I have spoken to Devon Lee, Abby Rode, and Rachel Star just to name a few and they all confirmed what has been discussed here: The porn companies are shooting much less than they used to. Not only because of the economy but because of the explosion of free content that is available on the multitude of different TUBE sites. Carmella Bing is a perfect example of how quickly things can change for the girls. She used to live in Vegas in a huge house with a mortgage of more than $5,000 dollars. She now lives in Los Angeles for substantially less. She admitted that she regretted that she wasn't smarter with her money. Her situation isn't unique. The good thing about Carmella is that she escorted (or as she called it hooking) before she started doing porn, so she feels totally comfortable providing. What tickles me are the girls like Devon Michaels, Gianna Michaels, and Jill Kelly who claimed they would never escort, only to turn around and take the plunge after they reached a certain age or their phone stops ringing as much as it used to.
It's to the point now where non escortin porn stars are becoming far and few between. I'm patiently waiting for my all time fave (Christy Canyon)to take the plunge. I GUARANTEE you this is bound to happen soon. She will probably be availabe deep under the radar, but available nonetheless.
I don't see it getting any better, even if the economy returns to it's pre-recession days. Like the music industry, the cat is out of the bag and unless someone comes up with a sure fire way to protect their content and the channels that content is available through, it's too late.
As far as I'm concerned, Viva la differance with the 'broadening' of the porn industry to include amateurs, hot moms, college cuties, etc. The old stuff had gotten way to glossy and predictable. The porn of 20 or 30 years ago had a natural, sexy edge to it. That of the last 5 years was looking pre-fab, boring, and repetitious. Great technically, but no nasty.
Now if we can just get the escort world to get a little more 'amateur'. Four hundred bucks for fake boobs and some real clock watching and a non-service mood on many Southern California providers, atleast. I think this whole let's put on 3 rubbers, so I don't catch a disease thing and the big profit motive have ruined the fun that can go along with sex, even rented sex.
I think sometimes porn stars get unfairly criticized for spending alot of their earnings, but when you read the attached article, you'll be surprised that even people with very high earnings & professional money managers do the same...
From the article:
•By the time they have been retired for two years, 78% of former NFL players have gone bankrupt or are under financial stress because of joblessness or divorce.
•Within five years of retirement, an estimated 60% of former NBA players are broke.
There are a couple current stars I'd absolutely love to see, who, to my knowledge are not currently providing....Then again, I'm ONLY booking certain type of appts. anymore, so just being with a star in & of itself doesn't do anything for me....
i'd like to know who are the "financial advisors" that work these girls (or NFL guys)?
a lesson i learned long time ago (the needlessly hard way) is to always manage your own finances. never trust a professional with your money (even if he works for Fidelity!)
girls, i'm so totally serious, take the reigns yourselves. believe me, it's not hard and they want you to think it's too hard for you to do it on your own. but this is the BIG LIE perpetrated by the financial services industry (without it they'd go broke)
DIY
that if you're into bling, designer threads, fast cars, flashy cribs and piles of blow (etc) then it really doesn't matter who handles your money! LOL
in all seriousness, it's not hard (once you school yourselves)
Turns out Christy Canyon is pretty much set with Playboy radio, so for the immediate future she won't be providing. This explains why she hasn't taken the plunge yet. But, never say never.
I am not sure the suitcase pimps, agents, or drug dealers that inert themselves into many of the ladies lives are all that interested in the long term physical or economic health of these ladies. Sadly the industry much like exotic dancing gives young woman a way to make some quick cash but is not exactly a long term career move.
I can speak personally about what happens when a single 24 year old who likes to party starts making $100k plus a year. It can be a pretty quick decline. But I have highly sought after skills that are not completely associated with my looks.
Most professional PS's or even pro athletes are pretty much done by the time they crash hard. For the most part they will not be making more money doing the same thing when they are 30 let alone 40. They are simply unable to recover from the mistakes they have made.
Just look at Michael Vick. He was worth $50mm 4 years ago. He then did some awful stupid crap and lost it all. The thing is while many of us can go on to bigger and better things and make up for our mistakes of youth. Vick only has a few years left to recover then boom it is over. Plus Vick has incredible physical talent. Maybe top 1% athletically in pro sports.
