Online porn traffic surges during coronavirus closures, but for the performers, ‘there’s not a huge pandemic payday’
Title : Online porn traffic surges during coronavirus closures, but for the performers, ‘there’s not a huge pandemic payday’
Link : Online porn traffic surges during coronavirus closures, but for the performers, ‘there’s not a huge pandemic payday’
Adult performer MelRose Michaels(Courtesy photo)
With the coronavirus keeping people captive in their homes, the online porn industry is booming, but that doesn’t necessary mean happy endings are in store for the men and women doing the dirty work.
Some adult entertainers have cut digital content pricing in response to fans’ financial hardships. Others lost money when productions with multiple actors shut down. They’ve since pivoted to solo work with mixed results.
“There’s not a huge pandemic payday,”said MelRose Michaels, a top model on adult subscription website. She has discounted some of her best-selling videos to $9 from $15.
“Obviously there’s been an increase in traffic with people not going to their 9 to 5 jobs, but there’s also a lot more hesitation with people opening their wallets,” the Nashville-area resident with 283,000 Instagram followers told the Daily News.
While Michaels’s premium SnapChat subscription still costs $29.99 a month for fresh daily content, she’s enabled a retention offer so people who can’t afford it anymore can stay on for a lesser amount, she said.
“We’re in a recession market. Some people are cancelling,” Michaels, 29, explained. “New people are coming in, but traffic to your page is only half the battle. You have to put strategies in play to keep them. It’s an adapt-or-die situation.”
Adult actress Marina Maree, 23, got her start “mostly web-camming” in 2017 but eventually found making videos with other performers was more lucrative.
Marina Maree(Courtesy photo)
She was scheduled to make a new film with fellow actress Lilian Stone and another performer on March 30, but it was scrapped by Los Angeles’s safer-at-home order and an industry-wide coronavirus production hold.
“It’s definitely scary to not have that income,” Maree told The News.
She said the video could have generated enough cash to support her for a couple months. Instead, she ended up applying for aid from the Free Speech Coalition, the industry’s advocacy group.
“Luckily they had an emergency fund. I got $300 that I put aside for rent,” she explained.
Mike Stabile, a spokesman for the Free Speech Coalition, said adult performers who were making good money on sets without the hassle of running their own businesses are now looking to their colleagues already established on multiple digital platforms for help.
“Industry-wide traffic is up about 20% since the shutdown began," he said. “People are stuck at home, looking for a connection to pass the time. Some performers doing premium social and cams have seen a dramatic rise in income.”
To help bridge the gap, the Free Speech Coalition organized a free Zoom workshop where Michaels and industry stars Asa Akira, Romi Rain gave tips and answered questions.
Rain, 32, co-hosted the panel with actress Lotus Lain and recommended newcomers take their time, keep things “simple" and really let their personalities shine.
“Sometimes people think that they always have to be naked and sexual,” Rain advised. “For a new person on cam, start slow, don’t give it all away too fast. Get to know what you’re comfortable with.”
Akira, a huge star with 1.9 million Instagram followers, touted Pornhub’s FanClub platform as a way to charge subscriptions for content.
Adult film actress/director Asa Akira at the 2018 AVN Adult Entertainment Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada.(Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
“It’s my biggest moneymaker,” she said. “Personally, (I’m) not a talker. I am very bad at small talk. I have never cammed.”
Akira, 34, warned the 50 or so people tuning in for the workshop that if they are new to the industry, looking for work during the pandemic, they should carefully consider their options before going online.
“People will find out. Your best friends and your worst enemies will all eventually find out that you’ve done porn,” she said. “The Internet is forever. This is not going to be a secret.”
Michaels told The News she joined the panel because she wanted to give back, especially during a time of so much uncertainty for younger porn performers.
“We’re like athletes. You’re most successful while you’re young and pretty and able. I see myself as being at my peak right now. So now I’m building toward the next step of my career, which is helping others,” she said.
She declined to say how much she personally makes, but speaking as an ambassador for the website FanCentro, she said performers on the site make anywhere from about $500 to more than $30,000 a month.
Michaels said overall her subscription base has continued on its normal upward trend, with new customers coming online making up for her cancellations. She credits her adaptive pricing and upbeat daily content with keeping her revenue steady.
"I know people are struggling. I have family I’m now supporting because they’ve been furloughed or laid off. I can relate heavily to what users are going through,” she said.Maree attended the webinar to hear how successful stars were faring amid the public
“Honestly, I’ve just been in a slump since the lockdown. It’s just really hard to bring myself to get back on camera,” she told The News.
“It was just inspiring to listen to Romi Rain and Asa Akira. When they said they sometimes get depressed too, it was a good reminder we’re all humans and we all have to keep moving forward,” she said.
Maree said her new plan is to get back online May 1 with some new solo content and live-cam work.
“I just hope this ends soon so I can get back to doing custom content with other performers,” she said. “I’ve been taking all the precautions, following all the rules. I just want things to get better and not be stuck at home.”
Online porn traffic surges during coronavirus closures, but for the performers, ‘there’s not a huge pandemic payday’
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Online porn traffic surges during coronavirus closures, but for the performers, ‘there’s not a huge pandemic payday’
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