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WORLD THE INDUSTRY SOURCE FOR THE DIGITAL MEDIA MARKET SEPTEMBER 2014 | WWW.XBIZ.COM

Mobile in Europe

Solutions Man

WIA Woman of Month

CHERRY MEDIA’S JULIA DIMAMBRO ON EUROPE’S MOBILE MARKET PAGE 32

EXECUTIVE SEAT Q&A WITH ADXPANSION’S NIGEL WILLIAMS PAGE 40

LAURA CEBRIÁN, JUICYADS’ EUROPEAN ACCOUNT SPECIALIST PAGE 47

Decision Expected Soon in 2257 Appeal

ALSO INSIDE WORLD

SPECIAL FOCUS

Legal Reality u Acquiring music rights for adult content PAGE 12

FSC Optimistic That It Will Prevail

HILADELPHIA — Adult entertainment trade group Free Speech Coalition and other co-plaintiffs last month filed a reply brief with the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeal, asking for the case to be remanded back to the trial court with instructions to enter a judgment declaring 18 U.S.C. §§ 2257 and 2257A unconstitutional under the First and Fourth Amendments. Jeffrey Douglas, the FSC’s board chair, told XBIZ that “the trial court’s opinion was a grave disappointment, but we are optimistic about the appeal.”

New Google Policy u The HTTPS protocol now a reward PAGE 52

Mr. Skin’s 15th Year u This anniversary is a special one PAGES 47, 94

Starts on Page 30

} SEE COMPLETE STORY, PAGE 58

QUICK INDEX OPINION LEGAL REALITY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 TRANSACTION TRUTHS . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 TRICKS OF THE TRADE . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 RE: THINK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 TRAFFIC CLICKS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 PAYSITE POWER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 REACHING YOUR TARGET . . . . . . . . . . 24 BUSINESS & THE BLONDE . . . . . . . . . 26

MARKET WATCH BUSINESS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 TECHNOLOGY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 TRAFFIC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 MOBILE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 LAW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 STUDIO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 GAY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

OTHER DEPARTMENTS WEB DEPOT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 THE INDEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

Q&A PRESIDENTIAL SUITE

Calif. Condom Bill Stalls, But Will It Be Back?

AN FRANCISCO — The cloud of dust has settled over AB 1576, the piece of legislation that would have required mandatory condom usage on adult film sets in California. The bill died last month after legislators voted to not move it out of committee, essentially killing it. But will it, or something like it, be back?

CATHY BEADSLEY

SegPay CEO Is Always Planning Ahead PAGE 28

} SEE COMPLETE STORY, PAGE 58

Skype Deal

MPA3 Enterprise

MODELCENTRO CONNECTS WITH SKYPRIVATE PAGE 42

MANSION PRODUCTIONS HAS CUT ITS LICENSING FEE FOR ITS MPA3 ENTERPRISE VERSION. PAGE 50

Another Choice WEBMASTER CENTRAL OFFERS CONTENT COMPATIBLE WITH CHROMECAST PAGE 50

INSIDE XBIZ WORLD September 2014

CONTENTS

Swaying the Processing Biz CCBILL’S GARY JACKSON SAYS CONSUMER BEHAVIORS, TECHNOLOGIES AND REGIONAL REGULATIONS REALLY MATTER PAGE 14

Looking at Tour Optimization ELEVATED X’S AJ HALL OFFERS A FIVE-STEP PROCESS TO HELP GUIDE YOUR PAYSITE’S GROWTH PAGE 22

The New Age of SEPA EURO-ZONE COUNTRIES HAVE MOVED FORWARD WITH THE SWITCH TO SEPA FOR CREDIT TRANSFERS AND DIRECT DEBITS PAGE 44

XBIZ EU Notebook

UKAP HAS ANNOUNCED THE 2014 UKAP AWARDS AT THE LONDON UNDERGROUND PARTY, COINCIDING WITH XBIZ EU PAGE 45

Twitter’s Analytics LAUREN MACEWEN OF 7 VEILS.COM’S OFFERS KEY TIPS AND THINGS TO CONTEMPLATE REGARDING TWITTER’S ANALYTICS PAGE 50

Plight of Porn THE PORN INDUSTRY COULD TAKE ITS MOTTO FROM CHARLES DICKENS: “IT WAS THE BEST OF TIMES, IT WAS THE WORST OF TIMES” PAGE 66

