The Talent Brief · Vol. 1 · Issue 12
The Talent Brief -- May 26, 2026
TikTok had the loudest week across commerce and music, with U.S. small-business sales up 66% on TikTok Shop and a new Universal Music Group licensing deal that adds stronger artist protections. Sports leagues are getting more formal with creator contracts, while podcast networks are moving from ad sales into creator investment. Beauty brands also showed how fast pricing and talent strategy can change when unit demand softens.
TikTok Shop says U.S. small-business sales climbed 66% in 2025
TikTok Shop reported that sales from U.S. small businesses on the platform rose 66% in 2025. Digiday reported that TikTok Shop is using the data to court more established brands and retailers while keeping small sellers central to its pitch. Patrick Nommensen, head of strategic initiatives at TikTok Shop, said the platform's video, live shopping, and community tools give brands of different sizes a way to reach buyers. TikTok's study said 67% of consumers use TikTok Shop when they want to discover new products and brands, ahead of Amazon at 57%. It also said 66% of TikTok Shop users found a new brand on the platform in the past year.
The Black Label raises $80M at reported $660M valuation with Tencent Music in the round
The Black Label raised $80 million in a round that included Tencent Music, according to Music Business Worldwide. Bloomberg reported the deal values the company at 1 trillion won, about $660 million. The company was co-founded in 2015 by Teddy Park and Kush, then spun out from YG Entertainment in 2020. Its roster includes BLACKPINK's Rosé, BIGBANG's Taeyang, Jeon Somi, MEOVV, and AllDay Project. The label also had a high-profile soundtrack moment with KPop Demon Hunters.
Pamela Adlon signs with UTA after Better Things and Babes run
Pamela Adlon signed with UTA, Deadline reported. Adlon continues to be represented by CESD, attorneys J.R. McGinnis and Patti Felker, and ID. She co-created, starred in, wrote, directed, and executive produced Better Things, which ran for five seasons on FX. She also directed the 2024 film Babes and has long-running voice credits across King of the Hill, Bob's Burgers, and other animated projects. The move gives UTA a multi-hyphenate client with creator, actor, director, and animation value.
Fernando Tatis Jr. loses legal round over 10% future-earnings agreement
A California state judge ruled that Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr. remains exposed in his dispute with Big League Advance, Front Office Sports reported. In 2017, Tatis agreed to pay BLA 10% of his future MLB earnings. In 2021, he signed a 14-year, $340 million contract with San Diego. The case has become a major test of future-income agreements for young athletes who take early capital before reaching a large professional payday. The legal fight now centers on whether that 2017 agreement can keep binding him after his star-level contract.
TikTok and Universal Music Group sign new multi-year license with stronger AI protections
Universal Music Group and TikTok signed a new multi-year global licensing agreement, Music Business Worldwide reported. The deal covers UMG artists and songwriters on TikTok and includes stronger work to remove unauthorized AI-generated music from the platform. UMG executive Michael Nash said the companies will improve social media monetization, artist and songwriter attribution, and fan experiences. The agreement follows a tense period between major music owners and short-form platforms over AI soundalikes and music usage. TikTok also announced the deal through Social Media Today on May 25.
X changes incentives to push more credit toward original creators
X is changing its creator incentive system to reward original posts and better attribution, Social Media Today reported. X product lead Nikita Bier said users should use Share Video or Quote when adding commentary so posts are properly attributed. The platform has been trying to reduce low-quality engagement farming, including crypto community spam and generic reply campaigns. The changes are also tied to cleaner data streams that feed X and xAI products. The shift gives original creators more leverage against repost accounts that copy videos or strip context.
Twitch tweaks monetization tools to help smaller creators build a base
Twitch updated monetization tools aimed at helping smaller creators build followings, Digiday reported. The changes come after Twitch's broader push to clean up creator metrics and make live-stream revenue more reliable for streamers below the top tier. The platform is trying to keep creators from leaving for video platforms with stronger ad and discovery systems. Smaller streamers have long depended on subscriptions, bits, direct fan support, and sponsorships rather than predictable platform payouts. Twitch's new toolset gives those creators more ways to prove audience value before they reach major scale.
