theverge--2020-09-22--Fitbit Sense review: enough bugs to raise your heart rate

When Fitbit announced the $ 329.95 Sense last month , it was being hyped as the company ’ s most-thorough health tracking device yet .
With new features in the form of stress management ( with electrodermal activity monitoring ) , skin temperature , oxygen saturation while you sleep , and an upcoming Food and Drug Administration-approved ECG-app , it seemed poised to give us the most holistic look at our health of any consumer-facing wearable yet .
Unfortunately , after testing the Sense for the past week , the impression I ’ ve gathered is that Fitbit tried to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which results in a smartwatch that feels slightly unfinished .
Note : Because of the way Fitbit structured the embargo on reviews , I had far less time to test than would be ideal for this kind of device ( just five days ) .
Many of the features of this watch are designed to give you a longitudinal look at your overall health .
To evaluate those features , you need to spend upwards of a month using the device .
That being said , as this watch is becoming available @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to give you a look at how this watch performs .
We may update this review down the road if longer-duration testing proves to garner important insights .
Let ’ s start with the display .
The Sense ’ s touchscreen is a 1.58-inch OLED ( 336 x 336 pixels ) display .
As you ’ d expect from OLED , it has dark , inky blacks and vivid colors .
While the screen is fairly reflective , it ’ s bright enough that I ’ m able to read it even in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are energy efficient , enabling the Always On feature cuts battery life in half , from roughly six days to about three .
I opted to do it anyway because , for me , the whole point of wearing a smartwatch is being able to quickly steal a glance at stuff ( the time , a notification , your pace on a run , etc . )
without disrupting the flow of what you ’ re doing .
Additionally , I found that half the time , the display didn ’ t light @ @ @ @ @ @ @ me to make increasingly exaggerated “ I ’ m looking at my watch !
” gestures .
I ’ d rather take the hit on battery life .
I also found that the touchscreen isn ’ t nearly as responsive as I would like .
I would frequently have to re-tap or swipe .
The watch seems to get a bit overwhelmed , and there is stuttering in animations when making gestures .
This just makes the whole experience less fluid than it ought to be .
The watch itself looks not unlike @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t a bad thing .
There is a variety of bands to choose from ( I tested it with a standard silicone strap as well as a soft leather band ) , which you can easily swap out in just a few seconds — a marked improvement over the Versa ’ s difficult-to-change straps — and the watch looks good with just about anything you might wear , from a tuxedo to ratty gym clothes .
The easiest way to tell the Sense from the Apple Watch is that instead of the dial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ side , the Sense has a “ solid-state button ” on the left .
It is , essentially a small , sunken area with capacitive sensing .
When you press it with your finger , the watch vibrates , giving you the impression that you ’ ve pushed a button , even though nothing has physically moved .
A single press takes you back to the home screen , a long press can be programmed to open your favorite app ( by default it opens Amazon ’ s Alexa virtual assistant ) , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to your four favorite apps .
I do not like this solid-state button .
Unless you cover the entire button with your finger or thumb when pressing it , it won ’ t register , which leads to a lot of fiddling .
Do you know what rarely suffers this kind of problem ?
A normal button .
Another issue is that at certain angles the left side of the watch will just happen to press into the flesh of my forearm , which the Sense kept reading as a long-press , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ listening for a command .
It happened so often that I eventually disabled long-pressing all together .
Not ideal !
The whole promise of smartwatches is increased convenience , so anything that ’ s even a little inconvenient is especially galling .
The Sense is equipped with GPS , which can be used for more accurate tracking of things like runs , hikes , and bike rides .
I found the GPS to be as accurate as I needed , and it did a good job of tracking me even among the tall @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nasty test for GPS watches ) .
The Sense boasts improved heart rate tracking with its PurePulse 2.0 technology , which uses a new multi-path heart rate sensor .
Basically , that means it ’ s checking your heart rate in more ways and in more places , which , when combined , should provide a more accurate picture of what your heart is doing .
This is something I would have liked to spend more time testing , but early results were promising .
I would spike my heart rate doing some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ beats per minute using a stopwatch and compare it to the Sense .
Not only did the Sense generally stay within a few BPM of my manual count , but it would usually get up to speed faster than the Garmin Fenix 6 Pro Solar , which seemed to have a bit more lag .
One of the banner features here is an electrodermal activity ( EDA ) sensor and on-watch scanning app .
EDA is something that happens primarily in the sweat glands in your skin , and it ’ s a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nervous system .
This is still actively being researched , but there is a lot of evidence to support the theory that when you are stressed out , your body is more likely to produce an EDA “ event.
” The way it works on the Sense is you start the EDA Scan app , and choose whether you want to do a two-minute Quick Scan or a Guided Session up to 60 minutes .
In either case , you then sit quietly , attempt to relax , and cover the entire screen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , making sure that the flesh of your palm is touching all four sides of the device .
Basically , what we ’ re looking at here is meditation with metrics .
In the half-dozen meditations I did , I found that it typically showed I would have one or two EDA events early on , and then I ’ d be clear for the rest of my session , even though my heart rate would fluctuate up and down as much as 20 BPM .
This makes some sense , as it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ relax and settle into a meditation .
Those sessions were mostly over the weekend .
Then , on Monday morning , I did a 7-minute session and had a whopping 10 EDA events , and I was indeed feeling vastly more stressed-out .
So it seems like it did a pretty fair job of gathering metrics on my stress levels while meditating .
What one is supposed to do with these metrics , however , is not entirely clear .
But let ’ s circle back to that in a minute .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the Sense are Oxygen Saturation ( SpO2 ) and Skin Temperature .
Both of these readings are taken as you sleep .
You may only be newly familiar with Oxygen Saturation because much has been made about it ( and with very good reason ) due to the COVID-19 pandemic , where a drop in your pulse ox could signify a serious problem .
The weird thing is that , currently , your Oxygen Saturation is only recorded if you select the SpO2 watchface .
That watchface is fine , but it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ meant that I had to remember to switch my watchface to SpO2 every night before I fell asleep or I wouldn ’ t get a reading , which I didn ’ t always remember to do .
This seems unnecessary , especially since you have to go into the app on your phone to dig into that data anyway .
As for skin temp , it takes three days to establish an average , and from then on , it will tell you whether you were hotter or colder than normal .
That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or menstrual cycle or pregnancy , which would be useful , but it can also be impacted by the ambient temperature or your bedding , which may make it somewhat less useful .
So what do we actually do with all of this data ?
For me , that ’ s always the missing part of the equation .
I now have a ton of numbers in front of me , which I may or may not fully understand .
But even if I do understand them , I ’ m not really @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can take to improve things .
How do I integrate this stuff into my daily life to actually be healthier ?
That ’ s where Fitbit ’ s new Stress Management Score , which combines your heart responsiveness ( via heart rate , heart rate variability , and EDA scans ) , the impact of your physical activity , and how well you ’ ve been sleeping comes in .
It includes a breakdown of what each item means and how you might be able to improve it using other features within the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , or exercise routines ) .
It ’ s initially available to those that subscribe to Fitbit ’ s $ 9.99-per-month premium plan ( the Sense comes with a six-month trial ) , though Fitbit says it will be making the scores and reports that are in the Health Metrics Dashboard available to all Fitbit owners in the “ coming months.
