A report released by Epidemic Sound reveals that 95% of full-time and part-time creators are engaging audiences through direct-to-fan models, with personal storytelling (25%) as the preferred engagement strategy. For revenue generation through these models, 27% rely on fan subscriptions (such as Patreon and YouTube Memberships), while 23% generate income through merchandise or product sales.
“This shift to direct-to-fan might be related to platform saturation and algorithm changes disrupting traditional ad-based income,” the report states, noting that creators are “building sustainable revenue streams with direct-to-fan monetization.”
The company’s third annual “Future of the Creator Economy Report 2025,” which surveyed 3,000 content creators across the U.S. and UK, highlights how creators are diversifying platforms, embracing AI, and seeking greater control over their businesses.
Control and Stability
The report indicates that the creator economy is maturing, with 61% of content creators now working full-time, a 6% increase from 2024. For 25% of creators, success is defined as balancing financial stability with doing what they love, while 22% describe it as having creative freedom, and 20% prioritize building a loyal audience and community.
Platform Diversification
Amid platform volatility concerns, 94% of creators report they are actively preparing for potential disruptions by expanding to multiple platforms. YouTube leads as the top expansion target (45%), followed by TikTok and Instagram (both 41%), Facebook (35%), and Snapchat (25%).
Despite ongoing uncertainty around TikTok’s future in the US, 44% of American creators plan to expand to the platform in the next 12 months. Simultaneously, US creators are exploring emerging alternatives such as Lemon8 (12%) and Rednote (8%).
“Platform diversification can help manage platform volatility,” note 29% of creators surveyed, highlighting a strategic shift away from platform dependency.
AI Adoption Across Creative Workflows
The report shows 91% of creators now incorporate AI in their content creation process, a 7% increase from 2024. Among full-time creators, AI adoption reaches 96%, compared to 82% for part-time and 86% for in-house creators.
Creators primarily use AI for creative inspiration (46%) and faster workflows (40%). The most commonly used AI tools include chatbots or virtual assistants (30%), personalized recommendation engines (29%), image or video recognition tools (28%), and music adaptation tools (28%).
Creators predict that AI will continue to transform the industry through the following key developments: more AI-generated content (28%), AI-powered creator marketplaces (27%), AI tools replacing traditional roles (27%), and adaptive, auto-personalized content (25%).
Income Diversification
Creator income sources are more evenly distributed in 2025 than in previous years. The primary revenue channels include live streaming (32%), ad revenue (29%), fan subscriptions (27%), platform creator funds (27%), and brand partnerships (27%).
Music Critical for Engagement and Differentiation
Music continues to play a crucial role in content success, with 94% of creators stating that music significantly contributes to the effectiveness of their content. Almost half (47%) report that music improves audience engagement, while 41% say it enhances discoverability and strengthens brand recognition.
When selecting music, creators prioritize emotional tone/mood (27%), music quality (27%), trending sounds (26%), brand fit (21%), audience preferences (19%), and licensing considerations (18%).
The report notes that 97% of creators are actively adapting their music strategy to fit their content, with different approaches for short-form versus long-form content.
Creative Challenges
Despite technological advancements, 96% of creators face challenges in the content creation process. The most common obstacles include time constraints (36%), creative burnout (35%), discoverability and algorithm issues (34%), licensing and copyright concerns (33%), finding suitable music (32%), and navigating platform policies (28%).
Growth Plans for the Year Ahead
The survey reveals that 98% of full-time and part-time creators have established creative or business goals for the next 12 months. The top business objectives include expanding to new platforms (28%), creating more long-form content (26%), collaborating with other creators (26%), and launching merchandise or products (24%).
Additionally, 19% of full-time creators and 22% of part-time creators plan to launch a business in the next year, further indicating the economy’s growth trajectory.
“The days of creativity being a side hustle are long gone. Today, creativity has a major stake, not just in people’s hearts and minds, but in the global economy,” states Oscar Höglund, co-founder and CEO of Epidemic Sound, in the report.
All images are credited to Epidemic Sound. The full report is available here.
