The Atlantic: Micropayments Won't Work for Porn

WASHINGTON — Reacting to ICM Registry CEO Stuart Lawley’s plan in a Bloomberg Businessweek article that would provide iTunes-like porn clips for 99 cents as a way to save the beleaguered adult industry from the blight of free porn, The Atlantic reported that adopting these methods may not be a panacea.

Drawing a comparison to the music business and big media companies that have benfitted some from charging for smaller bites of content, the Atlantic said however that porn is a different animal altogether.

“Comparing your business plan to Apple is pretty standard corporate trope these days, but in the case of porn, the iTunes analogy is hopelessly inapt. Here's the problem: Pornography is mostly a commodity product. Music is not."

The article went on to explain, "People have favorite bands and expect a certain level of production value in their music. Bruce Springsteen devotees aren't just as happy listening to Bob Seger or an a cappella rendition of ‘Born In the USA.’ It's at least a little rarer to have favorite porn stars. And the audiences aren't demonstrably sensitive to production values. Worse yet, the tools for do-it-yourself filming are improving every time Apple upgrades the iPhone's video camera."

Getting people to pay for porn at all is a tough proposition, the magazine stated, citing that even mainstream media companies are having a hard time with the micropayment model.

Because there’s so much free porn, the story expounded, users would rather seek out the free stuff rather than even pay a small amount.

“What holds for journalism in this case holds for sex. In both cases, the competition is so broad that customers are likely to go elsewhere rather than pay. There are, obviously, exceptions in the case of newspapers — the Wall Street Journal has a profitable paywall, and the New York Times appears to be having some early success with its own. But that might be cold comfort for the adult entertainment world,” the article said.

Related:  

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Tiffani Time Makes Her WIFEY Debut

Newly crowned XMA Creator Awards Rising Clip Creator Tiffani Time stars with her husband Benfit and Jax Slayher in the latest release from Vixen Media Group studio imprint WIFEY.

Karmen Karma Stars in Latest From Ricky's Room

Karmen Karma stars in the latest release from Ricky's Room, titled "A Long Time Cumming."

FSC Publishes Analysis of Federal Trade Commission Event Promoting AV

Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has published an analysis of a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) event held this week that promoted age verification among other forms of speech regulation.

Cubbi Thompson Makes Her Jules Jordan Debut

Cubbi Thompson has made her Jules Jordan debut alongside Lexington Steele in the studio's latest release.

Seth Gamble Drops Trailer for Upcoming Feature 'Once Upon a Time in the Valley'

Multi-XMAs winner Seth Gamble has released the trailer for his upcoming Wicked Pictures feature, "Once Upon a Time in the Valley."

Ryan Reid Stars in Latest From Brazzers

Ryan Reid stars with Damon Dice in “A Day in the Life,” from Brazzers.

Andylynn Payne Toplines Joey Silvera's 'Trans-Active 30'

Andylynn Payne headlines director Joey Silvera’s “Trans-Active 30” from Evil Angel.

Violet Myers, Megan Faith Star in Latest From Slayed

Reigning XMAs Premium Social Creator of the Year Violet Myers stars with Megan Faith in the latest release from Vixen Media Group studio imprint Slayed.

Coco Bae Returns to Brazzers

Coco Bae stars with Danny D. in the latest release from Brazzers, titled “The Cock Collector.”

GirlsDoPorn Owner Michael Pratt Pleads Guilty to Sex Trafficking

Michael Pratt, former owner of the rogue website GirlsDoPorn, pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California on Thursday to sex trafficking and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking charges, according to a report by City News Service.

Show More