” While this isn ’ t the be-all and end-all , this is actually the closest I ’ ve seen any fitness tracker come to bringing everything together , both from a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you can do about it ” perspective .
Fitbit ’ s Premium plan not only offers you a clearer picture of your overall health in the exclusive Health Metrics Dashboard , but it includes hundreds of meditations and video workouts you can try .
For those willing to pay more , Fitbit is launching a new personal coaching service that pairs you with a certified health professional .
With this , you will be able to text with your coach every day ( Monday through Friday ) .
They will have access to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with you to come up with training and / or nutrition plans to help you meet your goals .
Unfortunately , because of my tight review window , I haven ’ t been able to go too deep into this .
But in the one day that I ’ ve been working with my coach , she has asked me a lot of good questions , and she seemed to understand my goals , metrics , and constraints .
I ’ m cautiously optimistic about it .
It ’ s $ 55 a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but that includes Fitbit Premium , and you ’ re likely to end up paying more for a single personal training session at a gym .
Confusingly , Fitbit also makes a Fitbit Coach app , which has nothing to do with the above mentioned personal coach .
It ’ s a part of Premium , and it ’ s really just a repository of workout videos .
But here ’ s the weird thing : it doesn ’ t actually integrate with your Fitbit .
It tells you what the estimated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you do it , and then it just adds that number to the part of the app that logs your data .
Why it doesn ’ t pull data from its own fitness tracker that you are presumably wearing to not only give you a better assessment , but also provide better recommendations for workouts that are right for you , is somewhat baffling .
As with Fitbit ’ s Versa , the Sense isn ’ t just a fitness tracker ; it ’ s also a smartwatch .
I was testing it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Fitbit was able to key into the messaging APIs , so not only could I view incoming messages , but I could respond with quick texts and even voice-to-text .
( These features are sadly not available if you pair the Sense with an iPhone . )
I also liked that it was easy to control which apps on my phone can and can ’ t send notifications to my Fitbit .
The Sense has NFC , so I was able to use it for mobile payments via Fitbit Pay , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ use it to control music on Spotify , but if you want to actually store music on your watch so you can leave your phone at home , you ’ re limited to premium services from Pandora and Deezer .
I don ’ t think I know a single person who subscribes to Pandora or Deezer .
There is a decent number of apps not just from Fitbit but from various third parties ( as well as a gajillion watchfaces ) , which vary in quality .
The Sense ’ s UI is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ surprisingly intuitive to navigate , though some of the lagginess detracted from what would otherwise feel like a premium smartwatch experience .
There are also some features that are coming within the next few months that weren ’ t yet available for me to test .
One is the ECG app , which is expected to arrive in October .
You ’ ll open the ECG app on the Sense , put your thumb and forefinger on opposite corners of the device , and it will scan for signs of atrial fibrillation ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has Alexa built in , sometime soon , you ’ ll have the option to change that to Google Assistant , which I generally find to be much more useful on a device like this .
Also , the Sense has a built-in speaker , so soon , you ’ ll be able to actually hear the audible replies from Alexa or Google Assistant , and you ’ ll be able to make phone calls from the watch itself , as long as your phone is nearby .
Overall , the Sense is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ indeed feel like it comes closer than anything I ’ ve used at getting the most complete picture of your day-to-day health .
At the same time , there is a good amount of bugginess that still needs to be ironed out , which doesn ’ t jibe well with the Sense ’ s $ 330 price tag .
It also presents a bit of a conundrum for someone like me .
I gravitate toward more rough-and-tumble activities , and Fitbit can ’ t touch Garmin ’ s pedigree ( or battery life @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I ’ m not off on adventures , do I want a more holistic view of my health , especially as I start to age and soften in places I don ’ t want to soften ?
Yeah , I do .
Ultimately , I think this watch has a lot of potential , but I ’ d give it a couple of months to see if Fitbit can work out the kinks .
Photography by Brent Rose for The Verge

When Fitbit announced the $329.95 Sense last month, it was being hyped as the company’s most-thorough health tracking device yet. With new features in the form of stress management (with electrodermal activity monitoring), skin temperature, oxygen saturation while you sleep, and an upcoming Food and Drug Administration-approved ECG-app, it seemed poised to give us the most holistic look at our health of any consumer-facing wearable yet.
Unfortunately, after testing the Sense for the past week, the impression I’ve gathered is that Fitbit tried to do too much in too little time, which results in a smartwatch that feels slightly unfinished.
6.5 Verge Score Fitbit Sense $ 329.95 The Good Sleek design
Bright, colorful screen
Intuitive interface
A ton of granular metrics, including SpO2, heart rate variability, breath rate, skin temp, and EDA
Nice integration with mindfulness training The Bad Lots of bugs and performance hiccups
Solid-state button is fiddly
Some things just don’t feel as fully integrated as they could be
Battery life is cut in half if you turn the display to always-on mode $330 at Best Buy$330 at Fitbit$330 at Amazon How we rate and review products
Note: Because of the way Fitbit structured the embargo on reviews, I had far less time to test than would be ideal for this kind of device (just five days). Many of the features of this watch are designed to give you a longitudinal look at your overall health. To evaluate those features, you need to spend upwards of a month using the device. That being said, as this watch is becoming available this week, we felt it appropriate to give you a look at how this watch performs. We may update this review down the road if longer-duration testing proves to garner important insights.
The Sense does what every Fitbit ever has done: counts your steps.
Let’s start with the display. The Sense’s touchscreen is a 1.58-inch OLED (336 x 336 pixels) display. As you’d expect from OLED, it has dark, inky blacks and vivid colors. While the screen is fairly reflective, it’s bright enough that I’m able to read it even in direct sunlight. Even though OLED displays are energy efficient, enabling the Always On feature cuts battery life in half, from roughly six days to about three.
I opted to do it anyway because, for me, the whole point of wearing a smartwatch is being able to quickly steal a glance at stuff (the time, a notification, your pace on a run, etc.) without disrupting the flow of what you’re doing. Additionally, I found that half the time, the display didn’t light up when I wanted to, leading me to make increasingly exaggerated “I’m looking at my watch!” gestures. I’d rather take the hit on battery life.
I also found that the touchscreen isn’t nearly as responsive as I would like. I would frequently have to re-tap or swipe. The watch seems to get a bit overwhelmed, and there is stuttering in animations when making gestures. This just makes the whole experience less fluid than it ought to be.
The watch itself looks not unlike an Apple Watch, which isn’t a bad thing. There is a variety of bands to choose from (I tested it with a standard silicone strap as well as a soft leather band), which you can easily swap out in just a few seconds — a marked improvement over the Versa’s difficult-to-change straps — and the watch looks good with just about anything you might wear, from a tuxedo to ratty gym clothes.
The easiest way to tell the Sense from the Apple Watch is that instead of the dial the Apple Watch has on the right side, the Sense has a “solid-state button” on the left. It is, essentially a small, sunken area with capacitive sensing. When you press it with your finger, the watch vibrates, giving you the impression that you’ve pushed a button, even though nothing has physically moved. A single press takes you back to the home screen, a long press can be programmed to open your favorite app (by default it opens Amazon’s Alexa virtual assistant), and a double-press will open a shortcut to your four favorite apps.
Fitbit is using a capacitive button the side of the Sense, which proves harder to use than a normal button. The various sensors used to measure heart rate and other metrics are on the bottom of the Sense.
