Internet Porn is Killing Porn
Flaccid revenues and sagging sales are killing the adult entertainment industry, and there’s no happy ending in sight.
Banks are going belly up and the auto industry has broken down. But that’s nothing compared to the crisis engulfing our nation’s porn stars. One of America’s most treasured assets is going down, and not for the usual reasons.
Why? The evil InterWebs, which make it possible to watch any combination of humans and/or animals copulate for free.
(Not that we have any personal knowledge of this. Everything we know about porn we learned by watching Larry King.)
According to a report in the Los Angeles Times:
A growing abundance of free content on the Internet is undercutting consumers’ willingness to pay for porn, and with it the ability of many workers to earn a living in the business. … Whereas online piracy has forced big changes in the music industry and is starting to affect movies and television, it has upended adult entertainment.
The Times quotes Mark Spiegler, head of the Spiegler Girls talent agency, who says: “We’ve gone through recessions before, but we’ve never been hit from every side like this.”
(With the possible exception of Ava Devine in 3 Cocks or More Make Me a Gang Bang Whore, who was definitely upended and hit from every side.)
The Times’ report details how “actress” Savannah Stern (seen in that lovely upskirt photo, right) has been through some hard times, and not in the usual way.
The 23-year-old’s annual income has dropped from $150K to $50K. She’s had to trade in her Mercedes Benz CLK 350 for her parents’ used Chevy Trailblazer. Worse, she finds herself occasionally forced to have sex for free.
Adult star Rock Nodules, who’s played the pizza delivery guy in more than 7,000 adult films, has been forced to take a day job as, yes, a pizza delivery guy.
Some in the industry have called for the Obama administration to intervene.
“The porn industry is too big to fail,” says adult films producer Hank E. Pankee (not his real name). “Certainly that’s true in the case of Ron Jeremy. We must act now if we want to preserve this rich heritage for future generations to come.”
Pankee and others are calling for a Federal bailout for porn modeled after the controversial Cash for Clunkers program. Called “Flash for Fluffers,” it would provide tax rebates to the hard-working talent who give their all, day and night, in and out, over and over, just so millions of Americans can masturbate.
Barring that, industry pros are hopeful that pocket porn – adult content delivered via cell phone – will help lift the industry’s limp prospects.
“I sure hope that’s true,” adds Stern. “I’m really looking forward to getting back off my feet again.”
Photos: Ester Goldberg, Ann Johansson / For The Times
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