It is sad because I know so many dancers that were raking in cash when they were in their early twenties. Now they have kids with dead beat dads and have to use food stamps. They start realizing that the "cool" guys they hung out with at age 22 are pretty much losers at age 32.
Yes of course there are those that were ya know "working their way through college" but that is a very small percentage. Even though 9 out of ten dancers say they are.
So honestly I don't want to see Jill Kelly for less than $1,000 an hour. Only because anyone who has had that big of a fall is not always going to be real happy with their new situation in life. It is depressing regardless of who you are. Plus I checked her out on IMLive recently and she looks a bit worse for wear.
I partially agree. Real financial advisers, properly certified and licensed, can be a great help in navigation complex financial laws and regulations, and in finding quality investments. However, no matter how much or how little you make they should never be followed blindly, or allowed independent control of your finances. If you don't understand what they are recommending and the relative risk, you either need to ask more questions, do your own research, or put it back in a savings account.
When I say this I mean on some of the decisions they make when they are in porn..For example not seeing certain guys because of race, turning down scenes because of what was offered financially, way they mismanage their money, taking bad advice from people who should not even be giving them advice,etc..
As my one friend who is male talent and a producer says "If you are a lady in porn and you are average looking to just pretty than you have to be downright nasty to survive"..
D
Among his addictions: strips clubs. $20K a week sometimes.
20K a week on strip clubs is, in my opinion, a misuse of funds.
I have been to that strip club several times. Many porn stars feature dance while there on tour and it is hard to believe that anyone can spend much on dancers. I am not saying it is impossible, but, had to have gone out of his way to spend that amount.
I've seen it happen with athletes, porn stars and in the high-tech industry when a start-up goes public or is bought. A lot of money and not enough smarts to realize that it ain't gonna keep rolling in the way it does now. To quote the Rolling Stones "I made so much money and I spent it so fast!"
I agree.. Mariah Milano pointed out her experiences and what she notices from other girls on her blog. And even though I did not agree with a lot of what she said on there, she did make a great point about younger girls in the industry not knowing how to spend their money.
Fuck Mariah Milano. I've never seen a more conceited cunt. Just because she has been shooting a fair amount of scenes recently and has a website that is fairly successful, she now thinks that she has the right to look down on her peers who provide. I wonder if she realizes just how costly it is to maintain a website long term or that even a
10-15 percent drop in memberships can really affect the bottom line. And let's not forget about having to pay to shoot content and server and maintenence fees etc....
I left her with this piece of advice: "You are risking alienating POTENTIAL members and fans with your comments, which isn't very smart for anyone trying to maintain and run a website."
I won't go into the text of my other comments. But i'll tell you this: After i got through with her, unlike all other emails that she answered, she declined to respond to this one. Trust me, it will be a LONG time before she opens her stupid trap. How the fuck you gonna criticize other people when you're shooting scenes with grungy ass mother fuckin amateurs in Barber shops and vans for Bang Bros. Fuck outta here.
Hence, the part of her blog that I did not agree with. However, I did read the entire thing so I could intelligently comment on it and she did have a good point buried in there about girls making a lot of money very quickly and spending it and not saving. She even admitted it herself.
first off, i never spoke to you about such things. i went thru all my sent messages and could not find anything on this subject to you at all. Which makes me ask... why are you throwing MY name out there.
second, everyone knows the economy sucks including for porn. yes the tube sites aren't helping. but that doesn't mean it sucks for all pornstars! i have had no problems still making this an excellent career. Yes i have multiple things in and out of the industry to make money on. I come out to LA for 1 week out of almost every month, and i'm booked just fine, and trust me my b/g rate is in the top of the highest paid pornstars. I'M NOT BRAGGING BY ANY MEANS! so please don't take it that way. I have just been very careful about the decisions i have made and it's paid off in a big way. Every girl could be in the exact position i'm in as well. they just choose to go a different route...
third, it's SO NOT COOL that you are putting Camella's PERSONAL info on blast to everyone on TER. surely you can understand what PRIVACY means. if she wanted everyone to know her business she would post it on here. GUYS PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S IMPORTANT TO KEEP THINGS TO YOURSELF!
fourth, you have no idea why girls change their minds about escorting or not escorting! I know 1 of them personally and it's nothing like what you are making it out to be! AGAIN NOT COOL
and last but not least, please get ALL your facts straight before you go on here making "pornstars" look like the are starving for money, and will now do anything to make a buck. don't judge people when you have never walked in their shoes!