I do not like this solid-state button. Unless you cover the entire button with your finger or thumb when pressing it, it won’t register, which leads to a lot of fiddling. Do you know what rarely suffers this kind of problem? A normal button. Another issue is that at certain angles the left side of the watch will just happen to press into the flesh of my forearm, which the Sense kept reading as a long-press, and so Alexa was constantly popping up and listening for a command. It happened so often that I eventually disabled long-pressing all together. Not ideal! The whole promise of smartwatches is increased convenience, so anything that’s even a little inconvenient is especially galling.
The Sense is equipped with GPS, which can be used for more accurate tracking of things like runs, hikes, and bike rides. I found the GPS to be as accurate as I needed, and it did a good job of tracking me even among the tall buildings of Manhattan (which is a nasty test for GPS watches). The Sense boasts improved heart rate tracking with its PurePulse 2.0 technology, which uses a new multi-path heart rate sensor. Basically, that means it’s checking your heart rate in more ways and in more places, which, when combined, should provide a more accurate picture of what your heart is doing.
This is something I would have liked to spend more time testing, but early results were promising. I would spike my heart rate doing some exercise and then would manually count my beats per minute using a stopwatch and compare it to the Sense. Not only did the Sense generally stay within a few BPM of my manual count, but it would usually get up to speed faster than the Garmin Fenix 6 Pro Solar, which seemed to have a bit more lag.
One of the banner features here is an electrodermal activity (EDA) sensor and on-watch scanning app. EDA is something that happens primarily in the sweat glands in your skin, and it’s a part of your body’s sympathetic nervous system. This is still actively being researched, but there is a lot of evidence to support the theory that when you are stressed out, your body is more likely to produce an EDA “event.” The way it works on the Sense is you start the EDA Scan app, and choose whether you want to do a two-minute Quick Scan or a Guided Session up to 60 minutes. In either case, you then sit quietly, attempt to relax, and cover the entire screen of the device with your opposite hand, making sure that the flesh of your palm is touching all four sides of the device.
Basically, what we’re looking at here is meditation with metrics. In the half-dozen meditations I did, I found that it typically showed I would have one or two EDA events early on, and then I’d be clear for the rest of my session, even though my heart rate would fluctuate up and down as much as 20 BPM. This makes some sense, as it typically takes me a few minutes to relax and settle into a meditation. Those sessions were mostly over the weekend. Then, on Monday morning, I did a 7-minute session and had a whopping 10 EDA events, and I was indeed feeling vastly more stressed-out. So it seems like it did a pretty fair job of gathering metrics on my stress levels while meditating. What one is supposed to do with these metrics, however, is not entirely clear. But let’s circle back to that in a minute.
The Sense can measure your blood oxygen levels, but only when you use this special watchface.
The other big, new metrics you get with the Sense are Oxygen Saturation (SpO2) and Skin Temperature. Both of these readings are taken as you sleep. You may only be newly familiar with Oxygen Saturation because much has been made about it (and with very good reason) due to the COVID-19 pandemic, where a drop in your pulse ox could signify a serious problem. The weird thing is that, currently, your Oxygen Saturation is only recorded if you select the SpO2 watchface.
That watchface is fine, but it isn’t my favorite, which meant that I had to remember to switch my watchface to SpO2 every night before I fell asleep or I wouldn’t get a reading, which I didn’t always remember to do. This seems unnecessary, especially since you have to go into the app on your phone to dig into that data anyway. As for skin temp, it takes three days to establish an average, and from then on, it will tell you whether you were hotter or colder than normal. That can alter you to an oncoming illness or menstrual cycle or pregnancy, which would be useful, but it can also be impacted by significant changes to the ambient temperature or your bedding, which may make it somewhat less useful.
So what do we actually do with all of this data? For me, that’s always the missing part of the equation. I now have a ton of numbers in front of me, which I may or may not fully understand. But even if I do understand them, I’m not really getting any info on what actions I can take to improve things. How do I integrate this stuff into my daily life to actually be healthier?
That’s where Fitbit’s new Stress Management Score, which combines your heart responsiveness (via heart rate, heart rate variability, and EDA scans), the impact of your physical activity, and how well you’ve been sleeping comes in. It includes a breakdown of what each item means and how you might be able to improve it using other features within the app (e.g., meditation, yoga, or exercise routines). The score itself is available for free to all Sense owners, but those that subscribe to Fitbit’s $9.99-per-month premium plan (the Sense comes with a six-month trial), will also get deeper insights into what the score means and how it’s calculated. Fitbit says it will be making the scores and reports that are in the premium-only Health Metrics Dashboard available to all Fitbit owners in the “coming months.”
The heart rate monitor on the Fitbit Sense.
While this isn’t the be-all and end-all, this is actually the closest I’ve seen any fitness tracker come to bringing everything together, both from a pure data perspective and a “what you can do about it” perspective. Fitbit’s Premium plan not only offers you a clearer picture of your overall health in the exclusive Health Metrics Dashboard, but it includes hundreds of meditations and video workouts you can try.
For those willing to pay more, Fitbit is launching a new personal coaching service that pairs you with a certified health professional. With this, you will be able to text with your coach every day (Monday through Friday). They will have access to all of your Fitbit data and work with you to come up with training and / or nutrition plans to help you meet your goals. Unfortunately, because of my tight review window, I haven’t been able to go too deep into this. But in the one day that I’ve been working with my coach, she has asked me a lot of good questions, and she seemed to understand my goals, metrics, and constraints. I’m cautiously optimistic about it. It’s $55 a month, which isn’t cheap, but that includes Fitbit Premium, and you’re likely to end up paying more for a single personal training session at a gym.
Confusingly, Fitbit also makes a Fitbit Coach app, which has nothing to do with the above mentioned personal coach. It’s a part of Premium, and it’s really just a repository of workout videos. But here’s the weird thing: it doesn’t actually integrate with your Fitbit. It tells you what the estimated calories are for a given workout before you do it, and then it just adds that number to the part of the app that logs your data. Why it doesn’t pull data from its own fitness tracker that you are presumably wearing to not only give you a better assessment, but also provide better recommendations for workouts that are right for you, is somewhat baffling.
As with Fitbit’s Versa, the Sense isn’t just a fitness tracker; it’s also a smartwatch. I was testing it with my Google Pixel 3 XL, and Fitbit was able to key into the messaging APIs, so not only could I view incoming messages, but I could respond with quick texts and even voice-to-text. (These features are sadly not available if you pair the Sense with an iPhone.) I also liked that it was easy to control which apps on my phone can and can’t send notifications to my Fitbit.
The Sense has NFC, so I was able to use it for mobile payments via Fitbit Pay, and it worked without issue. I can use it to control music on Spotify, but if you want to actually store music on your watch so you can leave your phone at home, you’re limited to premium services from Pandora and Deezer. I don’t think I know a single person who subscribes to Pandora or Deezer.
There is a decent number of apps not just from Fitbit but from various third parties (as well as a gajillion watchfaces), which vary in quality. The Sense’s UI is newly redesigned, and I found it surprisingly intuitive to navigate, though some of the lagginess detracted from what would otherwise feel like a premium smartwatch experience.
There are a lot of watchfaces available for the Sense, of varying quality.
