Quote:
Originally posted by barryf
Porn customers can be divided into (at least) two categories:
1. The people who fall for a particular star and only want to see her
2. The people who get bored easily and want to see a different girl every time
The first group is your market for "porn star" content, and the second is your market for "fresh meat" content. Most people actually probably like a little of each. But my point is that because of the first group, porn stars will never be obsolete.
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This industry probably has the least priority for building "stars."
It's like the situation with the music business, only worse--make what you can with the product now. It isn't about building anyone's careers. And now that an entire generation of girls has grown up thinking porn is "cool," there are more willing to do it than ever before.
Ten years ago, a new girl in the business would shoot for a few people, develop a following, and work her way to higher profile adult videos. Some made kink and dirty sex their specialty.
Now, most every girl I see coming into this business in So. Cal is shooting with some pretty edgy companies. Your average porn consumer may lust after a girl who does gagging and gangbangs, but I don't think they acquire the same loyalty that the Ginger Lynn's, Brittany O'Connell's, and Jenna Jameson's have had.
Statistically, I think if you look at any "star," most jumped the shark around their first DP or gangbang. The smarter ones held out for the right price, and in most cases, they never did much after that. In the mid-90's, it was a huge deal to get one of the bigger names and have them in gangbang video or doing something dirty for the first time on camera. And it cost a pretty penny.
For better or worse, many producers push to take it further with new girls from their first scene. No demand is built up, so the price is relatively low--and most figure "hey, what do these girls know about the going rate for anal or creampie scenes?"
"Fresh meat" is winning--the overhead is lower. It is no different than any other industry. Porn has become like fast food--sell as much as possible while keeping the costs low. McDonald's workers would have an easier time forming an effective union than girls in this business would. And while I find it sad to say, many operations have as much respect for their workers as the fast food industry does for slaughterhouse cows--fittingly, many naive girls have that same stunned, frightened look. LOL.
I think Vivid will continue its hold, and an elite A-list may emerge. But if you were to look at the numbers and odds, your chances would be higher entering the legitimate acting world or pursuing a music career.
The porn A-list will be like the World Wrestling Entertainment -- there are slots for a handful of megastars and a half-dozen potential megastars. If the potential ones don't catch on or the megastars can't hold their popularity, they're out.
In wrestling, with no WCW, ECW, or competing franchises, it's back to the minor leagues...
With porn, the same thing has happened where you will have a few "stars" who rise in each niche, and the rest who fall into the vast wasteland. There is too much clutter to support a healthy in-between for those who are in front of the camera and quickly lose marketable worth.