Moratorium Called Off

THE INDUSTRY-WIDE MORATORIUM DUE TO A POTENTIAL POSITIVE HIV CASE IN THE PERFORMER POOL HAS BEEN LIFTED PAGE 66

Trouble With War Machine WAR MACHINE, ARRESTED ON SUSPICION OF BEATING ADULT PERFORMER CHRISTY MACK, COULD SPEND UP TO 32 YEARS IN PRISON PAGE 70

Falcon’s Annual VIP Party THE FALCON STUDIOS GROUP ANNUAL VIP PARTY WILL INCLUDE AN APPEARANCE BY FAMED PORN DIRECTOR AND DJ CHI CHI LARUE PAGE 73

WEB DEPOT

14 6 XBIZ WORLD SEPTEMBER 2014

reviews of useful web-based tools pages 88

n CSS REMOVE AND COMBINE, ANDROMO, BITCOINJS AND WAVOSAUR

September 2014

THE OPENER

VOL. 10, NO. 9

Editor’s Note

BIZ World this month WORLD takes readers across the Atlantic for an analysis of the European online adult market, with emphasis in the billing, traffic, live adult weQ&A bcam and mobile spaces. We’ve interviewed the top leader in their respective fields for this issue to give you a better overview on how business succeeds in Europe. The European Issue works in tandem with the upcoming international digital media conference, XBIZ EU. We’ll be discussing many of these topics, as well as the latest troubles with censorship in the U.K. at XBIZ EU in central London later this month. The XBIZ EU international digital media conference is set to draw leading U.K., European and American industry players on Sept. 25-28 for three days of education, networking and business opportunities, as well as parties, including the London Underground Party. This year, UKAP joined forces with XBIZ and the grassroots anticensorship and sexual freedoms campaign group Sex & Censorship to host the 2014 version of its anTHE INDUSTRY SOURCE FOR THE DIGITAL MEDIA MARKET SEPTEMBER 2014 | WWW.XBIZ.COM

Mobile in Europe

CHERRY MEDIA’S JULIA DIMAMBRO ON EUROPE’S MOBILE MARKET PAGE 32

ALSO INSIDE

WORLD

SPECIAL FOCUS

Legal Reality

Acquiring music rights for adult content PAGE 12

New Google Policy

The HTTPS protocol now a reward PAGE 52

Mr. Skin’s 15th Year

This anniversary is a special one PAGES 47, 94

QUICK INDEX

Starts on Page 30

PRESIDENTIAL SUITE

OPINION

LEGAL REALITY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 TRANSACTION TRUTHS . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 TRICKS OF THE TRADE . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 RE: THINK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 TRAFFIC CLICKS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 PAYSITE POWER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 REACHING YOUR TARGET . . . . . . . . . . 24 BUSINESS & THE BLONDE . . . . . . . . . 26

MARKET WATCH

BUSINESS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 TECHNOLOGY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 TRAFFIC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 MOBILE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 LAW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 STUDIO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 GAY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

OTHER DEPARTMENTS

WEB DEPOT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 THE INDEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

CATHY BEADSLEY

SegPay CEO Is Always Planning Ahead PAGE 28

nual industry awards event at the London Underground Party. Decision September's Expected issue of XBIZ Soon in 2257 Appeal World also features two interviews P with SegPay's Cathy Beardsley and AdXpansion's Calif. Condom Bill Stalls, But Nigel Williams — Will It Be Back? S two very interesting personalities that know how to move mountains in their respective sectors and companies. We also take a close look at some of the hot topics of the month in our news pages, including Google's new policy that makes the HTTPS protocol a reward, condom measure AB 1576, the called-off porn moratorium and ATVOD's "Urban Cell" case where the U.K. communications co-regulator was trumped. We indeed hope you enjoy this edition of XBIZ World, and we also hope to see you in London for XBIZ EU at the Hilton London Metropole Hotel. Solutions Man