There are also some features that are coming within the next few months that weren’t yet available for me to test. One is the ECG app, which is expected to arrive in October. You’ll open the ECG app on the Sense, put your thumb and forefinger on opposite corners of the device, and it will scan for signs of atrial fibrillation (A-fib). While the Sense already has Alexa built in, sometime soon, you’ll have the option to change that to Google Assistant, which I generally find to be much more useful on a device like this. Also, the Sense has a built-in speaker, so soon, you’ll be able to actually hear the audible replies from Alexa or Google Assistant, and you’ll be able to make phone calls from the watch itself, as long as your phone is nearby.
Overall, the Sense is a nice smartwatch, and it does indeed feel like it comes closer than anything I’ve used at getting the most complete picture of your day-to-day health. At the same time, there is a good amount of bugginess that still needs to be ironed out, which doesn’t jibe well with the Sense’s $330 price tag.
It also presents a bit of a conundrum for someone like me. I gravitate toward more rough-and-tumble activities, and Fitbit can’t touch Garmin’s pedigree (or battery life) in that arena. But when I’m not off on adventures, do I want a more holistic view of my health, especially as I start to age and soften in places I don’t want to soften? Yeah, I do. Ultimately, I think this watch has a lot of potential, but I’d give it a couple of months to see if Fitbit can work out the kinks.
Update, 2:40PM ET, September 22nd, 2020: Fitbit reached out to clarify that the Stress Management Score is available for free to all Sense owners, but those that subscribe to the Premium plan will receive more insights on what the score means and how it is calculated. We have updated the review to account for this information.


theverge--2020-09-22--The 10,000-person dance party streaming in your living room

If you were to picture the opposite of social distancing , you might envision a humid dance floor in a windowless warehouse , where bodies writhe on top of one another and a DJ yells “ move your fucking tushy ” with zero irony .
That ’ s Dance Church — or it was , prior to the pandemic .
The studio , founded by dancer and choreographer Kate Wallich , hosted classes of 90 to 250 people in Seattle , New York , Los Angeles , and Portland , with pop-up locations across the United States .
“ Dance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other ’ s sweat , holding each other ’ s hands , breathing on each other .
It ’ s literally everything that spreads the disease , ” Wallich says of her pre-quarantine business .
Now , Dance Church has morphed into something else — a 10,000-person mega-event that takes place entirely online .
The company has launched its own streaming platform to host dance classes twice a week , and is planning a subscription option soon .
The class is less choreography and more aerobic exercise , synced to a Top 40-style @ @ @ @ @ @ @ house and hip hop .
Cues like “ dance with your left hand ” and “ pop your booty ” give the class a silly , inclusive vibe that has little of the formal atmosphere of a traditional class .
There are no complicated sequences , no remembering steps .
In person , people squirmed on the ground in each other ’ s sweat .
Now they jump around their living rooms , filming themselves dancing with their kids .
The change didn ’ t happen overnight .
As COVID-19 started to spread @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other teachers asked people to take precautions — wash their hands before and after class , stay home if they were sick .
Then , on March 8th , a class in LA topped 120 people , and Wallich knew things had to change .
“ I was like , ‘ Guys , we have to stop this , ’ ” she says .
Dance Church was over , at least in person .
It was a devastating moment .
Wallich had 35 employees and no idea how she was going to pay @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to host online classes sometime in the next two years .
Now , it was obvious that if she didn ’ t go online immediately , the entire company would go under .
Rather than move to Instagram Live , as other dance studio owners have done , Wallich decided to launch her own streaming platform with Vimeo ’ s software , with the help of Dance Church board member Alaa Mendili .
They called it Dance Church Go .
The first class , broadcast from their studio in Seattle , streamed on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ me .
There were glitches in the beginning — the video froze periodically , and as classes started to top 13,000 people , the team scrambled to keep the stream online .
Then there was the issue of music rights .
In-person classes required a public performance license from the American Society for Composers , Authors , and Publishers ( ASCAP ) , as well as Broadcast Music Inc ( BMI ) .
Online classes required a syncing license , too .
But those were just logistics to figure out .
The experience @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the messages from students around the world , the smiling , sweaty photos on Instagram — made it clear Dance Church had unlocked something special .
They were reaching their normal crowd , now hungry for release as they sat cooped up in their apartments .
But they were also finding people who ’ d never taken a dance class before , who were too intimidated or too far away to try the studio setting .
Wallich had always said Dance Church was for everybody , and everybody was a dancer .
Now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Church asks for a $ 15 donation online , similar to the prices of in-person classes , but it doesn ’ t turn people away for lack of funds .
Those who still have jobs tend to pay a bit more , subsidizing the classes of those who can ’ t .
Wallich ’ s mom , who lives in Michigan , has finally been able to participate .
“ It kind of made me cry , ” Wallich says .
“ Dance Church used to only be in big cities , because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It doesn ’ t make sense to have Dance Church in the middle of nowhere , in Michigan .
Now , my mom ’ s doing it .
We ’ re getting dance to the people !
That ’ s what I keep saying .
We ’ ve got ta get dance to the people .
We need it more than ever right now .
”

If you were to picture the opposite of social distancing, you might envision a humid dance floor in a windowless warehouse, where bodies writhe on top of one another and a DJ yells “move your fucking tushy” with zero irony.
That’s Dance Church — or it was, prior to the pandemic. The studio, founded by dancer and choreographer Kate Wallich, hosted classes of 90 to 250 people in Seattle, New York, Los Angeles, and Portland, with pop-up locations across the United States. “Dance Church is nasty, rolling in each other’s sweat, holding each other’s hands, breathing on each other. It’s literally everything that spreads the disease,” Wallich says of her pre-quarantine business.
Now, Dance Church has morphed into something else — a 10,000-person mega-event that takes place entirely online. The company has launched its own streaming platform to host dance classes twice a week, and is planning a subscription option soon.
The class is less choreography and more aerobic exercise, synced to a Top 40-style playlist that veers from pop to deep house and hip hop. Cues like “dance with your left hand” and “pop your booty” give the class a silly, inclusive vibe that has little of the formal atmosphere of a traditional class. There are no complicated sequences, no remembering steps. In person, people squirmed on the ground in each other’s sweat. Now they jump around their living rooms, filming themselves dancing with their kids.
The change didn’t happen overnight. As COVID-19 started to spread in the US, Wallich and the other teachers asked people to take precautions — wash their hands before and after class, stay home if they were sick. Then, on March 8th, a class in LA topped 120 people, and Wallich knew things had to change. “I was like, ‘Guys, we have to stop this,’” she says. Dance Church was over, at least in person.
It was a devastating moment. Wallich had 35 employees and no idea how she was going to pay them. She’d been planning to host online classes sometime in the next two years. Now, it was obvious that if she didn’t go online immediately, the entire company would go under.
Rather than move to Instagram Live, as other dance studio owners have done, Wallich decided to launch her own streaming platform with Vimeo’s software, with the help of Dance Church board member Alaa Mendili and New York-based design firm Studio Debut. They called it Dance Church Go. The first class, broadcast from their studio in Seattle, streamed on every continent except Antarctica, Wallich tells me.
There were glitches in the beginning — the video froze periodically, and as classes started to top 13,000 people, the team scrambled to keep the stream online. Then there was the issue of music rights. In-person classes required a public performance license from the American Society for Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP), as well as Broadcast Music Inc (BMI). Online classes required a syncing license, too.
