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OK I watch porn. Lots of it, over decades. But I've never come close to getting to the end of the free stuff. Why buy bottled water when the good stuff is raini

OK I watch porn. Lots of it, over decades. But I've never come close to getting to the end of the free stuff. Why buy bottled water when the good stuff is raining down and you just have to face up and open your mouth? I get that it's a big industry and lots of people do pay. If you're one could you explain this odd phenomenon? It seems like it's mostly the same actors doing the same things that I see gratis. Maybe I'm just revealing my lack of fine discrimination. Same goes for downloading torrents even for free. It's the same stuff you see going directly to dozens or hundreds of sites, for free. Maybe you get 70 minutes of it but watch just 12. Even without considering possible legal liability, why bother?

lordnacho 3y ago
> ... face up and open your mouth? Are you watching it right now? Anyway you're right, it makes no sense to me now that there's streaming. Why wold you ever be caught with anything on your machine, or in your house? We are actually the first generation since the invention of clay pots to avoid the awkward problem of discovering your kids' porn collection.
dfxm12 3y ago
the good stuff is raining down and you just have to face up and open your mouth? Kinky ;) I think two things, first, these people downloading videos from torrents might not be aware what they're doing is illegal (and it might not even actually be illegal - just because a lawyer sends you a letter, it doesn't mean you're breaking the law...). Second, if you like a particular porn star, you want to see their videos, and porn is star driven. It's the same reason Jordans cost so much more than your average sneaker and people line up for them. It's the same reason why Taylor Swift tickets cost so much more than Pink tickets, etc.
latchkey 3y ago
A while back, I worked for a porn company for 4 years (Kink). People bought it because they wanted to support it. They wanted to feel like they were part of a community and get access to stuff hot off the press. There were people who were fans of the directors and models. Similar to how people go see movies by a certain director when they are released. There was definitely a high rate of churn (people who would only pay for a month at a time), but there were also the whales who would buy up subscriptions to all of the sites we had. We also innovated live pay per minute in HD. No other way to get it without paying for it.
- PrimeMcFly 3y ago
  > No other way to get it without paying for it. Other than waiting for someone to record and upload it on xvideos
  - latchkey 3y ago
    "Live"... people want to be able to write messages to the model and have them perform actions "just for them". Recording it isn't the same.
    - PrimeMcFly 3y ago
      True, fair point.
- tetris11 3y ago
  In some ways, the ultimate loot box.
- justinator 3y ago
  I had no idea that there were star directors.
  - latchkey 3y ago
    Some of them were also models. The whole AVN Expo world is all about this. Awards, shows, etc...
- thomastjeffery 3y ago
  I don't think it's necessary to categorize whales as addicts. Some people simply have more disposable income. Sure, there are a few with obsessive and unhealthy habits, but are they addicted to the porn or the spending? Either way, "addict" is such a loaded word - especially in the context of porn - that it's just not really useful.
  - latchkey 3y ago
bsbdbkeks66554 3y ago
video quality and UX
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
thomastjeffery 3y ago
Porn studios are niche markets. They pick an aesthetic, a few camera angles, a "plot", and then record the same scene with every actor they can afford to. So if you have been watching porn for a decade or two, and you know exactly what scratches the itch, then you can drop $30 or so to get more of just that. And if you are bad enough with your finances to let that subscription charge a few extra months, that can add up to a very good profit. And maybe you just really appreciate a studio! Maybe you like the way they work with talent. Maybe you are tired of the "mainstream" trends, and want to vote with your wallet. If you think of porn subscription more like a donation model, it makes plenty of sense. -- And then there is VR. A good-bitrate 7K video looks incredible, but it's also pretty huge. Piracy just isn't competitive yet. -- Finally, there are webcam services. You can't pirate interaction. That's really all there is to it.
globular-toast 3y ago
You have to remember that for some people porn isn't just about scratching an itch, it's plugging a much bigger void in their life.
tennisflyi 3y ago
The water analogy works both ways. People buy Dasani, Smartwater, Fuji, and the ilk until kingdom come - people want shit that works, they know what they’re getting, and they know it’ll be their tomorrow, and maybe support

lordnacho 3y ago

> ... face up and open your mouth? Are you watching it right now? Anyway you're right, it makes no sense to me now that there's streaming. Why wold you ever be caught with anything on your machine, or in your house? We are actually the first generation since the invention of clay pots to avoid the awkward problem of discovering your kids' porn collection.

dfxm12 3y ago

the good stuff is raining down and you just have to face up and open your mouth? Kinky ;) I think two things, first, these people downloading videos from torrents might not be aware what they're doing is illegal (and it might not even actually be illegal - just because a lawyer sends you a letter, it doesn't mean you're breaking the law...). Second, if you like a particular porn star, you want to see their videos, and porn is star driven. It's the same reason Jordans cost so much more than your average sneaker and people line up for them. It's the same reason why Taylor Swift tickets cost so much more than Pink tickets, etc.

latchkey 3y ago

A while back, I worked for a porn company for 4 years (Kink). People bought it because they wanted to support it. They wanted to feel like they were part of a community and get access to stuff hot off the press. There were people who were fans of the directors and models. Similar to how people go see movies by a certain director when they are released. There was definitely a high rate of churn (people who would only pay for a month at a time), but there were also the whales who would buy up subscriptions to all of the sites we had. We also innovated live pay per minute in HD. No other way to get it without paying for it.

PrimeMcFly 3y ago
> No other way to get it without paying for it. Other than waiting for someone to record and upload it on xvideos
- latchkey 3y ago
  "Live"... people want to be able to write messages to the model and have them perform actions "just for them". Recording it isn't the same.
  - PrimeMcFly 3y ago
    True, fair point.
tetris11 3y ago
In some ways, the ultimate loot box.
justinator 3y ago
I had no idea that there were star directors.
- latchkey 3y ago
  Some of them were also models. The whole AVN Expo world is all about this. Awards, shows, etc...
thomastjeffery 3y ago
I don't think it's necessary to categorize whales as addicts. Some people simply have more disposable income. Sure, there are a few with obsessive and unhealthy habits, but are they addicted to the porn or the spending? Either way, "addict" is such a loaded word - especially in the context of porn - that it's just not really useful.
- latchkey 3y ago

bsbdbkeks66554 3y ago

video quality and UX

deleted 3y ago

[deleted]

thomastjeffery 3y ago

Porn studios are niche markets. They pick an aesthetic, a few camera angles, a "plot", and then record the same scene with every actor they can afford to. So if you have been watching porn for a decade or two, and you know exactly what scratches the itch, then you can drop $30 or so to get more of just that. And if you are bad enough with your finances to let that subscription charge a few extra months, that can add up to a very good profit. And maybe you just really appreciate a studio! Maybe you like the way they work with talent. Maybe you are tired of the "mainstream" trends, and want to vote with your wallet. If you think of porn subscription more like a donation model, it makes plenty of sense. -- And then there is VR. A good-bitrate 7K video looks incredible, but it's also pretty huge. Piracy just isn't competitive yet. -- Finally, there are webcam services. You can't pirate interaction. That's really all there is to it.

globular-toast 3y ago

You have to remember that for some people porn isn't just about scratching an itch, it's plugging a much bigger void in their life.

tennisflyi 3y ago

The water analogy works both ways. People buy Dasani, Smartwater, Fuji, and the ilk until kingdom come - people want shit that works, they know what they’re getting, and they know it’ll be their tomorrow, and maybe support