WIA Woman of Month

EXECUTIVE SEAT Q&A WITH ADXPANSION’S NIGEL WILLIAMS PAGE 40

LAURA CEBRIÁN, JUICYADS’ EUROPEAN ACCOUNT SPECIALIST PAGE 47

FSC Optimistic That It Will Prevail

SEE COMPLETE STORY, PAGE 58

Skype Deal

MPA3 Enterprise

MODELCENTRO CONNECTS WITH SKYPRIVATE PAGE 42

MANSION PRODUCTIONS HAS CUT ITS LICENSING FEE FOR ITS MPA3 ENTERPRISE VERSION. PAGE 50

Another Choice

WEBMASTER CENTRAL OFFERS CONTENT COMPATIBLE WITH CHROMECAST PAGE 50

WORLD THE INDUSTRY SOURCE FOR THE DIGITAL MEDIA MARKET PRESIDENT & PUBLISHER ALEC HELMY BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT KRISTEN KAYE ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER, RETAIL SARA RAMIREZ EXECUTIVE EDITORIAL DIRECTOR DON PARRET EXECUTIVE MANAGING EDITOR DAN MILLER ASSOCIATE MANAGING EDITOR ARIANA RODRIGUEZ SENIOR TECHNOLOGY EDITOR STEPHEN YAGIELOWICZ FEATURES EDITOR BOB JOHNSON ASSOCIATE EDITOR LILA GRAY EVENTS DIRECTOR MOE HELMY CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER MIKE ABLE CONTROLLER KRISTINE MARIE GRAPHIC DESIGNER RICK BRENES IT DIRECTOR DAVE SCHULTZ SENIOR WEB DEVELOPER NICK YU SENIOR WEB ADMINISTRATOR ALAN HAWKINS

DON PARRET

EXECUTIVE EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

don@xbiz.com

WEB ADMINISTRATOR JOE FREDERICK MEDIA PRODUCER KRIS BERTRAND ADMINISTRATIVE COORDINATOR SUSIE CALKINS CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Q BOYER STEVEN DARIS AJ HALL ALEX HENDERSON JUICY JAY PETER PHINNEY GREGORY PICCIONELLI STEWART TONGUE ANNA VRADENBURGH

OPINIONS

XBIZ WORLD COLUMNISTS FEATURED THIS MONTH

PHOTOGRAPHY F.U.B.A.R. XBIZ WORLD (ISSN 1949-3347) IS PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY ADNET MEDIA AT 5042 WILSHIRE BLVD., NO. 487, LOS ANGELES, CA 90036. TELEPHONE: (310) 820-0228. FAX: (310) 734-1577. THE ADVERTISER IS SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR ADVERTISING CONTENT, INCLUDING PHOTOS AND/OR ARTWORK, SUBMITTED FOR ADVERTISEMENT AND SHALL INDEMNIFY THE PUBLISHER FROM ANY LEGAL ACTIONS RESULTING FROM STATEMENTS, PHOTOS OR ARTWORK PRINTED IN THEIR AD DUE TO COPYRIGHT AND TRADEMARK INFRINGEMENT, LACK OF PROPER RELEASES, AGE VERIFICATION, IDENTITY AND LIBEL.

Greg Piccionelli discusses acquiring appropriate music rights. Page 12

Gary Jackson weighs in on consumers, technologies and regional regulations. Page 14

Jiz Lee offers “best practices” for adult content trades and shares. Page 16

Q Boyer takes look at the semantic grappling when discussing the porn biz. Page 18

ADVERTISING SALES@XBIZ.COM OR CALL (310) 820-0228, EXT. 702 CHANGE OF ADDRESS ADMINISTRATION@XBIZ.COM NEWS TIPS, LETTERS EDITORS@XBIZ.COM

CONNECT WITH US www.xbiz.net/editors www.facebook.com www.twitter.com/xbiz m.xbiz.com www.xbiz.com/rss

Felipe Rodrigues has seven tips for real-time traffic bidding success. Page 20

AJ Hall offers a triedand-true system to help guide paysite growth. Page 22

8 XBIZ WORLD SEPTEMBER 2014

Judy Shalom gives pointers on exploiting revenue possibilities. Page 24

Juicy Jay takes a keen look at Montreal, the poutine capital. Page 26

wia

womeninadult.com

BY GREGORY A. PICCIONELLI

Legal Reality

Sound Music Deals £ The Importance of Acquiring the Appropriate Music Rights

“

usic is a big part of just about every kind of entertainment. It is, for example, an integral component of most motion picture productions from mega-budget movies to micro budget indie films. Even a relatively large segment of adult videos include music. Online, the use of music is exploding all over the web. From YouTube content, to online games, to the music playing in virtual world discos, music has become an integral feature of many types of web sites and other online services. For example, music is being used with increasing frequency in web ads, site tours and in online promos for an ever-increasing range of products. Paraphrasing an old Rodgers and Hammerstein song, one might rightly say that the web “is alive with the sound of music.” As a professional musician and composer, I have welcomed the web’s transition from its days as a silent medium. But as an intellectual property attorney I have also recognized that as the Internet and mobile networks began to groove, shake, rock, rattle and hum, a whole new set of legal issues began to emerge regarding the use of music content on the web and in mobile networks. For example, many content producers are simply unaware that legal use of music in content performed via a website or a mobile network, especially if by streaming, will often require the acquisition of certain public performance rights that are not generally needed when the content is distributed solely in the form of physical copies, such as DVDs. As we move toward a future in which music will be as much an integral part of Internet and mobile media as it is currently in the television and radio media, online producers and providers will be required to have a greater understanding of the basic rights involved in the online use of music. One reason is because use of music without appropriate authorization can result in substantial and costly copyright infringement liability. For example, an infringement of a single piece of music could result in liability for up to $150,000 statutory damages per infringed work or actual damages which do not have a monetary limit.