But those were just logistics to figure out. The experience that unfolded — the massive classes, the messages from students around the world, the smiling, sweaty photos on Instagram — made it clear Dance Church had unlocked something special. They were reaching their normal crowd, now hungry for release as they sat cooped up in their apartments. But they were also finding people who’d never taken a dance class before, who were too intimidated or too far away to try the studio setting.
Wallich had always said Dance Church was for everybody, and everybody was a dancer. Now, that promise felt real.
Dance Church asks for a $15 donation online, similar to the prices of in-person classes, but it doesn’t turn people away for lack of funds. Those who still have jobs tend to pay a bit more, subsidizing the classes of those who can’t.


theverge--2020-09-22--A guide to platform fees

A guide to platform fees

Online marketplaces like the App Store and Etsy allow businesses to flourish by giving them access to a huge , global audience .
But these marketplaces are big businesses themselves , and in order to earn a profit , they take a cut of revenue from many of the other companies that use their space .
It leads to a constant tension : apps like Tinder and Candy Crush wouldn ’ t be nearly the phenomena they are today without the App Store , but they have to constantly pay Apple for that privilege .
Apps are just one example @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the world we live and work in .
There are membership platforms , like Patreon , that allow creatives to charge monthly payments in exchange for new videos , comics , essays , and more .
Platforms like Twitch and YouTube allow creators to monetize their time through advertising revenue .
And marketplaces like Etsy and Amazon allow people to sell an assortment of products directly to customers around the world .
The cut each platform takes varies significantly : Apple notoriously takes 30 percent of every digital in-app purchase ; Twitch takes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and a cut of advertising ; eBay asks people to buy space and then pay a fee .
Knowing just how much each platform takes is crucial to figuring out what ’ s best for your business , or for understanding how the businesses you ’ re shopping from make money .
Here are the various fees each platform takes , divided into four categories : app stores , memberships , subscription services , and marketplaces .
App stores are where an enormous number of businesses operate .
Whether you ’ re selling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ creating a niche dating site , or spending oodles of money in Candy Crush to get the best in-game items , you ’ re reaching people who shop on their phones .
Approximately 80 percent of Americans shop online , according to PixelUnion , and more than half of those shoppers use a mobile device like a phone or tablet .
Apple App Store : 30 percent standard commission on in-app purchases of digital goods ; sales of physical products are exempt .
Subscription commission falls to 15 percent after one year .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ on in-app purchases of digital goods ; sales of physical products are exempt .
Subscription commission falls to 15 percent after one year .
Galaxy Store : 30 percent standard commission on in-app purchases , but it is reportedly negotiable .
Microsoft Store : 30 percent standard commission on all games , in-game purchases , purchases from business and education stores , or purchases on Windows 8 devices ; 15 percent on everything else .
A large portion of people shopping on their phones are doing so via social media platforms like Facebook @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being on both Facebook and Instagram can be crucial to building an online business .
Facebook/Instagram , sales : Collects either 5 percent per shipment of products sold ( one order can include multiple shipments if items are mailed separately ) , or a flat fee of 40 cents for shipments of $ 8.00 or less .
This covers taxes , payment processing fees , and applies to all checkout transactions on both Facebook and Instagram .
Facebook is currently waiving the selling fee for all orders shipping through the rest of 2020 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Facebook includes this example on its website : TikTok : TikTok is introducing a merchandise shelf for creators in the coming weeks .
The merch will be powered by Teespring , and creators will be able to set their own prices on top of the service ’ s fees .
A basic T-shirt costs $ 10 ( that ’ s what Teespring will keep ) , so creators who sell a shirt for $ 25 will keep $ 15 .
The attention economy and the passion economy have collided in a way that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ever .
Patreon : There are three types of plans creators can enroll in , and each plan comes with a different cut .
The tiers are geared toward different types of creators and businesses .
The pro tier lets a creator offer tiered memberships to fans , while the premium tier provides a dedicated contact at Patreon who can provide support .
Then , there are payment processing fees .
For creators in the United States , Patreon takes 5 percent plus 10 cents for payments of $ 3 or less .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2.9 percent cut plus 30 cents .
OnlyFans : OnlyFans takes 20 percent of subscription fees and other earnings , like tips .
Creators can set their subscription fees between $ 5 and $ 50 per month .
Substack : 10 percent of subscription fees .
Substack , one of the bigger newsletter platforms , lets people choose how much they want to charge per month or year .
Substack has a tool to help calculate revenue based on different monthly fee options .
( There is also a completely free tier that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) Twitch : A creator can start making money from ads , subscriptions , and donations once they become a Twitch affiliate , which takes a certain amount of streaming and followers .
Twitch typically takes 50 percent of subscription fees .
On top of subscriber fees , streamers also earn ad revenue — usually around $ 3.50 for every 1,000 views of an ad on their channel .
For both subscriptions and advertising , bigger streamers may get better deals .
Twitch also offers streamers a way to be paid via donations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Twitch takes a 29 percent cut from donations , so for every $ 1.40 worth of bits a streamer receives , the streamer only keeps $ 1 .
Streamers frequently accept donations through third-party payment platforms , too .
Twitch doesn ’ t take a cut of these , but the platforms themselves may come with their own deductions for payment processing .
YouTube memberships : YouTube ’ s main form of payment for creators is AdSense .
YouTube takes 45 percent of revenue from ads , giving creators 55 percent , according @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rolling out memberships , however , which are additional monthly plans that run between $ 1 and $ 100 in the United States .
YouTube takes 30 percent of those membership fees .
Facebook Memberships : Facebook has a couple of membership-type services .
There are subscription groups where administrators can charge a fee for people to join .
Facebook wasn ’ t taking a cut of membership fees as of 2018 ; the company didn ’ t respond to a request for comment on whether that ’ s still the case .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ via iOS or Android , Apple and Google do take a 30 percent cut .
Then there are fan subscriptions , which allow fans to support creators through a subscription/membership service .
Facebook normally takes a 30 percent cut each month , but beginning in August 2020 , through August 2021 , Facebook won ’ t take a cut for transactions made via web browsers .
( Apple and Google will take their typical cut on mobile . )
Digital marketplaces for physical goods are at the core of online shopping .
Many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or weekly basis , or peruse eBay at work to keep an eye on the latest auctions .
Large businesses can be built on these platforms , but they ’ re complicated to navigate .
Amazon : Amazon is a complicated one .
First , businesses can choose between using a professional selling plan , which costs $ 39.99 a month , or an individual seller ’ s plan , which has no monthly fee .
Those on the professional tier do not have to pay a sales fee on items sold , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s plan pay $ 1 per sale .
Amazon then takes a commission on each sale , including shipping fees .
This fee depends on what the item is , typically ranging from 8 to 20 percent .
There ’ s also a $ 1.80 closing fee for products listed under media categories , including books , DVDs , music , game consoles , game accessories , and more .
Etsy : Etsy charges a small 20-cent fee for people to list each item for sale .
Then , for every product sold @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fee , and a payment processing fee that ’ s generally between 3 and 4 percent .
eBay : Generally speaking , eBay sellers might pay a small fee to list a product , and then a 10 to 12 percent fee on the sale price .
Fees can vary significantly depending on product category and listing type , though .
eBay also offers paid premium store features that can reduce fees .
It ’ s a fairly complicated series of options — you can get a sense of some possibilities for paying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ single developer to a huge studio , being on Steam or in the PlayStation store is a big deal for distribution .
