moment, the monetisation plan would allow users to charge between $1 and $999 from their followers to access one of the social audio spaces that they host, and under this, users would also be able to set up the limit on the size of the room. In order to check whether a user is eligible to apply for the programme or not, they would need to head to the ‘monetise’ tab on the sidebar in the main Twitter mobile app.
Also read | More competition for Clubhouse as Facebook starts rolling out Live Audio Rooms
Apart from this, the social media platform is also looking to test another monetisation feature called Super Follows, under which, a user would be able to charge their followers in exchange for providing exclusive content. For this, a user would have the option to charge $2.99, $4.99 or $9.99 a month from their followers. To participate in this also, users would have to apply separately by going to the ‘monetise’ tab on the sidebar.
Currently, Twitter is planning to allow participants of the test group to retain 97% of the amount that they make from Ticketed Spaces or Super Follows after the in-app purchase commission is deducted by iOS or Android platform. However, in cases where a user makes $50,000, Twitter’s commission would increase from 3% to 20%, regardless of whether the user is using an iOS or Android app.
This development comes shortly after Twitter released a subscription-based monetisation service for itself, called Twitter Blue, which would offer several premium features across the app. With these new features, however, the platform seems to be aiming to target those content creators who wish to earn from their content without having to pair up with advertisers. It is not sure whether these features would be launched at all, as that is dependent on the feedback from the test group, but considering the fact that this would take away the burden of pairing up with advertisers from content creators, there seems to be no reason why the feature would not see the light of the day.
