Cams News

MyFreeCams

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, sex workers who have gone online to make a living are discovering the market is saturated with performers, whilst at the same time many subscribers are canceling their subscriptions due to their own financial concerns.

According to Newsweek reporter Ewan Palmer's article , established online performers are losing customers or receiving less money from fans who are experiencing their own financial struggles as the economy continues to spiral downward. As many go online to make ends meet, those without an existing online profile are finding a glut of performers and difficulty trying to break in.

In addition, American sex workers are barred from the government's effort to help small businesses whose incomes were severely impacted by the pandemic. The Small Business Association's Economic Injury Disaster Program prohibits anyone who presents live performances of a prurient sexual nature or derives their income from the sale of products or services, or the presentation of any depictions or displays, of a prurient sexual nature from receiving benefits.

Julie Bindel is a British anti-porn campaigner. She has had a whinge about OnlyFans website in the Spectator. She writes:

OnlyFans.com (OF) is the latest kid on the block to be billed as a safe, consequence-free way of selling sex and home-grown porn that empowers women. The social media site is similar to Instagram, but users pay to subscribe to creators' feeds.

The top earners on OF are women whose subscribers are male. These men pay between £5 to £20 a month to view images considered too pornographic for Instagram. Subscribers can also direct message women and pay tips to get personalised videos or photos, depending on his individual sexual tastes.

OF is a huge money machine and is doing extremely well during the Covid-19 lockdown. It now has around 17.5 million users worldwide and over 70,000 content creators, who have received over $150 million (£119 million) since its launch. Content providers keep 80% of their income, while the company takes the remaining 20%.

OnlyFans' subscription-based model has led some to claim that it is somehow empowering women. Outlets like the New York Times say it has put X-rated entertainment in the hands of its entertainers and means content creators perform fewer sex acts. Others think that because OF has reduced physical sexual exploitation, it does not put women in danger.

But of course Bindel disagrees, and should you want to read her see article from spectator.co.uk

As a result of Covid-19 free chat sites are seeing an influx of new customers. In a time of social distancing, cam sites offer an enjoyable way to get personal whilst staying safe.

Cam sites are growing overnight, even more than they already have. Be it new cam girls or just loads of new viewers and users, free video chat sites are hitting on all cylinders at the current time.

Free chat sites like Chaturbate, MyFreeCams.com , and Streamate are seeing huge bumps in users.

Porn and the adult industry as a whole are relatively immune to economic downturns because as people get laid off they tend to want to get laid more. They consume more paid sex services and products as a whole. Be it premium porn sites (a dying industry) or the current generation of internet porn; live sex webcam shows, porn usage goes up in rough times.

California State Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, author of the mean minded AB5 bill which uses new standards to classify California workers as either employees or independent contractors, is working on a new bill, AB1850, which is expected to include language that would clarify the employment status of adult industry performers, such as cam models, who utilize video streaming platforms.

The AB5 standards, known as the ABC Test and the Borello Test , have caused confusion, particularly among California-based adult webcam models, as to whether AB5 would reclassify them as employees, even when they have no employer.

Last week California Assemblywoman Christina Garcia introduced Bill AB2389, initally she received support from adult trade groups and Lorena Gonzalez but this support has now ebbed away after realising just how onerous the law would be.

As reported by XBIZ, several adult organizations, including APAG and the Free Speech Coalition, vocally criticized AB2389. Eventually, Gonzalez announced she would pull her name from the legislation, and IEAU issued a formal apology for its participation in its drafting.