These giant marketplaces are also key businesses for the companies that run them , often meaning steep fees on sales .
Steam : Steam takes 30 percent of all sales made for the first $ 10 million sold .
That cut becomes 25 percent when a developer sells between $ 10 million and $ 50 million .
For every sale after the first $ 50 million , Steam only takes a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ takes 12 percent of the revenue from all games sold , giving developers 88 percent .
Epic CEO Tim Sweeney tweeted that of the 12 percent Epic collects , the company nets about 5 percent as profit .
PlayStation : Sony is reported to take a 30 percent cut from games sold in the PlayStation Store , though the split isn ’ t publicly disclosed .
Xbox : Microsoft takes a 30 percent cut from all games and in-game purchases sold through the console ’ s store under its standard developer agreement .

Part of / Making It Work 2021
Online marketplaces like Etsy and Apple’s App Store allow businesses to flourish by connecting them to huge, global audiences. But these marketplaces are big businesses themselves, and in order to earn a profit, they take a cut of revenue from many of the other companies that use their space. It leads to a constant tension: apps like Tinder and Candy Crush wouldn’t be nearly the phenomena they are today without the App Store, but they have to constantly pay Apple for that privilege.
Apps are just one example of how online platforms for small businesses and independent creators have shifted the world we live and work in. Membership platforms, like Patreon, allow creatives to charge monthly payments in exchange for new videos, comics, and essays. Video services like Twitch and YouTube allow creators to monetize their time through advertising revenue. And marketplaces like Etsy and Amazon allow people to sell an assortment of products directly to customers around the world.
The cut each platform takes varies significantly: Apple notoriously takes 30 percent of many digital in-app purchases; Twitch takes a 50 percent cut of subscription fees and a cut of advertising; eBay asks people to buy space and then pay a fee. Knowing just how much each platform takes is crucial to figuring out what’s best for your business, or for understanding how the businesses you’re shopping from make money. Here are the various fees each platform takes, divided into four categories: app stores, creator platforms (including memberships, video services, and more), digital marketplaces, and games marketplaces.
App stores
App stores are where an enormous number of businesses operate. Whether someone is selling a line of jewelry on Etsy or spending oodles of money in Roblox, app stores are the gateway to reaching people who shop on their phones and computers. Approximately 80 percent of Americans shop online, according to the Pew Research Center, and more than half of those shoppers use a mobile device like a phone or tablet.
Apple App Store: 30 percent standard commission on apps and in-app purchases of digital goods and services; sales of physical products are exempt. Subscription commission falls to 15 percent after one year.
Developers that make less than $1 million per year in App Store sales can receive 15 percent commission through Apple’s App Store Small Business Program for as long as they qualify.
Google Play: 30 percent standard commission on apps and in-app purchases of digital goods and services; sales of physical products are exempt. Subscription commission falls to 15 percent after one year.
Google takes 15 percent in fees on developers’ first $1 million in Play Store revenue every year. After the $1 million threshold, the rate goes back up to 30 percent.
Galaxy Store: 30 percent standard commission on purchases through the app store, but it can be negotiated with Samsung.
Amazon App Store: 30 percent standard commission on apps and in-app purchases. Subscription commission is 20 percent on video apps and 30 percent on everything else.
Developers that make less than $1 million per year in app store revenue can receive a 20 percent commission and 10 percent in “promotional credits” for Amazon Web Services through Amazon’s Appstore Small Business Accelerator Program for as long as they qualify.
Microsoft Store: 15 percent commission on apps and 12 percent commission on PC games starting August 1st, 2021. A 30 percent commission on all apps, games, and in-app purchases on Xbox consoles.
Non-game sellers can also use their own payment system and avoid Microsoft’s commission entirely as of July 28th, 2021.
Creator platforms
While app stores largely fit into the logic of their real-life, physical counterparts, an ever-growing breed of creator platforms allows people to monetize their personality and creativity more directly. Whether glued on to an existing social network like Facebook or reinventing old forms of entertainment like Clubhouse, creator platforms have found familiar ways to earn a buck on the backs of creator popularity.
Membership
Patreon: There are three types of plans creators can enroll in, and each plan comes with a different cut.
Lite plan: Patreon takes 5 percent
Pro plan: Patreon takes 8 percent
Premium plan: Patreon takes 12 percent
The tiers are geared toward different types of creators and businesses. The pro tier lets a creator offer tiered memberships to fans, while the premium tier provides a dedicated contact at Patreon who can provide support.
Then, there are payment processing fees. For creators in the United States, Patreon takes 5 percent plus 10 cents for payments of $3 or less. Payments over $3 result in a 2.9 percent cut plus 30 cents going to Patreon.
OnlyFans: OnlyFans takes 20 percent of subscription fees and other earnings, like tips. Creators can set their subscription fees between $5 and $50 per month.
Tips max out at $100 for new users and go up to $200 for users who have had an account for four months or longer. You can tip $500 per day as a new user, with the limit increasing over time.
Twitter: Twitter offers an array of ways for creators to make money. Super Follows allows creators to offer subscriptions of $2.99, $4.99, or $9.99 per month in exchange for perks like exclusive tweets. Ticketed Spaces allow creators to charge for access to live audio events, with ticket prices ranging anywhere from $1 to $999.
For both products, Twitter takes a 3 percent commission on payments (after payment processing and in-app purchase fees, such as Apple’s 30 percent cut) until creators earn their first $50,000 on the platform, after which Twitter takes 20 percent. The features are only available to select users for now.
Creators can also receive money directly through Twitter’s Tip Jar feature, which is currently in beta and only available to some users. Twitter doesn’t take a cut, but payments are subject to the processing fees of whatever third-party payment service is linked.
Facebook: Facebook lets creators offer monthly Fan Subscriptions and receive support directly from their followers. Facebook plans to take up to a 30 percent cut each month, but the company has announced it won’t be taking any fees until 2023. Apple and Google do take their typical cut on mobile, though, reducing creators’ share to 70 percent.
Facebook also offers a tipping feature for livestreams called Stars — basically its answer to Twitch’s Bits. Creators get 1 cent per star, but (like Twitch below) viewers buy them for more than a penny each. If a viewer is buying only a few dollars at a time, Facebook might take upward of 18 percent of the money spent on tips. Creators also need to meet Facebook’s eligibility requirements to enable Stars.
Bulletin, Facebook’s newsletter product, currently doesn’t take a cut of subscriptions, though Facebook has so far limited the platform to a select group of higher-profile writers and personalities.
Video
YouTube: Creators primarily make money on YouTube through ad revenue. YouTube takes 45 percent of revenue from ads and gives creators 55 percent, according to Variety.
YouTube also has a number of ways for creators to get paid directly by viewers:
The platform lets channels offer memberships, which are monthly subscriptions that run between $1 and $100 in the US.
Similar to several Twitch features, YouTube’s Super Chat, Super Stickers, and Super Thanks features give fans the ability to tip creators in exchange for perks like better comment placement in a livestream chat, custom stickers, and animations. Prices range from $1 to $500 for pinned Super Chat comments, $1 to $50 for Super Stickers, and $2 to $50 for Super Thanks.
YouTube takes 30 percent of the revenue earned on memberships and Super features once taxes and applicable app store fees are deducted.