A report released by Epidemic Sound reveals that 95% of full-time and part-time creators are engaging audiences through direct-to-fan models, with personal storytelling (25%) as the preferred engagement strategy. For revenue generation through these models, 27% rely on fan subscriptions (such as Patreon and YouTube Memberships), while 23% generate income through merchandise or product sales.
“This shift to direct-to-fan might be related to platform saturation and algorithm changes disrupting traditional ad-based income,” the report states, noting that creators are “building sustainable revenue streams with direct-to-fan monetization.”
The company’s third annual “Future of the Creator Economy Report 2025,” which surveyed 3,000 content creators across the U.S. and UK, highlights how creators are diversifying platforms, embracing AI, and seeking greater control over their businesses.
Control and Stability
The report indicates that the creator economy is maturing, with 61% of content creators now working full-time, a 6% increase from 2024. For 25% of creators, success is defined as balancing financial stability with doing what they love, while 22% describe it as having creative freedom, and 20% prioritize building a loyal audience and community.
Platform Diversification
Amid platform volatility concerns, 94% of creators report they are actively preparing for potential disruptions by expanding to multiple platforms. YouTube leads as the top expansion target (45%), followed by TikTok and Instagram (both 41%), Facebook (35%), and Snapchat (25%).
Despite ongoing uncertainty around TikTok’s future in the US, 44% of American creators plan to expand to the platform in the next 12 months. Simultaneously, US creators are exploring emerging alternatives such as Lemon8 (12%) and Rednote (8%).
“Platform diversification can help manage platform volatility,” note 29% of creators surveyed, highlighting a strategic shift away from platform dependency.
AI Adoption Across Creative Workflows
The report shows 91% of creators now incorporate AI in their content creation process, a 7% increase from 2024. Among full-time creators, AI adoption reaches 96%, compared to 82% for part-time and 86% for in-house creators.
Creators primarily use AI for creative inspiration (46%) and faster workflows (40%). The most commonly used AI tools include chatbots or virtual assistants (30%), personalized recommendation engines (29%), image or video recognition tools (28%), and music adaptation tools (28%).
Creators predict that AI will continue to transform the industry through the following key developments: more AI-generated content (28%), AI-powered creator marketplaces (27%), AI tools replacing traditional roles (27%), and adaptive, auto-personalized content (25%).
Income Diversification
Creator income sources are more evenly distributed in 2025 than in previous years. The primary revenue channels include live streaming (32%), ad revenue (29%), fan subscriptions (27%), platform creator funds (27%), and brand partnerships (27%).
Music Critical for Engagement and Differentiation
Music continues to play a crucial role in content success, with 94% of creators stating that music significantly contributes to the effectiveness of their content. Almost half (47%) report that music improves audience engagement, while 41% say it enhances discoverability and strengthens brand recognition.
When selecting music, creators prioritize emotional tone/mood (27%), music quality (27%), trending sounds (26%), brand fit (21%), audience preferences (19%), and licensing considerations (18%).
The report notes that 97% of creators are actively adapting their music strategy to fit their content, with different approaches for short-form versus long-form content.
Creative Challenges
Despite technological advancements, 96% of creators face challenges in the content creation process. The most common obstacles include time constraints (36%), creative burnout (35%), discoverability and algorithm issues (34%), licensing and copyright concerns (33%), finding suitable music (32%), and navigating platform policies (28%).
Growth Plans for the Year Ahead
The survey reveals that 98% of full-time and part-time creators have established creative or business goals for the next 12 months. The top business objectives include expanding to new platforms (28%), creating more long-form content (26%), collaborating with other creators (26%), and launching merchandise or products (24%).
Additionally, 19% of full-time creators and 22% of part-time creators plan to launch a business in the next year, further indicating the economy’s growth trajectory.
“The days of creativity being a side hustle are long gone. Today, creativity has a major stake, not just in people’s hearts and minds, but in the global economy,” states Oscar Höglund, co-founder and CEO of Epidemic Sound, in the report.
All images are credited to Epidemic Sound.
The full report is available here.