Originally Posted by BigFurry

Thommy is right, online porn has become a lot more professional. To make money as an affiliate, publisher, or product owner, you have to be a professional.

But I think Paul Markham has a point in this discussion too, and some people are quick to dismiss whatever he says.

This hasn't come up on this conversation, but the tube model still relies on using stolen content and DMCA being weak. Tube site owners don't like to talk about this, but their whole business relies on the weak DMCA copyright mechanism, letting them add full-length videos without really having to be afraid of anything.

I know some people who are talented, running profitable affiliate sites. They tried to build tube sites with only legal content. They failed. They couldn't get enough ad revenue without full-length vids. The visitors, hence the engagement metrics, hence search engine algorithms all favor the tubes that are full of stolen full-length videos.

Tubes are piggybacking off quality content being produced for OTHER CHANNELS. Tubes get the content for free (affiliate videos, stolen videos), then use the ad space next to the videos for ad networks and cam sites. This is not a sustainable model. It can work for 5 years, 10, maybe 15, as long as people keep giving them videos in hope of some return, and the others fail to enforce copyright.
Shitty mass produced $1 nonexclusive videos are good for filler content, but they won't make a tube popular and keep the visitors coming back.

There might be some exceptions, big tubes who can live off their brand names now, or even produce some quality videos. But for most tubes, the things above apply.

If you look at the bigger picture, piracy has always been profitable. Pirate sites = making other people's paid content available to the public for free.
Torrent trackers and file sharing sites also make a huge profit. Just look at Kim Dotcom.
Are torrent trackers / file sharing sites that different from tubes? They are somewhat different, but very similar in their business model. Guess what, ad networks' and cam sites' ads are also all over those other pirate sites.

Can you imagine how profitable it would be to create tubes with full-length Hollywood movies, and sell the ad space next to them? You could make millions. It's a great business model. But you can't make one, because it's illegal, it will get you in jail. The copyright laws ARE enforced in that space.

Something being profitable & being operated professionally does not mean it's a sustainable business model. Lots of scams (eg. spamming, card banging) are run by smart and professional people, but that doesn't make them right or make their business models the future of their industries. (Not saying that tubes are a scam.)

All that said, I have nothing against tubes, and not accusing anyone of anything. This is just how I see things. I understand the current situation in adult, and work with it. I think media buying is awesome and I admire people working in it. I might even give it a try. Thommy's posts are some of the best on GFY.

I just don't think it's right to call profiting off piracy / relying on weak copyright laws the future of adult business.