Creators can also sell merchandise from select retailers directly to subscribers via the merch shelf underneath videos. YouTube doesn’t take a cut of merch sales, but creators may be subject to different fees depending on which of the 31 different supported retailers they partner with.
YouTube also shares revenue from YouTube Premium subscriptions based on the amount subscribers watch a creator’s videos. The company has not disclosed how that money is divided, but YouTube tells The Verge most of the revenue from Premium goes to creators.
Twitch: A creator can start making money from ads, subscriptions, and donations once they become a Twitch affiliate, which takes a certain amount of streaming and followers.
Twitch typically takes 50 percent of subscription fees. Subscription pricing varies by country to reflect the local cost of living. As an example, a base subscription is $4.99 per month in the US but around $1.20 per month in Turkey.
Twitch also offers streamers a way to be paid via donations using a virtual currency called bits. Twitch pays creators 1 cent per bit, so after receiving 100 bits, a streamer gets $1. The catch is, viewers pay extra up front to buy those bits: 100 bits costs $1.40 to buy on the web, or around $2 to buy on mobile to account for app store fees. That means anywhere from 29 percent to 50 percent of money spent toward tipping is being lost to fees.
Streamers frequently accept donations through third-party payment platforms, too. Twitch doesn’t take a cut of these, but the platforms themselves may come with their own deductions for payment processing.
On top of subscriber fees, streamers also earn ad revenue — usually around $3.50 for every 1,000 views of an ad on their channel. For both subscriptions and advertising, bigger streamers may get better deals.
Audio
Clubhouse: Live social audio app Clubhouse allows listeners to pay creators directly via a “Send Money” button. Clubhouse doesn’t take a cut of the payments, and the person leaving the tip is asked to cover the payment processing fee from Stripe.
Spotify: Through its subsidiary Anchor, Spotify allows podcasters to offer subscriptions. Spotify won’t take a cut until 2023, after which the company will charge a 5 percent commission. Creators have to cover payment processing fees out of their share.
Apple: Subscriptions in Apple Podcasts are subject to the same rules as other subscriptions on Apple platforms: there’s a 30 percent commission to start, but if subscribers stick around for a year, the commission drops to 15 percent. Creators also have to pay $19.99 per year to offer subscriptions in the first place.
Discord: Through its live audio feature, Stage Channels, Discord offers creators the ability to sell tickets to their audio events. The feature is currently in a limited beta, and Discord hasn’t announced if it will keep a portion of ticket sales or when the feature will be available for everyone.
Writing
Tumblr: A subscription feature, called Post Plus, lets creators offer subscriber-only posts for $3.99, $5.99, or $9.99 per month. Tumblr takes a 5 percent commission on subscription fees, and for subscriptions made through iOS or Android, creators will lose an additional 30 percent to the respective platforms.
Substack: The newsletter platform takes 10 percent of subscription fees. Substack lets writers choose how much they want to charge newsletter subscribers per month or year. (There’s also a free tier.)
Wattpad: Fiction publishing platform Wattpad offers a limited form of monetization for certain creators. Invite-only Paid Stories allows fans to purchase coins to unlock entries in an ongoing story or novel.
Currently, Wattpad sells coins in several different packages (you can get nine coins for 99 cents, for example) and chapters are usually priced at three coins each (though some go for more). Wattpad says writers receive the “majority of the revenue from the program,” but it has not publicly disclosed the exact split.
Kindle Vella: Amazon has its own take on Wattpad’s Paid Stories, called Kindle Vella. Writers who publish with Vella receive royalties based on the number of tokens spent on an “episode” in their story, with token cost determined by the episode’s length (one token per 100 words).
Writers get to keep half of whatever a reader spent on the tokens they used to unlock their story, minus taxes and fees. The complicating factor is that Amazon offers tokens at different price points — you can buy 200 tokens for $1.99 or 1,100 tokens for $9.99 — so payouts can vary.
At those price points, for example, a writer who receives 100 tokens would either get $1 or 90 cents.
Digital marketplaces
Digital marketplaces for physical goods are at the core of online shopping. Many of us use Amazon on a daily or weekly basis, or peruse eBay at work to keep an eye on the latest auctions. But while large businesses can be built on these platforms, their terms can be complicated to navigate and tend to ensure the platforms make a cut on just about every sale that goes through.
Facebook and Instagram: Facebook collects either 5 percent per shipment of products sold (one order can include multiple shipments if items are mailed separately), or a flat fee of 40 cents for shipments of $8 or less. This covers taxes, payment processing fees, and applies to all checkout transactions on both Facebook and Instagram.
Facebook is waiving the selling fee for all orders shipping through June 30th, 2022.
Amazon: Amazon is a complicated one. First, businesses can choose between using a professional selling plan, which costs $39.99 a month, or an individual seller’s plan, which has no monthly fee. Those on the professional tier do not have to pay a sales fee on items sold, while those on an individual seller’s plan pay $1 per sale.
Amazon then takes a commission on each sale, including shipping fees. This fee depends on what the item is, typically ranging from 8 to 20 percent. There’s also a $1.80 closing fee for products listed under media categories, including books, DVDs, music, game consoles, and more.
Etsy: Etsy charges a 20-cent fee for people to list each item for sale. Then, for every product sold, Etsy takes a 5 percent transaction fee, and a payment processing fee of 3 percent plus 25 cents.
The company also runs an advertising program that’s somewhat controversial with sellers. Etsy pays to advertise their products on sites like Google, and then takes up to a 15 percent fee (but no more than $100) if they lead to a sale. Small sellers can opt out, but larger sellers have to participate; for them, Etsy only takes a 12 percent referral fee.
eBay: Generally speaking, eBay sellers might pay a small fee to list a product and a 12.5 percent commission on the sale price.
Fees can vary significantly depending on product category and listing type, though. eBay also offers paid premium store features that can reduce fees. It’s a fairly complicated series of options — you can get a sense of some possibilities for paying stores from this chart.
Games marketplaces
From a single developer to a huge studio, being on Steam or in the PlayStation store is a big deal for distribution. These giant marketplaces are also key businesses for the companies that run them, often meaning steep fees on sales.
Steam: Steam takes 30 percent of all sales made until the first $10 million. That cut becomes 25 percent when a developer sells between $10 million and $50 million. For every sale after the first $50 million, Steam only takes a 20 percent cut.
Epic: Epic takes 12 percent of the revenue from all games sold, giving developers 88 percent. Epic CEO Tim Sweeney tweeted that of the 12 percent Epic collects, the company nets about 5 percent as profit.
PlayStation: Sony is reported to take a 30 percent cut from games sold in the PlayStation Store, though the split isn’t publicly disclosed.
Xbox: Microsoft takes a 30 percent cut from all games and in-game purchases sold through the console’s store under its standard developer agreement.
Itch.io: Itch.io takes a radical approach to how it handles its revenue share with its independent creators. By default, the platform takes 10 percent of each transaction before payment providers take their cut. But if creators choose, as part of Itch’s open revenue sharing, they can lower that cut to zero or raise it to as high as 100 percent.


theverge--2020-09-22--The links that do it all, and the scrappy startups that power them

If you want to learn more about an influencer , there ’ s one place you always know to look : that link in bio .
These singular , powerful links blanket the internet through companies like Carrd , Linktree , and Bio.fm .
“ We see Linktree used on pretty much every social platform ... on email signatures and business cards , and then across Medium , and Spotify , and Pinterest , and TikTok , and Twitter , ” says Alex Zaccaria , Linktree ’ s CEO .
