Kids are about to get a lot more choice of what to listen to on their Yoto devices. That's because the maker of the music-and-story-playing device is backing creators in a big way with two new schemes.
Loved by Yoto is an official stamp for makers of accessories (like the adorable robot case you can see below), giving them prominence when it comes to selling their wares. Think of it like a more low-fi version of Apple's 'Made for iPod' branding that launched in 2005 (and that lives on as 'MFi' for the iPhone and iPad).
But potentially the bigger change is the new Creators section, which lets regular Johnnies and Janes like you and I create our own audio content and sell it as physical cards on the official Yoto Card Store. As Yoto's co-founder Filip Denker put it at the recent launch event: "The playground is open to everyone now."
If you've ever been to a playground, you'll know this approach is not without its problems.
From Kickstarter to being backed by a Beatle
If you have children, chances are you know Yoto. Its audio players entertain kids aged three and up with stories, music, podcasts and more.
The firm was in the headlines last year when a certain model of Yoto Mini was found to be prone to overheating, causing a potential burn or fire hazard. Only a small number of devices were affected – the company issued new charging cables and sent out battery replacement kits to anyone with one of these devices.
The players are a big hit in our house. The content comes on physical cards the same size as a credit card that you slot into the top of the player, so the kids are in charge of what plays when, which they love. And because the screens on the Yoto Player and Yoto Mini are pretty basic and generally only show 8-bit icons related to what's playing, it means less screen time for the little 'uns, which my wife and I love.
The company launched in 2017 on Kickstarter (remember that?). It has since raised a lot of funding, and recently hit the milestone of 500 million hours of total listening. It has also poached staff from the likes of Spotify and Apple (including recent hire Jesse Dorogusker, who previously ran the accessories programmes for iPhone, iPod and iPad – and is likely to be heavily involved in the new Loved by Yoto accessories programme).
And now it offers music from the likes of Elton John, ABBA and The Beatles (Paul McCartney is an investor in Yoto), and stories from Roald Dahl, Disney, Julia Donaldson, JK Rowling and many more. As well as the aforementioned Johnnies and Janes like you and I, thanks to the new Creator Programme.
It's a similar approach to YouTube, albeit with one rather large exception: content moderation
The bouncer on the gate
Because the Creator Programme isn't quite as wide open as Yoto claims.
In order to reach the Creator Programme and have your content sold as physical cards, it's advised that you first build a following in Yoto's Open Mic section. This involves giving your content away for free, which some may be reluctant to do. But it will get you valuable feedback and – hopefully – get people talking about your work.
Think of it as the balance bike you learn on before graduating to pedals.
This isn't a necessity. But as any parent will tell you, going straight to pedals is a big step.
You then register to become a Creator. All content is reviewed by Yoto's Creators community team to ensure quality and age suitability before anything is put into production.
Clear this hurdle, and your card can start being made.
Obviously Yoto will want to keep a tight leash on what gets onto its online store, as keeping parents' trust is key. And as a recent Times column by Juliet Samuel shows, some parents are quicker to anger than others.
(Samuel took umbrage at kids' podcast Yoto Daily having a short segment on World Refugee Week.)
Hopefully Yoto's Creator Programme should keep the quick-to-anger brigade in check. Because there are guardrails in place, it's not quite the free-for-all user-generated content model of YouTube and social media. But content created by non-pros does appear next to that from the likes of established authors, musicians and entertainment behemoths like Disney and Peppa Pig.
Though at the moment at least, Yoto is keeping this content far from prominent. You have to scroll a good chunk of the way down page two of the Yoto Card Store before you find your first card marked as from Independent Creators (Truck Tunes, if you're interested, which is a series of songs about trucks – it's worth a listen if only to see what family-friendly words they rhyme with 'truck').
To me, this is sensible. If you flood a service with creator content, you have the same problem as social media, where you're giving world-class epidemiologists the same prominence as world-class ignoramuses. (It's the same reason Apple Music doesn't let you upload yourself singing in the shower to sit next to the collected works of Beethoven.)
But go slow, introducing only the best creator content, and gradually, and you'll keep the quality high and – crucially – maintain the trust of parents.
Admittedly kids care about this a lot less than their parents do. My son won't care whether the card he's listening to is from an independent creator or a mega corporation. As long as it keeps him entertained, he's happy. And to an extent, so am I.
But at the same time, parents want to be able to trust that their kids are listening to appropriate content. It's the reason my wife and I won't let our kids anywhere near YouTube (and that includes YouTube Kids).
Despite what Denker might say, the playground isn't open to everyone – there's a bouncer on the gate to keep out the undesirables. YouTube, take note.
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