COVID-19 Is Fundamentally Reshaping The Porn Industry

COVID-19 Is Fundamentally Reshaping The Porn Industry — For The Better



Andrea Barrica







 While much of the business world is still suffering under COVID-19, sex-related businesses are proving countercyclical. Over the past two months, sex toy companies, cam sites and porn platforms have reported record traffic, and in some cases, record sales. 
But the COVID-related shutdown of the porn industry has forced another upheaval, as thousands of performers, out-of-work but equipped with massive social media followings, have used new technology to seize the means of production. 
Performers have filmed their own content before, but the paucity of new studio releases and the rise of new platforms have given adult performers increased power in the market, sidelining traditional gatekeepers. With porn sets closed for the time being, individuals and cohabitating performers are the only ones who can produce safely.
“Everything has aligned in favor of the performer,” says MelRose Michaels, a brand ambassador for premium social network FanCentro and a top-selling model on the platform.  “Increased traffic, increased time to expedite the learning curve of self shooting and editing, and more platforms available to distribute on than ever before.”
Since March, mainstream performers have flocked to premium social networks like FanCentro, IsMyGirl and OnlyFans as a way to generate income. FanCentro says new account sign-ups surged 83% in the first weeks of the quarantine. By April, OnlyFans had even made it into a Beyoncé lyric.
These premium social networks, or ‘premiums’, let consumers interact with and purchase content directly from the performers who create it. For a small monthly fee, often around $10, fans can ‘follow’ a particular creator (or “influencer” as FanCentro calls them) and get access to their private feed of self-produced content. 
Michaels says creators on the platform average between $500 and $30,000 a month creating short videos from their home, mostly on their phone. For adult performers, they have steadily gained as an alternative to studio shoots, making their long days and thousand-dollar paychecks increasingly less appealing. 
More traditional industries have watched as millennials and other workers — from Lyft drivers or YouTube influencers —  flock to jobs that provide flexibility, independence and a direct relationship between work and reward. Why would the porn industry be any different?
“[The] majority of performers earn more off their content from premium platforms like FanCentro than they do shooting scenes for studios,” says Michaels. “You cut out all the middle men and the performer reaps all the rewards.” 


CAM

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