SeanCody: Caden (II)

Rico says:

I’ve decided to reconcile myself to the economic realities of gay porn. (Bryan at CM has addressed this issue a few times in his write-ups.) There just isn’t the money in gay porn that there used to be. Overhead costs such as airfares and hotels have risen, the poorly recovering economy has taken its toll on subscriptions (how many of you who perpetually harp about SC’s shortcomings actually subscribe to the site? I do and Corbin Fisher and CM.), the proliferation of gay sites all competing for the same dollars, and, sorry I have to mention it, “piracy” of content. The major studios are using the owners’ primary residences for the majority of their shooting (and in some cases for housing models)–thus making a large part of their mortgage a business expense exempt from taxes. (Good business sense but boring for those of us tired of seeing the same old couch, pool table, bed, etc.) “Locals” are being overused to defer travel expenses. When models are flown in, they’re used in multiple vids–and we complain about seeing these guys way too often. There are fewer “exclusive models,” usually our favs, and there is just less money available to offer the kinds of incentives it takes to get some of the “straighter” guys to jump into full-blown gay sex which will be circulating on the internet until “the end of days.” And as much as many of us like to watch BB scenes, me included, I fully understand why some performers would prefer to make less money performing in a safer condom-use environment.

All of these issues weren’t as problematic back in the “glory days” of Sean Cody and Corbin Fisher when condoms prevailed and there wasn’t the competition there is today. So we get a universally acclaimed alpha-top like Abe, who probably demanded more $$$ because he recognized his appeal to gay audiences, and Sean Cody says, “No, we don’t want to set that precedent,” and invents some story about Abe’s disappearance due to poor behavior at a hotel…and no more Abe but lots of appearances by lesser-liked “regulars.” Just wish studios would be a little more upfront about their challenges and far more aggressive in their recruiting and vetting of models. My rant has ended, go in peace.

CA says:

September 18, 2014 at 2:51 pm

@Rico, I think you are absolutely correct. Piracy I think is the real killer of gay porn. As much of a moneymaker the internet became for porn in the 00’s, it ultimately has fucked them up the ass slowly over the last 5 with the uncontrollable amount of piracy out there. I am a longtime subscriber of Sean Cody with no hiatus over 10 plus years, but I am certain I am one of the very few. I’m sure 75% of the commenters on here don’t have a subscription with a majority of those people downloading the scenes illegally.

swim400 says:

September 18, 2014 at 2:53 pm

not a rant at all. makes sense to me.

johnrt says:

September 18, 2014 at 7:46 pm

Good post, not a rant, just your views on the state of things. Although there are a huge number of sites Sean Cody and Corbin Fisher remain the best , although not as good as they were a few years ago. Not even close is CM, which can be really good, or awful depending on the update. I’ve had Sean Cody for about 8 years, had Corbin Fisher for 6 before it went way downhill. Now due to Corbin Fisher very high sub price, it will take a while for me to go back. My CM sub is not consistent because the quality there is also extremely inconsistent (Bryan should consider that when he complains about things.) Understand the challenges they face, but, all anyone wants is value for the $$ we pay. I would hope that consistent quality updates would mean that consistent subscriber rates are maintained, even with the challenges studios face.

Riley says:

September 20, 2014 at 4:08 am

What Rico said :)