The New York Times does a deep dive today into the latest media outlet for adult content, OnlyFans.
As many know, the website allows fans of models or performers (insert whatever term you like) to subscribe to private content that might be too explicit for social media.
The monthly fees generally range from $5 to $20, with the performer taking an 80% cut of the monthly fees.
Along the way, the article talks to former go-go dancer and all-around hottie, Matthew Camp, about his perspective on sharing his content on the site.
“Basically, OnlyFans is online go-go dancing,” said Camp.
Ten years ago, the daddy/twink/bear/boy was making $1,000 on a good night at New York City gay clubs and events. Naturally, he caught the eye of porn studios like Lucas Entertainment.
Camp tells the Times that the idea of “having sex for money is appealing,” but he thought $1,000 or so seemed low for video clips that would live forever on the internet, dubbing him a ‘porn star’ for life.
Instead, he worked to develop a steadily growing following on the more PG-13 Instagram platform garnering well over 500,000 followers.
As the NYC gay club landscape began to dry up, he headed upstate to Hudson, New York, and opened an OnlyFans account.
Even though he would sometimes go weeks without posting new video or photo content, the 34-year-old tells the Times he was taking banking over $10,000 a month.
In addition to the regular content, OnlyFans allows private communication between the performers and fans, who can request anything from birthday wishes to specific ‘themed’ photos or video clips.
And now, Camp is branching out to another subscription-based platform by launching an online radio show via DNR Studios called “Happie Camper,” where fans can join him 3 times a week for a fee of $6.95 a month. It’s a live radio show where you can call in and ask questions as Camp chats with folks like Chris “Leave Britney Alone” Crocker and Cameron Rose.
For many of the content creators, the secret to increased success isn’t always having the most “explicit” content but being regular with posting new video or photos.
The Times notes that the most successful ‘fitness model’ on the site, Australian Jem Wolfe, has 10,000 fans paying $10 monthly for access to her content. But, according to the Times, she mostly “shows off her Kardashianesque proportions, squatting in really tight leggings and squeezing her breasts together, strategically covering her nipples.”
For folks who are fascinated by how the internet continues to shake up old business models and creates new ones, the Times article by Jacob Bernstein is a must-read.
The journalist goes into topics like how webcamming led to the current OnlyFans concept, and the hurdle of not having an app for OnlyFans because the content is too racy to pass muster for the Apple Store.
Instinct covered the recent banning of overt sexual imagery by Tumblr because the social media platform was threatened with being dropped from app stores.
Camp explains how OnlyFans and its opportunities for one-on-one interaction with performers makes for a better experience than plain raunch.
“Tumblr was filled with the most extreme sexual experiences you could see,” said Camp. “And I think a lot of people were turned off by that. It’s not what they’re looking for. They want more intimate experiences. They want a boyfriend experience. They want to fantasize about someone that they want to have sex with and not feel disgusted by it.”
Head over to The New York Times for the full article, and you can check out my chat with Mr. Matthew Camp below where we discuss how OnlyFans is allowing adult performers to control their own content.