Garnier leans into internet humor, fandom, and Cher to reach Gen Zennials
Garnier has spent the past year and a half rebuilding its mass beauty marketing around internet humor, fandoms, reality TV, dating culture, and culturally specific storytelling, Glossy reported. The brand is aiming at Gen Zennials rather than relying only on traditional product-led beauty campaigns. Philip Tabak, Garnier's AVP of U.S. marketing and business operations, said the team wanted to lean into social conversation rather than over-engineer the creative. One campaign used a mock hacked-account setup built around a loose moose joke in New York City. The broader strategy puts creators and pop-culture timing closer to the center of the brand's media plan.
E.l.f. Beauty cuts prices after unit sales slow and offloads Keys Soulcare
E.l.f. Beauty is testing price cuts after a $1 price increase across E.l.f. SKUs led to weaker unit sales, Glossy reported. CEO Tarang Amin said E.l.f. Cosmetics and E.l.f. Skin moved from high single-digit growth to low single-digit growth over the past 12 weeks. He also said spring 2026 product launches did not lift core items the way prior spring launches had. The company is offloading Keys Soulcare while reporting stronger momentum in Rhode and Naturium. The update shows how fast mass beauty demand can react when price, launches, and creator heat lose alignment.
Sony seeks to add 30,000 recordings to Udio copyright lawsuit
Sony Music moved to add more than 30,000 copyrighted recordings to its lawsuit against Udio, Music Business Worldwide reported. The case is part of the major labels' broader fight over whether AI music platforms used protected recordings to train their models. Sony's expanded claim raises the scale of alleged infringement far beyond a handful of test tracks. The filing arrives days after new platform deals and hiring moves showed music companies trying to build licensed AI products while suing unlicensed ones. The message from rightsholders is that opt-in licensing and unauthorized training will be treated as separate markets.
NBA contract with YouTuber Kenny Beecham points to a new league-creator model
The NBA's contract with YouTuber Kenny Beecham could become a template for how sports leagues work with creators, Digiday reported. The article frames the deal as a way for leagues to reach fans on platforms where they already watch recaps, commentary, and analysis. Cameron Ajdari, CEO and co-founder of Currents, said younger audiences now get sports coverage on digital platforms instead of waiting for legacy recap shows. The model lets a league work with a creator rather than fight over distribution and branding rights. It also gives the NBA a voice outside its own players, which matters when player availability is limited.
Goalhanger launches Ventures arm with creator investments and partnerships
Goalhanger, the company behind The Rest Is History, launched Goalhanger Ventures, a new investment and partnerships arm, Podnews reported. The company announced an investment in Invisible Media and a commercial partnership with Backyard Cricket. The move expands Goalhanger beyond production and ad sales into a role closer to a creator studio and investment platform. Goalhanger's existing shows give it audience, sales relationships, and operating knowledge it can bring to smaller creator-led media businesses. The structure suggests more podcast networks may start buying into creator companies instead of only selling ads against them.
Global podcast revenue rises to $9.2B as growth concentrates among the biggest shows
Global podcast revenue rose to $9.2 billion, Podnews reported. The update noted that growth is not flowing evenly across the market, with the biggest shows getting larger while the middle stays pressured. Podcast buying is also getting more programmatic, with Sounder.ai expanding availability inside The Trade Desk. Apple Podcasts added new HLS video partners, including Firstory, Audioboom, RedCircle, and Blubrry. The week shows audio moving toward more video distribution, better ad targeting, and more concentration at the top.
YouTube updates reach metrics and adds music for still-image posts
YouTube updated unique reach calculation and added music options for still-image posts. Creators now have a cleaner way to package lightweight community content.
LinkedIn shares video creation tips based on platform trends
LinkedIn published video creation guidance tied to current platform trends, another sign that B2B creators need native video strategy rather than recycled vertical clips.
Meta launches group-focused Forum app
Meta launched Forum, a new group-focused app, which gives community-led creators another surface to watch for early audience migration and brand beta tests.
Spotify rolls out new podcast features after investor day
Spotify introduced new podcast features after investor day. The release keeps pressure on creators to think about video, personalization, and platform-specific packaging.