n ‘Royalty-fRee’ music isn’t always what it sounds like

Many content producers, particularly those who come from or are still in the world of DVD product creation make the common mistake that all they have to know about music rights in their products is the fact that they are using Gregory A. Piccionelli is an intellectual property and adult entertainment attorney experienced in Internet matters. He can be reached at Piccionelli & Sarno at (805) 497-5886 or greg@piccionellisarno.com.

1 2 XBIZ WORLD SEPTEMBER 2014

Many content producers are surprised to learn that in some instances the royalty-free music they licensed may not provide them with all the requisite rights they need to freely exploit the motion picture or video content that incorporates the music. music rights required to publicly perform music, and, as a result the company could be sued for copyright infringement for exhibiting the content, even on its own website. When considering licensing royalty free music for use in content that will appear on a publically accessible website or otherwise be publicly performed, such as by cable or satellite broadcast, it is critically important to ascertain whether the license offered by a music licensor expressly includes the right to publicly perform the music. To see why this is the case requires a basic understanding of what “public performance rights” are and who usually has them to license.

n the ‘public peRfoRmance’ Right is one of a bundle of copyRights

so-called “royalty free music.” The term “royalty-free music” commonly refers to stock or “library music” licensed for a single fee, without the need to pay any subsequent royalties. Unfortunately, many content producers are surprised to learn that in some instances the royalty-free music they licensed may not provide them with all the requisite rights they need to freely exploit the motion picture or video content that incorporates the music.

ore than once I have had to address expressions of utter incredulity by content producers after explaining to them that the royalty-free music license for the music they used in their content did not provide them with all the

A copyright in an expressive work, like music, a book or motion picture, is not a single right. It is instead a bundle of rights that are granted by the government to the creator of the work. The following are the exclusive rights granted to a copyright owner under Section 106 of the Copyright Act: 1 To reproduce the copyrighted work in copies or phonorecords; 2 To prepare derivative works based upon the copyrighted work; 3 To distribute copies or phonorecords of the copyrighted work to the public by sale or other transfer of ownership, or by rental, lease, or lending; 4 In the case of literary, musical, dramatic, and choreographic works, pantomimes, and motion pictures and other audiovisual works, to perform the copyrighted work publicly; 5 In the case of literary, musical, dramatic, and choreographic works, pantomimes, and pictorial, graphic, or sculptural works, including the individual images of a motion picture or other audiovisual work, to display the copyrighted work publicly; and, Please see PICCIONELLI, page 76

BY GARY JACKSON

Transaction Truths

The United States of Consumers £ Consumer Behaviors, Technologies and Regional Regulations Sway the Industry

t seems every year during the fall, a lot of attention within our industry shifts to Europe … with good reason. Yes, there are a number of tradeshows many of us attend to network with peers and strengthen and forge business relationships. And there are more than 500 million consumers within the greater European region, so it definitely makes good sense to examine all of the opportunities this market presents. In fact, there has been a fairly big push to focus on “new” markets across the globe during the past few years, and Europe can be a new market to many merchants that got their start elsewhere. In particular, merchants that started in the U.S. can view taking business to Europe as a logical next step in their plans. However, with all of that being said, we cannot forget about the U.S. market! Regardless of where any respective businesses is physically located or headquartered. In the “rush” to reach more consumers and generate more revenues, taking attention away from any one market can be an easy oversight to make. Understanding this, perhaps it’s time to take a closer look at how businesses are set up to sell in, and reach, the United States of Consumers.

n KNOWING THE BASELINE, WATCHING THE TRENDS

It is generally thought that U.S. consumers are willing to spend large amounts for access to large amounts of content. It is also generally thought that U.S. consumers are wellversed in online shopping, comfortable using credit cards for payments, and increasingly turning to mobile devices for making purGary Jackson, managing vice president of sales and Internet markets for CCBill. Since joining CCBill in 2006, he has been a champion for new market segments, notably the gay market, and has been passionate in finding new ways to drive revenue for commerce sites in the online adult industry — for merchants and their affiliates alike. Jackson has been honored in online adult industry with the 2011 Cybersocket Business Person of the Year, the 2012 XBIZ Executive Leadership Award — Web. A Seattle native, his past work includes managing the Academy Awards in 1996 at the L.A. Music Center, as well as performing on Broadway as a professional actor/singer.

