Telecommuting
is shaking up the porn industry.
Camgirls—models who earn their living by stripping (and more) in front of a computer webcam for hundreds of people watching live online—are taking advantage of the Internet’s freedoms to work anywhere.
Until
fairly recently, the business model for adult entertainment performers was simple: Agents handled their business arrangements, and that was that.
But as the industry consolidates and develops new outlets, a different kind of star is appearing—one in charge of her own destiny. Though independent players are still somewhat rare (agents continue to represent most performers), a few big names are starting to branch out on their own.
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.