During a seminar titled “Convergence, Crossover, and Diversification” at the Vegas Internext convention in January, panelists like HotMovies.com founder Richard Cohen, New Sensations Vice President Sean Holland, MeatCash President Arthur Chang, and Matrix Content’s Norman Bentley discussed their visions for the future of Internet porn, addressing such topics as the importance of content exclusivity, the differences in pricing structures and sale techniques between webmasters and offline pornographers, and how the rise of iPod porn might affect both camps.
This was the key seminar of the convention, the one that addressed Internext’s theme for this year: convergence. Yet, it was the least compelling seminar of the entire week. Certainly, the topics were relevant enough, and the panelists seemed to be appropriately knowledgeable in stuff like how offline video companies can succeed on the Internet and vice versa, but there was just something missing—that elusive spark that turns an ordinary seminar into one that makes your ears prick up and leads you to the edge of your seat. Finally, as the seminar came to a close, it dawned on me that nobody had addressed the Gay Factor.
After being thrust into the world of Internet porn a little more than a year ago – after spending the majority of my time in adult entertainment writing about brick-and-mortar companies – I have come to realize that the gay companies are eclipsing many others in the movement toward convergence. In fact, when it comes to offline pornographers looking to take their businesses online, nobody has done it nearly as well as “the gays.”
Chi Chi LaRue’s Channel 1 Releasing was the first gay video company to establish a successful Web-specific presence. Rather than just repurposing existing footage for online streaming and slapping up the requisite online store to buy videos, Channel 1’s LiveandRaw.com has conquered the Internet by offering daily live shows featuring exclusive models from LaRue’s Rascal Video, creating a 24/7 voyeur cam site (the now-defunct LiveandRawHotel.com), and, most recently, launching Live and Raw On the Go, which offers free content to mobile users who are already members of the LiveandRaw site. This is, of course, in addition to Channel 1 On Demand, which hosts an extensive library of Rascal titles for (you guessed it) online streaming.
Ever since Channel 1’s success, many other gay companies have jumped on the bandwagon to varying degrees. Falcon Studios launched FalconTV.com, which hosts several live shows featuring Falcon models, while Michael Lucas’ Lucas Entertainment has also excelled by offering its members access to several bonus scenes that can’t be found on the retail versions of his titles (not to mention Lucas’ oft-inflammatory blog, LucasBlog.com). Other video companies are quickly following suit. Meanwhile, several Internet sites are venturing into more traditional waters, offering DVD versions of their content and acquiring even more customers in the process.
How is it that the gay companies are taking the initiative in the convergence movement? And why isn’t there a straight equivalent to Channel 1 Releasing? Many merchants like to point out that gay porn fans are rabidly loyal to adult companies (and especially to their favorite porn idols), but I don’t know if fans of, say, Jenna Jameson are any less rabidly devoted. Gays have traditionally been the dominant force in creativity and the arts, but succeeding in online integration is more about marketing ingenuity than creativity. So, where are gay companies succeeding that straight companies have yet to tread? Are gay pornographers simply more industrious than straight ones? I don’t see any proof to that effect. And yet, there they are, raking in the profits and drawing even more attention to their video lines.
Indeed, the proof is in the pink pudding, folks. The days of coasting along on reputation alone are over. There’s a revolution going on out there, and it’s not Wicked or Vivid or Red Light District leading the way. In fact, it would behoove straight companies to follow the example of their gay colleagues and give their customers a little more bang for their buck. After all, you don’t want to be shown up by a bunch of gays, do you?
