3 ms·

> One recent estimate suggests a 50th percentile OnlyFans performer takes home a mere $43 a month. I worked for a large cam site (on the tech side of things) a

> One recent estimate suggests a 50th percentile OnlyFans performer takes home a mere $43 a month. I worked for a large cam site (on the tech side of things) a while back and this is something I wish people realized. There really are a some models bringing in tens of thousands of dollars a month, but they are few and far between. Often times these girls (I say girls because I never saw a single male performer come close to that amount) were either super niche or mildly famous before joining the site and in either case they treated camming like a full time job. I've seen people talk about girls on OF making hundreds of thousands of dollars a month and while I'm sure some are, I wish people would understand how few are actually making that amount. In the same way that it's possible to "move to Hollywood and get discovered while working tables", it's technically possible, but it requires a lot of work and even more luck. Also, similar to freelancing sites, you're competing with (and being undercut by) people from around the world. A huge number of the women on our site were from South America or Eastern Europe earning what would be below average wages in the US, but more than enough for them to live off of. Personally, I have zero problem sex work (clearly, based on my work history), but we still live in a time where many people do. I just want people to be aware of what they are getting themselves into. What goes on the internet stays there forever and you are extremely unlikely to make enough money on these sites to never have to work again. I doubt many people on here are planning on getting into sex work, but I think it needs to more publicized how much of pipe dream "earning $10000 a week" is on these sites.

timw0j 6y ago
> I've seen people talk about girls on OF making hundreds of thousands of dollars a month and while I'm sure some are, I wish people would understand how few are actually making that amount. I think this is the same result of people who look at Twitch and think they can be the next Ninja or Shroud. Yes, there are people on Twitch that make many thousands of dollars a month. The odds of becoming one of those people is vanishingly low for someone starting out fresh, and it takes many years to build up to that point. These are people who spend 8+ hours in front of a camera interacting with a live audience, 6-7 days a week, not to mention all of the things that happen in the background. Joe Shmoe in his house, streaming a couple hours a night when he gets off work, is likely not going to make it.
- fxtentacle 6y ago
  Fully agree. Also, quite a lot of those streamers that later become successful are starting out with expensive specialized equipment and/or a house that looks like a movie set. I'd say by now, Instagram and YouTube are more like hobbies for bored kids of rich parents.
fxtentacle 6y ago
I think it's the same with us developers and app stores, or with indie games in general. You always hear about the top performers, and you always hear the average (skewed by high-earning outliers). But you never hear the median, because that's what would honestly tell you how much revenue you could expect.

timw0j 6y ago

> I've seen people talk about girls on OF making hundreds of thousands of dollars a month and while I'm sure some are, I wish people would understand how few are actually making that amount. I think this is the same result of people who look at Twitch and think they can be the next Ninja or Shroud. Yes, there are people on Twitch that make many thousands of dollars a month. The odds of becoming one of those people is vanishingly low for someone starting out fresh, and it takes many years to build up to that point. These are people who spend 8+ hours in front of a camera interacting with a live audience, 6-7 days a week, not to mention all of the things that happen in the background. Joe Shmoe in his house, streaming a couple hours a night when he gets off work, is likely not going to make it.

fxtentacle 6y ago
Fully agree. Also, quite a lot of those streamers that later become successful are starting out with expensive specialized equipment and/or a house that looks like a movie set. I'd say by now, Instagram and YouTube are more like hobbies for bored kids of rich parents.

fxtentacle 6y ago

I think it's the same with us developers and app stores, or with indie games in general. You always hear about the top performers, and you always hear the average (skewed by high-earning outliers). But you never hear the median, because that's what would honestly tell you how much revenue you could expect.