The service has “ just completely replace [ d ] @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a “ link in bio , ” or a link that does it all , has been growing since 2013 , but Google Trends show their search history surging this past year .
The link in bio was born out of the limitations set by major social networks , like Instagram and TikTok , that prevent users from including clickable links on their posts and only allow for a single link in profiles .
More people than ever are searching for these companies Originally , that one link might point people to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a sponsor .
But increasingly , it points to a bare-bones website that can send you anywhere : other social accounts , subscription services , or information about a cause .
“ There was this huge gap for people who didn ’ t need all that complexity [ of sites like Squarespace ] , they just needed that first 80-90 percent of the use case , which is : ‘ I just need a site with links to all my crap , ’ ” says AJ , the founder and CEO of Carrd @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his initials .
These companies all offer a micro-website for free , but they come with limitations , like only being able to link to a few places .
The idea is to push people to subscribe to a paid product for a monthly fee , giving them access to features like advanced analytics , the ability to add unlimited links , and to get rid of the companies ’ branding .
The premium memberships are usually cheap , ranging from $ 19 a year to $ 10 a month .
Most of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ simple ambitions — make it easier to launch a basic website to support their own side hustles .
But the past six months have made these services dramatically more popular ; the pandemic left millions of people jobless and having to market themselves , and activists began looking for a way to get the word out about resources for the Black Lives Matter movement .
Linktree , maybe the most recognizable name in the link-in-bio space , says it counted 3 million users last November , reached 5 million in May , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ team saw 80,000 sign-ups over the past three months linked to Black Lives Matter .
Carrd now runs 1 million sites .
It found especially viral success , AJ says , from the Black Lives Matter movement , and after Kim Kardashian West shared a Carrd website that linked to resources for supporters .
The more people who share the links , the more popular the services become Although the founders of these companies clearly saw a need , they didn ’ t necessarily expect business to accelerate the way it did — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic and how its effects would ripple into the link-in-bio world .
AJ and Moe Miller , one of the founders of bio.fm , both started their companies as side projects .
AJ says Carrd slowly monopolized his life until it became his full-time job .
“ I didn ’ t set out for it to be a business to pay for my house or pay other people to work on it or anything ; it was just literally a side hustle , but then apparently there ’ s a market for this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just takes off from there , ” AJ says .
“ It ’ s like the frog in a boiling pot , like you don ’ t realize it until you ’ re like , ‘ Oh , crap , it ’ s 1,000 degrees in here.
’ ” AJ brought his business partner onto Carrd full-time to help keep the operation running while he codes the product .
He also hired one person to help with site moderation if and when he eventually needs to address problematic content .
( For now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ requests related to copyright . )
He ’ ll need to employ more mods soon , he says .
The tiny teams and limited upfront cash need was only possible because the links market themselves — the service ’ s name is right in the link — allowing the businesses to grow on their own , says Bio.fm ’ s Miller .
“ If you score a couple of influencers , and you ’ ve got their link on their profile , you basically are covered.
” One celebrity ’ s tweet or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ user base This is to say , a link-in-bio business can be as hands-off as for Miller , with Bio.fm being a side gig , or as full-time as for Zaccaria , who employs a team of 41 people to keep Linktree running .
Although they ’ ve all found success in a tough year , their achievements could easily be put at risk .
One technical change on any of the platforms , by allowing people to link to various things from their page , could destroy these services , says AJ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ limit [ you to ] only one link in your bio then probably none of [ our businesses ] would exist , ” says Miller .
“ But here we are .
”

If you want to learn more about an influencer, there’s one place you always know to look: that link in bio.
These singular, powerful links blanket the internet through companies like Carrd, Linktree, and Bio.fm. “We see Linktree used on pretty much every social platform... on email signatures and business cards, and then across Medium, and Spotify, and Pinterest, and TikTok, and Twitter,” says Alex Zaccaria, Linktree’s CEO. The service has “just completely replace[d] the mobile website.”
The idea of a “link in bio,” or a link that does it all, has been growing since 2013, but Google Trends show their search history surging this past year. The link in bio was born out of the limitations set by major social networks, like Instagram and TikTok, that prevent users from including clickable links on their posts and only allow for a single link in profiles.
More people than ever are searching for these companies
Originally, that one link might point people to a new video, some merch, or a sponsor. But increasingly, it points to a bare-bones website that can send you anywhere: other social accounts, subscription services, or information about a cause.
“There was this huge gap for people who didn’t need all that complexity [of sites like Squarespace], they just needed that first 80-90 percent of the use case, which is: ‘I just need a site with links to all my crap,’” says AJ, the founder and CEO of Carrd, who prefers to go only by his initials.
These companies all offer a micro-website for free, but they come with limitations, like only being able to link to a few places. The idea is to push people to subscribe to a paid product for a monthly fee, giving them access to features like advanced analytics, the ability to add unlimited links, and to get rid of the companies’ branding. The premium memberships are usually cheap, ranging from $19 a year to $10 a month.
Most of these companies’ founders started out with simple ambitions — make it easier to launch a basic website to support their own side hustles. But the past six months have made these services dramatically more popular; the pandemic left millions of people jobless and having to market themselves, and activists began looking for a way to get the word out about resources for the Black Lives Matter movement.
Linktree, maybe the most recognizable name in the link-in-bio space, says it counted 3 million users last November, reached 5 million in May, and is now approaching 8 million. The team saw 80,000 sign-ups over the past three months linked to Black Lives Matter. Carrd now runs 1 million sites. It found especially viral success, AJ says, from the Black Lives Matter movement, and after Kim Kardashian West shared a Carrd website that linked to resources for supporters.
The more people who share the links, the more popular the services become
Although the founders of these companies clearly saw a need, they didn’t necessarily expect business to accelerate the way it did — not that anyone necessarily foresaw a 2020 pandemic and how its effects would ripple into the link-in-bio world. AJ and Moe Miller, one of the founders of bio.fm, both started their companies as side projects. AJ says Carrd slowly monopolized his life until it became his full-time job.
“I didn’t set out for it to be a business to pay for my house or pay other people to work on it or anything; it was just literally a side hustle, but then apparently there’s a market for this type of thing, and then it just takes off from there,” AJ says. “It’s like the frog in a boiling pot, like you don’t realize it until you’re like, ‘Oh, crap, it’s 1,000 degrees in here.’”
AJ brought his business partner onto Carrd full-time to help keep the operation running while he codes the product. He also hired one person to help with site moderation if and when he eventually needs to address problematic content. (For now, he only occasionally deals with takedown requests related to copyright.) He’ll need to employ more mods soon, he says.
The tiny teams and limited upfront cash need was only possible because the links market themselves — the service’s name is right in the link — allowing the businesses to grow on their own, says Bio.fm’s Miller. “If you score a couple of influencers, and you’ve got their link on their profile, you basically are covered.”
One celebrity’s tweet or influencer’s plug can grow the user base
This is to say, a link-in-bio business can be as hands-off as for Miller, with Bio.fm being a side gig, or as full-time as for Zaccaria, who employs a team of 41 people to keep Linktree running.
Although they’ve all found success in a tough year, their achievements could easily be put at risk. One technical change on any of the platforms, by allowing people to link to various things from their page, could destroy these services, says AJ.