TREAT OTHERS THE WAY YOU WANT TO BE TREATED!
I'm not trying to be a bitch in any way, and if i took your message wrong then please correct me on it. i'm just calling it like i see it. I'm not trying to start trouble, i just hate the way the TER boards seem to be taking a turn for the worst all the time!
frustrated,
Rachel Starr
Rachel,
Thanks for your comments and for your participation on this board. When the actual PSE's reply and give their opinions, it helps many of us understand just who they really are and what type of person they are.
When the ladies contribute on this board, it is not taking a turn for the worse.
I'm sure that Mod Eddie would be in full agreement.
Agreed and thanks for the post. The assumption is that others who aren't making that kind of money (i.e. the average joe) would better manage the big $$, especially if we were 20. If that were true there wouldn't be so many people behind the 8 ball right now in debt.
Wow! Seems like i opened up a helluva can of worms here. However, after going back and reading my original post, i feel the need to set the record straight on a few things. First, Rachel was not in fact one of the providers i spoke with concerning the industry downturn. I got her confused with someone else. Second, I was way out of line for calling out Carmella since she is such a sweet person and not deserving of having her business put out in the open. Besides, she's doing just FINE despite earlier mistakes, because, like Rachel, she is a bright resourceful woman who knows how to stand on her own 2 feet. Last but not least, i didn't intend to convey that most porn stars are irresponsible with their finances. Engaging in blanket generalizations never yields positive results. Hell, if i was having as much money thrown at me the way these girls are, and at such an early age, i would probably be pretty damn irresponsible too.
stereotypes are what hurts porn so bad in the first place, so thanks you for seeing your mistake, ADMITTING YOUR MISTAKE, and correcting your mistake.
it says a lot about you to be able to man up and post for everyone to see that you didn't have the facts straight.
kisses
though i would like to touch YOU with my 1/2 foot pole! 
but just to touch on this a little (which i may soon regret!) i think the main point of this thread is that you may not be "coming to LA every week out of the month" FOREVER
if you already know this and have planned for it, then good for you, you got nothing to worry about!
respectfully
Rachel Starr I have to agree with you babe. I as well don't ever remember speaking to this guy about anything and I don't thinks its cool when he or any other person puts info about a pornstar on here. Work may be slower then it was when i first got into the biz but that was 6 years ago so to be expected cause i am not the new chic in town. I know one of them personaly as well and e says she escorts but i can tell you she does not. I have known her for 13 years. SHAME on those who are stupid enough to not speak the facts.
xoxo Devon Lee
Why exactly do people feel the need to open a new "State of the porn industry," "downturn in porn industry," etc. thread every week (if not multiple times per week)? Other than trying to name drop, which is called into serious question by Rachel's informative response), is there anything new in this post that wasn't in the similar post from last week, or the week before that, or the week before that....? Y
es, the economy still sucks generally.
Yes, the porn industry has still been hit hard by the economy and the tube sites.
Yes, some girls in porn are still struggling to find the same amount of work and/or maintain the lifestyle they had established when the money was flowing.
Yes, more girls are still escorting to help supplement their income.
Yes, some (probably too many) on this Board are still complaining about the escorting rates.
Yes, many of the PSE's who post here, like Rachel, still have reason to be frustrated.
And, yes, if I could afford it at the moment, I would absolutely love to see Rachel again.
So what exactly has changed that required a new thread to rehash all the same stuff?
If all the talk about this economic downturn are correct why haven't we seen a drop in porn star rates? I see the same old rates (some even higher). I am I missing something here?