Kickstarter’s Impact on Economy

Kickstarter
Jason Tate

A new study by the University of Pennsylvania looks at how Kickstarter impacts the economy. The Kickstarter blog has a run down of the findings:

  • Employed 283,000 part-time collaborators in bringing creative projects to life.
  • Created 8,800 new companies and nonprofits, and 29,600 full-time jobs.
  • Generated more than $5.3 billion in direct economic impact for those creators and their communities.

Frank Ocean Launches Live Stream; New Album on Friday

Frank Ocean
Jason Tate

Frank Ocean has launched a mysterious live stream.

Furthermore, The New York Times is reporting that the new album, Boys Don’t Cry, will be released on Friday exclusively (for two weeks) through Apple Music:

Mr. Ocean, the innovative and enigmatic R&B singer, is set to release his next album, “Boys Don’t Cry,” on Friday through an exclusive deal with Apple Music, according to a person with knowledge of the release plans. The release is also expected to include a major video and a printed publication called “Boys Don’t Cry” that will be distributed at Apple stores.

Gawker Media Founder Files for Bankruptcy

Money
Jason Tate

Peter Sterne, writing for Politico, on how Nick Denton, the founder of Gawker Media, has filed for bankruptcy:

“Gawker Media Group’s resilient brands and people will thrive under new ownership, when the sale closes in the next few weeks,” he wrote. “On this bitter day for me, I am consoled by the fact that my colleagues will soon be freed from this tech billionaire’s vendetta.”

Hogan sued Denton, Gawker and Daulerio in 2012, after the news site published a short excerpt of one of Hogan’s sex tapes. Peter Thiel, a billionaire technology venture capitalist who dislikes Gawker, secretly funded Hogan’s lawsuit against the company.