For most American workers, $100 takes time. The federal minimum wage has been frozen at $7.25 an hour since 2009, and even in today's creator economy, plenty of influencers are still grinding for modest payouts. So when one creator shared that she made $100 in four hours, it sounded like a pretty solid afternoon online. Then Ray J entered the chat.
"$100?!" the multi-platinum R&B hitmaker says in a clip shared to Instagram on Tuesday, May 19. "I made that sh*t off one call on BuzzStar."
And he isn’t the only creator cashing in on the platform.
Last month, Cole Steiner, better known as “Cole Train,” broke BuzzStar’s hourly revenue record after pulling in close to six figures during 60 minutes of direct fan calls. The chaotic livestream-style session included beer chugging, rapid-fire jokes, and his signature signoff: “stay friggin’ dirty.”
Other names tied to the app include former ACE Family patriarch Austin McBroom, rapper Blueface, Kick streamer N3on, Grammy-winning producer Scott Storch, and “jeweler to the stars” Johnny Dang.
For those in the dark, BuzzStar is the live video call app where fans book real FaceTime conversations with their favorite stars by the minute. The platform was created by industry veteran Andy Bachman, who previously built Creators Inc. into a talent management business responsible for more than $1 billion in creator sales.
"The first wave was creators becoming celebrities," Bachman told LA Weekly in March. "The next wave is creators becoming businesses. Most people aren't ready for that shift."
Ray J appears ready. He has spent the past several days training at the Creators Inc. mansion in Los Angeles ahead of his amateur MMA debut against viral battle rapper Supah Hot Fire this Saturday, May 23. The fight is set as the co-main event of Brand Risk 14 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
The 45-year-old “Sexy Can I” singer even choked UFC contender Arman Tsarukyan’s rival Georgio Poullas unconscious during a recent grappling session at the house.
