Clubhouse

Clubhouse is a buzzy, invite-only audio app where users join rooms and listen to speakers. On Wednesday, a room that appeared to feature Kanye West drew thousands of listeners. But the West "interview" was actually a recording of Zane Lowe's 2019 podcast with him. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. A rare Kanye West interview broadcast on the buzzy new audio app Clubhouse drew thousands of listeners on Wednesday morning. There was only one problem — while it sounded like West was being interviewed live, the room was actually just playing a recording of his 2019 podcast with Apple Music's Zane Lowe. Clubhouse is an emerging Silicon Valley favorite, with an invite-only userbase and appearances from tech titans like Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg. Funded by investors Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, Clubhouse has also attracted its fair share of controversy, as the platform lacks a clear content moderation strategy and has already hosted medical misinformation and allowed users to create homophobic and sexist room topics. Andreessen also blocks journalists regularly to prevent them from listening to him. Jared Siskin/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images The app has also attracted a large userbase of Black creatives, and some of its most popular…

Premium This story is available exclusively to Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. More than 2 million people have downloaded Clubhouse since January. Entrepreneurs are touting the audio-only social media platform as a way to grow a business. Four of them reveal to Insider how they use it gain new customers. Visit the Business section of Insider for more stories. Despite being invite-only, Clubhouse has had 3.4 million downloads on Apple's App Store since it launched there in October, 2.2 million of which have been since January.Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg have both made rare public appearances to speak on the audio-only social media platform, where people drop into "rooms" to hear speakers discuss everything from local politics to the stock market.Read more: I caved and tried Clubhouse, a 10-month-old startup with a $1 billion valuation. I'm not sure I'll use it, but at least now I get what all the fuss is about.Entrepreneurs are touting it as the latest way to grow your business and audience.But Clubhouse's unique format could make it daunting. Its users don't share text or images beyond their bios and profile pictures, so experience on other social media won't necessarily help you…

Recent appearances from Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk on Clubhouse are bringing attention to the venture-backed audio social network, which has also seen a boost in downloads over the past few weeks.Yes, but: The app is already beginning to face the same growing pains that other upstart social networks have experienced for years. For example, Clubhouse — which requires an invite to access — is reportedly already being blocked in China.Support safe, smart, sane journalism. Sign up for Axios Newsletters here.By the numbers: Clubhouse has been downloaded about 4.7 million times to date since launch, according to Apptopia.It's been growing a lot faster in the past 90 days, the firm says. It hit 1 million downloads at the end of last year, per Apptopia. For now, it's only available on iOS.Catch up quick: The app has been available in the App Store since September, after months of quiet testing among tech insiders, though access still requires an invite.The company recently raised around $100 million in Series B funding led by existing investor Andreessen Horowitz at a $1 billion post-money valuation.Between the lines: Like any app for social interactions, Clubhouse has already raised questions about the dynamics among its users.While users…

(Screenshot: TechNode) (Screenshot: TechNode) The hit audio-only social network Clubhouse appears not to be accessible in mainland China as of 7:30 p.m. Monday evening. As of writing, TechNode reporters and contacts opening the app receive an error message reading “An SSL error has occurred and a secure connection to the server cannot be made.” The main field of the app, which normally displays a list of conversations and activity, is empty except the suggestion to “Start a new room to get a conversation going!” Why it matters: While Chinese internet regulation can be unpredictable, Clubhouse is probably gone for good from Chinese networks. Context: The hit app has provided a rare, unfiltered space for online discussion mainland China. In recent days, thousands of users flooded into Chinese-language groups discussing normally off-limits topics, leading many to predict that it was only a matter of time before the app was blocked. David Cohen is the acting editor in chief of TechNode. Since 2010, he has covered China as a writer and editor at outlets including the Diplomat, the Jamestown Foundation, and China Policy. He’s always... More by David Cohen

Back in late January, Clubhouse—an audio-based social networking startup—confirmed it had closed on a $100 million Series B round (led by Andreesen Horowitz), reportedly at a $1 billion valuation. However, despite the company’s newly minted unicorn status, the invite-only iPhone app remained largely under the radar outside of Silicon Valley circles. That changed on Jan. 31, when an unexpected conversation between Tesla founder Elon Musk and Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev brought Clubhouse into the mainstream lexicon, sparking a secondary market for invite codes in the process (each user receives a limited number of invitations to dole out during the pre-launch period). With the drop-in audio platform gaining momentum—roughly a third of the app’s 3.5 million-plus downloads came within the last week—it seemed like an opportune time to explore if/how Clubhouse is likely to affect the sports ecosystem (the company declined an opportunity to share its thoughts). Conversations with a tech-savvy venture capitalist and a sports media investor/adviser painted vastly differing views on the subject.Our Take: Peter Rojas (partner, Betaworks Ventures) has long been a believer that social audio can play a prominent role within the existing media landscape. Back in 2015, he invested in a mobile voice-messaging app called Unmute…

