SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - Twitter announced on Tuesday (June 22) that a small flock of high-flying tweeters in the United States will get to test a feature letting fans pay for special access to online content.
The one-to-many messaging platform began accepting applications from US Twitter users interested in trying to make money from Ticketed Spaces or Super Follows.
"Ticketed Spaces helps you create unique and exclusive live audio experiences in Twitter Spaces, ones your audience is willing to pay for," Ellen Havlicek and Esther Crawford, of the product team, said in a post.
"Super Follows gives you a direct relationship with your most engaged followers that can generate monthly revenue."
Social networks vie to be online homes for popular characters who attract audiences, which can then be targeted with advertising or promotions.
Along with wanting to ramp up user numbers and engagement, Twitter is seeking ways to increase revenue without interfering with the flow of posts that is part of its appeal.
Ticketed Spaces will let Twitter stars sell access to live, streamed audio events for prices of their choosing, from US$1 to US$999 (S$1.30 to S$1,300), according to Crawford and Havlicek.
Creators will also be able to offer "super" followers special content or exclusive interactions at monthly subscription rates of US$3, US$5, or US$10.
"We want to help make Twitter not just a fun place to engage your audience, but a place where you can earn money driving great conversations," Crawford and Havlicek said.
Twitter will take 3 per cent of the first US$50,000 a user brings in selling tickets or subscriptions, after which its cut jumps to 20 per cent, according to the product team members.
Twitter said that its commission will be calculated after any bite taken by mobile app marketplaces run by Apple or Google.
"We're looking for a small group of people to be the first to try Ticketed Spaces and Super Follows with their audiences and share feedback," Crawford and Havlicek said.
"Help us test and improve these experiences before they launch more broadly in the coming months."
The move comes with online platforms seeking to expand opportunities for performers, teachers and others to offer paid services.