14 XBIZ WORLD SEPTEMBER 2014

chases. The question becomes, are all of these statements true? Should they serve as a baseline of sorts for American consumer behaviors? Which of them (if any) are rising trends? According to the 2013 Consumer Payment Choice study performed by TSYS, 41 percent of online shoppers in the U.S. prefer using credit/charge cards to make purchases. Interestingly, this percentage skyrockets to more than 90 percent when examining the amount of U.S. transactions made by U.S. consumers within the CCBill system, year to date. Why the disparity? Likely it is due to a number of factors including one-time purchases versus recurring subscriptions, the nature of high-risk transactions, and mainstream consumer usage of alternatives such as PayPal. But any way you look at it, credit cards have a significant place in the minds of American consumers when it comes to online shopping. Where the trends start to emerge is in the rising acceptance of using mobile devices to buy products and services, and the likelihood of U.S. consumers storing their payment information online.

early half (48 percent) of the TSYS survey respondents made a purchase with a credit card they had on file with the online retailer they use the most. Additionally, more than a quarter of them (28 percent) registered their credit card with the online retailer they use the most. The numbers fall off a bit when it comes to the amount of people that made a card payment on a mo-

bile device, but the correlation should not be overlooked. Consumers that are storing their information digitally could very well be more apt to start buying on their mobile devices. Getting websites and join pages optimized for mobile now can help capture transactions moving forward.

n NAVIGATING THE PRESENT, PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE

Due to the prevalence of credit cards in the U.S. and the supporting banking systems that have been in place really since the 1950s, it should not come as any surprise that many Americans pay online with credit cards. Compounding this behavior is the shear amount of card choices U.S. consumers have, and the mentality to use U.S. payment types to make purchases from anywhere and everywhere. Yes, there are seemingly countless variations of Visa and MasterCard options, but there are also bank debit cards, prepaid cards, and gift cards. With so much plastic in the hands of U.S. consumers, it’s no wonder using cards to buy online has become the norm. And for merchants looking to get into the market or expand their U.S. transactions, it seems the question to ask is does the processing partner handle all of these different payment variations seamlessly? The last thing any business wants is to have a consumer ready to make a purchase, only to lose the sale due to not having the consumer’s preferred payment option available. Please see JACKSON, page 79

BY JIZ LEE

Tricks of the Trade

Just Compensation £ ‘Best Practices’ for Adult Content Trades and Shares

‘D

idn’t you shoot a scene with her? When’s the video going to come out?” Whenever the topic comes up, my porno candle dims a little. This summer marks the second anniversary of one of the hottest performances of my career, and I’m beginning to think the video will never be released. Even worse, I have no one to blame but myself. Don’t get me wrong; despite that sloppy mistake, I have had success. With all great things, there was definitely a learning curve. “Justify My Jiz” (with Wolf Hudson) is one positive example that taught me the long-term financial benefits of shared content. Where a paid shoot only offers a one-time check, owning the rights and revenue of the video on PinkLabel.tv has brought me a steady stream, month after month. I also witnessed how trades can equally benefit new producers. (Our shoot was one of many to help him establish WolfHudsonIsBad.com.) These days, porn performers don’t have to depend solely on being booked with established companies. As the effects of Measure B and online piracy impede major studio productions, some industry trends see performers subsidizing their careers with cam shows, custom videos, Clips4Sale.com studios, and launching their own member sites. Equipment and web technology is becoming increasingly accessible. Performers of any notoriety can grab a camera and do it themselves. You scratch my back; I’ll scratch yours. Looking to learn from my embarrassing mistakes and gain “best-practice” knowledge for the next time, I did what I should have done years ago: I decided to ask around.

n TRADE VS. SHARE Producer, director, and performer, Jimmy Broadway details three types of non-paid content deals: Shared (“where both parties have full and equal use of the content”); Trade or “one-for-one” (“where I shoot a scene for you and you shoot a scene for me”); and, Barter for Services (“where I provide camera, lighting, or location for your scene in exchange for getting you as talent for mine”). With each option, it helps to think outside the box, creating deals that fit individual needs. Multi-talented (and upcoming 2015 XBIZ Awards host) James Deen points out “that compensation can come in many forms other than monitory value.” On the other end of the “James-spectrum,” indie porn star James Darling informs me that he’s done Jiz Lee is a porn performer, an “outsider insider” and a wearer of many hats.