If you are looking for stocks that might have recorded significant gains over the course of the past month, then it might be a good idea to start tracking Clubhouse Media Group Inc (OTC: CMGR) stock. The stock has gone up by as huge as threefold over the course of the past month but the rally in the stock is possibly due to a case of mistaken identity. The stock has surged in recent days since investors might have confused it with the Clubhouse audio app. The audio app in question has been the subject of considerable media coverage in recent weeks and that might have led to many investors flocking to the Clubhouse Media Group stock. As per the company’s profile, the company is involved in the social media branding business and it has no relation whatsoever with the Clubhouse audio app. Hence, investors who might be thinking of investing in the Clubhouse Media stock could consider treading with caution. Weekend Contributor. Writing for business and finance publishers has become his passion over the last decades after he completed a master’s degree in Financial Management. Sharing some opinions and forecasts to thousands of readers is a routine job for…

Grimes and Lil Uzi Vert are thinking of a master plan and it apparently involves getting ‘brain chips’ together.  The musicians have clearly struck up a close friendship while working on music in recent weeks and now, they’re taking it to the next level thanks to Grimes’ boyfriend Elon Musk and his computer chip company Neuralink.  Elon is working to pioneer implanting brain chips that could potentially help people cure neurological conditions.  On Saturday, Lil Uzi simply tweeted ‘Neuralink’ which caught Grimes’ attention.  ‘Let’s get brain chips,’ she replied, to which the rapper agreed: ‘I’m ready when we doing it ?’  Grimes, real name Claire Boucher, already has it all planned out as she suggested: ‘Let’s aim for chips by 2022. it’s experimental surgery but if it succeeds we’ll have the knowledge of the Gods haha.’  It was more than enough to convince Lil Uzi, who eagerly replied: ‘Okay !!! I will call u for more detail.’  So far, the Neuralink bods have implanted their brain chips inside a pig called Gertrude and used them to record data about how brain signals are interpreted by body movements. Elon revealed last week that they’ve since been putting implants in monkeys so…

By Allison Nolan The new social media platform Clubhouse has been making waves in recent weeks. Some industry experts are saying it might be the next major social media platform. So, I was eager to accept my invitation to join and see what all the fuss is about. This is an audio-only app where users can join chat rooms to listen or participate in the conversation by raising their hand and being invited by the moderator(s) to speak. It is exciting to join this platform in the early stages and listen to, and even ask questions of, some incredibly knowledgeable and prolific people. The wide range of topics for discussion is phenomenal. And if you don’t find a room discussing something of interest to you, you can just start your own! Although I have only spent limited time on the platform so far, I am finding an abundance of people who are showing up in a truly authentic way and who are motivated by content and connection. I have really enjoyed contributing to conversations, and it is wonderful to be able to give support and do my best to inspire and elevate others. And I really appreciate those who have…

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The Robinhood investment app is see on a smartphone in this photo illustration on June 24, 2020 in Washington,DC. Jim Watson | AFP | Getty Images Stock trading app Robinhood removed temporary trading restrictions on all stocks including GameStop and AMC Entertainment Holdings after a tumultuous week for markets. The company issued an update on its website late on Thursday, saying: "There are currently no temporary limits to increasing your positions." Earlier in the day, Robinhood users were only able to trade 500 GameStop shares and 5,500 AMC shares, according to Reuters.   A wave of retail investors inspired by the Reddit board WallStreetBets piled in on GameStop shares and other heavily shorted stocks last week, resulting in huge losses for some hedge funds. In a bid to try to manage the situation, Robinhood restricted trading in certain volatile stocks Thursday last week including GameStop, Express, Koss, and legacy phone makers Nokia and Blackberry. Robinhood limited trading in 13 equities in total, allowing clients to sell positions but not open new ones in certain securities, provoking fury from users. On Sunday, Vlad Tenev, co-founder and co-CEO of Robinhood, took to invitation-only audio chat app Clubhouse to defend the company's decision…