From the outset, Civitai has been committed to helping Creators turn their passion into something more. When we first launched, our goal was to build a platform where Creators could earn directly from their contributions, ensuring that the people shaping the Generative AI art space could benefit from their work.
Our first attempt at monetization was through Buzz tips - an early system that allowed users to support Creators with our platform currency. This eventually evolved into the first iteration of the Creator Program, a "beta" program where selected Creators could get paid for Buzz they had earned. While this model allowed us to reward a small group of Creators, it quickly became clear that scaling it up to include more participants wasn’t financially sustainable.
As we continued to refine our business model, introduce paid features, and optimize costs, we explored ways to expand creator earnings without jeopardizing Civitai’s long-term future. Unfortunately, we couldn’t continue the original program at scale without placing the platform at risk.
Rather than abandoning creator compensation, we outlined our plans to evolve the program into a more sustainable model - one that ties Creator earnings directly to platform growth. This new system allows us to support more creators while ensuring Civitai remains viable for the long run!
Introducing the New Creator Program
This new system replaces the beta program with a sustainable and inclusive approach, making it possible for thousands of our Creators to earn based on their contributions.
To make this possible, we're introducing a Creator Compensation Pool that scales with Civitai’s growth. If you’re eligible, you can now Bank your Yellow Buzz to claim your share of the Compensation Pool each month!
How It Works
Eligible Creators with a Civitai Membership can "Bank" their Yellow Buzz to claim their share of the pool.
Monthly Pool distribution is proportional to each creator's Banked Buzz.
For example: If the pool is $35,000 and your Banked Buzz represents 2% of the total, you'd receive $700.
Earnings will be available for withdrawal through our Creator Payout Partner.
Future Steps
We had originally hoped to open up generation with all Checkpoints in conjunction with the Creator Program launch, opening up new avenues of earning for Creators. However, given the level of support and monitoring this expansion requires, we decided that a Friday launch wasn’t ideal! Rather than rushing it, we’re taking a little more time to ensure everything runs smoothly.
The good news? We will be opening all Checkpoints for use next week, and introducing a community-driven Auction system allowing users to highlight their favorite resources.
Our Commitment to Creators
Remember, the dream of fairly compensating creators remains very much alive. As we continue to grow and evolve, we hope to eventually offer something closer to our original vision. Thank you for your understanding, and for everything you've done to help this community flourish over the last two years. We’re excited to take this next step with you!
Ready to start earning? Visit the Creator Information Page for details on how to qualify and start earning today!