Teen Vine stars who started out under the app’s six-second restrictions are moving onto other opportunities: some are touring nationwide, some are appearing in TV pilots and some have shot to the top of iTunes charts. But as they begin looking to bigger and better things, the most obvious partner has yet to reach out them: Vine itself.
Hollywood has begun courting these teen stars in major ways, wanting them to bring their major fandoms to the Disney brand, sitcoms or album deals. High schoolers Jack Johnson and Jack Gilinsky, otherwise known on Vine as Jack & Jack, went on a bus tour around the country and released their first single, “Tides,” on iTunes’ top 10 list. But they say that as they’re receiving calls from TV studios, record studios and agencies, Vine and Twitter have largely ignored them - and their fan bases.
“Honestly, I just don’t think Vine and Twitter understand the power of social media celebrities,” Jack Johnson told GigaOM.
Other Vine stars have had similar experiences. Alx James and Brent Rivera, ranked in the top 20 most popular Vine contributors on the platform, say they’ve never been contacted by Twitter or Vine, even though they’ve been courted by TV outlets like Disney and other social sites like Facebook.
And as Viners like Jack & Jack start to leave the app for bigger opportunities, they’re taking their fans with them, potentially hurting Vine’s growth with both influencers and fans.
According to GigaOM, part of this lack of interest on Vine’s part could be that it just doesn’t have the resources that competitors like YouTube have. With no advertising on its platform as of yet, Vine isn’t as prepared to attract and keep big talent like YouTube, who made a concerted effort of promoting new talent and drawing in new personalities to the site.
Read more at GigaOM.
Brief Take: Vine is creating stars that it can’t seem to hold on to, and as Hollywood and other social outlets continue to lure them away, the app could suffer.
[Image courtesy of Jack & Jack]
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