(Note: This article may be considered basic information for some in the industry) I suspect that this work stoppage may continue for more than the 10 days then most people are expecting. If the United States’ outbreak is anything like the outbreak in Europe, the industry might have to close for another 60-90 days. Also, some performers that have refused the penicillin shot will certainly have to wait 90 days to resume work. Most people I have talked to are in a relative panic already do to the downturn. How can talent and producers survive an extended period of not producing content ?
New business models will have to be explored and boundaries might have to be expanded for both producers and performers. I have numerous clients in the fetish side of the market, however, many hardcore sex performers and producers rarely try out these other avenues of revenues. Clips4Sale.com ( http://clips4sale.com/do/list ) is one site that can be easily mined for revenue, even with existing content including boy-girl. They have more categories of different types of fetishes then I can possibly cover many of which do not require any type of sexual interaction between performers. There are other downloadable clips sites other then Clips4Sale as well. I have known producers and models that have earned several thousand dollars a month from a successful store on Clips4Sale.
If you are “sitting” on scenes, now would be the time to edit those and start making money from that content. As a performer or producer you can easily have a store up and running in as little as a day. Promoting that content on Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites would naturally drive traffic to your store.
Now is also an excellent time to learn and understand affiliate marketing in porn. As a performer you probably have appeared in dozens of scenes. It is time that you earn affiliate referral income from those scenes. Most large pornsites, including Manwin, BangBros and Naughty America will let you sign up and promote your own scenes. Once you sign up as an affiliate you will be provided a link code. You can use that link code on Twitter, Facebook or any other social media sites to push traffic to your scenes. If one of those people that click on your link signs up for the website you are promoting you will receive a cut of the membership fee. You can usually choose a larger one time payment or up to 50% of the total membership price paid for each month the person you referred remains a member. Most choose the one time payment since it is a larger amount and many people unsubscribe from a pornsite within the first 30 days and few actually rebill and continue their membership.
Another way to harness the power of your fan base is to link your Twitter page to an Amazon Wish List. I am not really sure why expensive gifts are necessary during a work stoppage however one producer suggested that performers should ask their fans to buy them Target or Ralph’s gift cards in order to buy food and basically necessities. (Note: Personally I do not like the idea of Amazon Wish Lists but I would be remiss not to mention them in this article.)
If you are a performer you may also want to finally consider starting your own membership website. However, that is a long range project that can be expensive to begin so it might not be within everyone’s budget right now. However, those performer’s and content producers that do have their own websites will have a much easier time during a period of work stoppage.
As a female, it is much easier to survive a lengthy work stoppage then male talent or even a small producer. For women, there are numerous opportunities to earn income without having to perform in a sex scene with a partner. The obvious is that a female performer can still shoot solo scenes. As discussed earlier this might also be a good time to explore possibilities as a fetish performer. Many fetish shoots do not require sex or even nudity. Not every fetish producer is Kink.com. Some fetish producers will shoot foot, leg, smoking or even small penis humiliation videos.
Another possible source of income for female (and male) talent is webcamming. If you aren’t webcamming yet I strongly suggest that you try it. Sites such as Streamate.com, ImLive.com, Naked.com and MyFreeCams.com seem to be the most popular now but there are dozens of others. Some webcam models can earn thousands per week on webcam. Even earning a few hundred a day should keep the rent and utilities paid each month if this shut down extends beyond 10 days. You will need an Internet connection, a computer with a webcam and a room where you can webcam and not be disturbed during the show. You can literally sign up in the morning and be approved by that night and start earning money. You might want to sign up for several sites and log in to different ones to test the traffic and earning opportunities. Again Twitter can be a way to announce your shows and to drive traffic to your camshows.
Of course there is the old pornstar standby – dancing at a strip club. Depending on where you live there might even be one close to your house. As a performer/pornstar it might be easy to get hired. You would be a natural “draw” for the club since they might not have any other performers/pornstars dancing there already. You can usually complete all the necessary paperwork within a few hours and be on stage as quickly as the same night. Las Vegas is always a favorite destination of most pornstars to dance. There is usually more money to be earned in Las Vegas as a dancer then almost every other city. Even in Los Angeles, it is often better to travel to Las Vegas to dance then try to dance in a local club. However, in Las Vegas your expenses including stage fees will be higher especially if you also have to pay to get there and for a place to stay once you do. However, with football season returning and summer ending Las Vegas should get busy again once the seminar and conference season starts in late September. Again, using Twitter and Facebook may draw fans to your performances.
For male performers it is a much different situation, unless of course you are comfortable with webcamming for other men (there might be some female clients but not likely) and/or doing fetish shoots. Usually, though in fetish shoots, the male talent tend to be submissive to the women when the scene does not involve sex. If male talent doesn’t mind being tied up and whipped, for example, there is still money to earned as a submissive model in fetish shoots.
If male talent has the body and can dance, he can try to join a male review. However, I suspect it is much more difficult for a man to break into that particular industry. There are less male shows, even in Las Vegas, then female only strip bars and the number of performances is also greatly reduced.
A male talent does have numerous contacts with female performers though, as do producers. It might be an opportune time to start a webcam studio for solo girls. If you have the equipment for production you then also have the equipment to set up a small webcam studio and begin broadcasting through one of the many camsites list above. How you set up paying talent is your choice. Most pay the female performers a percentage of what they earn during the show while others pay the female performers a flat rate or even hourly. Managing a webcam solo girl webcam studio may not be terribly exciting for male talent but it is a way to earn income during a work stoppage. Please also be aware of possible film permit laws in regards to operating a webcam studio though.
Whichever path you choose you can earn income during any period of work stoppage. It is time to stop depending solely on getting booked for shoots and take responsibility for generating your own income. Many performers spend hours on Twitter developing followers that far exceed even movie and television stars. It is time you harness that “star power” and generate your own income and be independent. If you can survive a work stoppage in the industry you can not only extend your career, you can become more “picky” about your scenes as well as take time off for your own personal reasons.
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