Every 
year, there’s a flood of new actresses who enter the porn world.
Most wash out quickly, but those who quickly amass a fan base can find some longevity. Those fans are the key to success, as studios look for sure bets and tend to invest more in films starring those actresses.
It’s 
a Las Vegas ritual.
Every January, the adult entertainment industry converges on Sin City with its biggest stars in tow for the Adult Entertainment Expo. Tagging along are dozens of companies hoping to be the next big things in porn. And don’t forget the thousands of fans.
Porn, 
goes the legend, is a technological bellwether. It was a chief reason the consumer world adopted VHS tapes instead of Beta, and it embraced putting content online long before the movie or music industries.
But when it comes to monetizing that digital content, the adult industry has fallen behind. While Apple, Netflix and other services were able to persuade customers to pay for songs and programming that were once regularly stolen, porn companies have seen their industry spiral, devastated by piracy.
2013 
couldn’t have gone much worse for the porn industry.
The DVD business, once the lifeblood of adult film producers, dwindled even further. Legal challenges over mandatory condom laws continued to dog the industry. And porn companies were forced to shut down production three times after four performers tested positive for HIV.
The 
porn world loves new superstars almost as much as it loves a comeback story.
That, at least in part, is why the industry’s top stars change so frequently. Fans love to find new performers, but when their old favorites return in front of the camera, the loyalty they retain is something that would make any business envious.
With the industry’s annual expo underway in Las Vegas this week, we’ve once again assembled a list of the most popular female porn stars. Like last year, though, the number of return appearances is minimal. Only three of the actors who appeared on 2013’s list are back this year, though two who fell off after 2012 have returned.
Every 
January, the adult entertainment industry converges on Las Vegas, bringing its biggest stars, new companies hoping to break into the big time, and thousands upon thousands of fans.
It’s a carnival of flesh — with films looping hardcore scenes, women in barely-there outfits and lingerie, and people jostling in line to get a moment, perhaps a smile and a hug, from their favorite actress (or, occasionally, actor).
The Adult Entertainment Expo (AEE) is also a place where deals are signed. Toy companies court distributors to carry their new lines and big mergers have been known to happen here.
While the industry’s most ardent fans make a pilgrimage here each year, not everyone is able to make the trip. For those people, here’s a slice of life in a day at the porn show.
Only 
a couple years ago, anyone in search of adult novelties had to brave the local porn store or hop online and hope the packaging was discreet. But times have changed – and quickly.
Today, you’re just as likely to find a vibrator at your local drug store, local mall or Wal-Mart. And they’re likely to become even more prevalent in the years to come.
It’s 
not just porn films that have been disrupted by the Internet. It’s porn stars, too.
Ten – or even five – years ago, the highest earners of porn were the actresses whose names marqueed big films. Today, they’re more likely to be models who will never perform a hard core sex scene on camera – and whose face will never appear on a DVD cover.
Porn, 
historically, has been an industry that caters to the male audience. Women weren’t interested in the product – or so the theory went.
But 2012 saw books like “50 Shades of Grey” and films like “Magic Mike” strike a chord with women. And the porn industry was ready to welcome those readers and viewers to the next level.
Now 
that voters in Los Angeles have passed a resolution mandating condoms be worn in any adult films shot in the county, porn companies are scrambling to fight the law.
Among their arguments is that the presence of prophylactics ruins the fantasy elements of their films – and that using them will cause further declines in already slumping DVD sales. But that reasoning conveniently ignores Wicked Pictures. Since the late 1990s, the studio has been using condoms in all of its films, yet it is still one of the biggest filmmakers in the porn industry.
Chris Morris: Journalist 