Since OG beauty vlogger Michelle Phan garnered fame on the social network, YouTube has been consistently hosting scores of super popular web-based personalities. Now, with the skyrocketing increase in popularity, some YouTubers are making $40,000 a month, and notable stars Zoella and Alfie Deyes are getting wax figures at Madame Tussauds! Stars of the content sharing site have clearly reached their peak of popularity, and it's really making me consider starting a YouTube channel.
YouTube's popularity has risen steadily over the last several years, and as such, their stars have gained insane amounts of views. It's not exactly a surprise since the social media site has basically anything you could ever want. Do you want to learn about beauty tips? Cooking? Fitness? The site has you 100 percent covered. The success of the multitude of vloggers has even created the need for YouTube's own awards show. Plus, some of the most successful video bloggers have launched other careers as well. Popular vlogger Zoella published her first book last year and sold enough copies to beat J.K Rowling's record for debut novel book sales.
It's no wonder the stars are making major bank. AdAge examined the top beauty YouTubers on the site and used an algorithm—built by Outrigger Media—composed of quality of content, volume of content, and vlogger's knowledge of their individual subject to deduce a monthly income post-YouTube's cut. Youtube's Yuya pulls in roughly $41,000 per month. While Zoella is making a bit less at $27,000, she and her boyfriend (fellow YouTuber Alfie Deyes) are getting their own wax figures at Madame Tussauds!
You may be thinking that wax figures and enough money to pay off your student loans is excessive, but when you consider the production value of these stars' videos, you've got to realize that they truly deserve massive kudos for their hard work. Controversy has begun over Zoe and Alfie's wax figures, with many claiming that they've done nothing to deserve the honor, but the truth remains that we can definitely consider YouTube stars' work as a new form of media production. As someone who produces web based content, I'm definitely fine with their pay grade.
Images: Zoe Sugg/Instagram
