The Porn Recession: Which Studio Will Close Next?

Remember Jet Set? And Black Scorpion (which became Black Rat)? And all those other studios that were semi-popular just a few years ago? Well, they’re gone, and we’re likely to see a few more studios shutter in the next year or two if things continue as they are. Because, as many have said, the golden era of gay porn is long gone.

Gone are the days of expensive productions, lavish budgets, and high pay for the biggest porn stars, some of whom even commanded five-figure paychecks for a single movie once upon a time.

While some studios like Falcon, Lucas, NakedSword, Men.com, and most recently Titan are still signing exclusive models, and Men.com produces a buttload (sorry) of content every week, studios have zero trouble finding fresh talent these days, with amateur models clamoring to get in the business from all sides — even though the pay isn’t that great anymore.

Sword co-founder Michael Stabile spoke to this topic a couple of years ago in Salon, and now Dazed covers the “porn recession,” getting quotes from UK Hot Jocks owner and model JP Dubois, and model Adam Russo.

The glut of models also means that there isn’t necessarily enough work for established stars either.

Says Dubois:

“We may pay the guys the very best but if we don’t have the scenes to give them then it’s not beneficial. Genuine porn consumers who want the latest stuff with the latest guys and the best quality will still pay for porn. But the fact that less people think that way means there’s less money to hand out to the guys… I almost feel like it’s a recession-type thing where it will filter down and there will be no money left for porn and a load of studios will shut up shop.”

Says Russo:

“I consider the porn as a promotional tool [for escorting]. People want you more. People want to see me because now I am Adam Russo. People were like, ‘I watch you all the time’ and they had to see me in person. I see a lot more guys escorting in general. They tell me they’ve been writing to the studios and haven’t heard anything back and I’m like, ‘Good luck with that.’ There’s a lot of people that try to escort in the same way that people try to do porn. Just because you think you can do it does not mean you can.”

So, who’ll be next?

[Dazed Digital]

14 thoughts on “The Porn Recession: Which Studio Will Close Next?”

  1. Here’s an idea. Stop giving work to straight guys who demand big bucks to take dick. Give jobs to true gay guys who want the escort work. There are plenty of straight acting macho gay guys available for all the self-hating homos who want their fantasies “straight”.

    1. Amen! Especially when they turn around and stab us in the back or in the case of the recent gay4pay guy they stab us to death.

  2. The huge turn off for me is when i see a porn star who is manly, and then i see a video and he is the opposite, take Logan Mccree. In the films he is a power top who is covered in tattoos but in real life he is a vegan, pussy, who whines and crys why the world of gay is pissed that he is a switch hitter. Like one of the other guys said this is about fantasy, it ruins the fantasy if we know the masculine muscle tattoo power bull is actually a vegan, pussy with the voice of tweety bird and the mannerism of a 12 year old girl.

  3. Most porn “stars” are disgusting these days. Porn should be a fantasy, not filled with homely gays you’d find at a gay bar in Indiana.

    1. “Should be,” perhaps, but clearly somebody out there is (allegedly) paying to see “homely guys,” just not you.

  4. There’s a lot more competition out there. Notice how Hollywood studio movies has suffered while episodic television has had a renaissance. Things change and anything can happen. So who knows…

  5. Well… blame grindr and social media. Instead of watching it, people are making it or really getting sexually active. Plus these porns nowadays are wack too. No one is feeling these wack porn actors that blogs like this one constantly overrate and hype then when you see the actual porn, it’s boring as shit. Folks don’t even put on a show.

  6. Maybe a lot of these studios charge too much? And a yearly rate doesn’t help me! I joined Randy Blue 4 years ago and have not regretted one minute of it.

  7. The abundance of free porn means that fewer people will pay money to subscribe to Studios. There may also be fewer gay men watching gay porn as gay people become more assimilated into their communities and have other recreational interests.

  8. why pay for it when:
    1) the amateur stuff on xtube is way hotter than the studio stuff
    2) the “stars” filming their off set exploits is hotter than the studio stuff
    3) the “stars” are less likable meaning, we know to much about their personal lives and many of them are assholes
    4) its the same shit every scene
    5) too many people in the industry
    do I really need to go on?
    Stop trying to make every hot guy you come across a porn star, tell you current “stars” to shut the fuck up.

    1. Amateur stuff is too hit and miss and you have to put up with the 15 second clip crap to find those few diamonds in the rough that are good and longer than a minute or two.

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