1 6 XBIZ WORLD SEPTEMBER 2014

trades in exchange for expensive toys and fetish gear. And while not a trade, per se, beloved porn star and sapient author Stoya notes a performer tie-in to commercial royalties from her Fleshlight masturbation sleeve (aptly named “Stoya Destroya”). With many different ways to compensate participants, there seems to be a potential for fair deals for every one within the industry.

n A QUESTION OF ETHICS Siri opened her Clip4Sale store in 2012, before launching SiriPornstar.com last year, primarily working with content shares. She’ll occasionally do a content trade when it’s a unique shoot that she wants to own exclusively. She brings up one of the big ethical concerns I have when watching emerging performers trade with producers of established sites. “I don’t share or trade content with people who have much larger methods of distribution than my own — that would create a really wide gap between our profit margins, which I believe is unfair,” says Siri. “That’s why even though I’ve been approached for content share/trade by directors before, I’ve never

agreed to any content sharing/trading with producers who regularly can afford to hire talent for a scene — they would profit from the scene exponentially more than I would.” Siri also warns performers to beware of signs that they could be taken advantage of, and advocates for their autonomy in doing the scenes they want to do. Deals should be equally beneficial to both parties. “Look out for anyone who seems like they’re trying to convince you that you should share content with them, because if they have to do any convincing they’re probably aware that they’re kind of taking advantage of you, or that they will benefit more from it in some way.” As with paid scenes, performers should be comfortable declining a shoot for any reason. “You’re working for free, because you hope to profit from the content, so you should be 100 percent sure that you will love doing the work!” When I asked Stoya about trade ethics, she was quick to point out that “even paid work can be imbalanced with the worker getting the short end of the stick.” Perhaps trade opportunities can offer the potential for a more level playing field. Please see LEE, page 84

BY Q BOYER

Re: Think

Are You a Pornographer? £ A Look at the Semantic Grappling When Industry Folk Seek Classification

t a party a few weeks back, one of my older sisters introduced me to a friend of hers in part by identifying me as “a successful Internet pornographer.” After the obligatory grimace and sigh, I quickly noted that my sister was wrong on at least two fronts in that statement; I’m neither “successful” nor a “pornographer.” What followed was an epic bit of semantic grappling, in which my sister asserted that to the extent that I have used the Internet to promote pornography, it follows that I am a pornographer. I objected on several grounds that my sister dismissed as hair-splitting, but I believe to be important distinctions. There was less disagreement about whether I’m successful; my sister readily conceded that this had been a bit of sisterly rhetorical charity on her part. From the start, I think my sister incorrectly assumed the reason I objected to being called a pornographer is that I’m ashamed of the label, but the truth is I’m simply unworthy of it. As I see it, a pornographer is someone who makes pornography, something I’ve never done — and probably wouldn’t be any good at if I tried. People often scoff at the notion of pornography being an expressive medium, but to the extent that it is expressive, clearly the pornographer is the one whose vision is being realized. It’s also true that in over 17 years working in the adult industry, I’ve never once been on a porn set. The closest I came was serving as a kind of glorified temporary referee at one of those legendary “content shoot parties” that TopBucks hosted back in the day — and even then, it was Ron Jeremy really running the show, while I mostly tried to stay out of the way and keep hotel personnel appropriately in the dark about what was going on inside a couple of their suites. One important caveat to my definition: people who own the companies that make and distribute porn are pornographers, too, even if they have no direct involvement in its creation, like writing the script or barking instructions on-set. At the end of the day, these owners bear much of the legal responsibility (and potential liability) for the creation of the A 16-year veteran of the online adult entertainment industry and long-time XbIZ contributor, Q boyer provides public relations, publicity, consulting and copywriting services to clients that range from adult website operators to mainstream brick and mortar businesses.

18 XBIZ WORLD SEPTEMBER 2014

porn in question, and often hold the copyright as well, so I feel compelled to shoehorn them into the definition on that basis alone. In light of the above facts, I think to call myself a pornographer would be to claim a mantle that’s not mine to hold, and to usurp the rightful place of the pornographers who actually made the porn that I’ve promoted and marketed over the years, and the place of the various owners I’ve called “boss” over the last couple decades, as well.

f course, as a practical matter it’s not particularly relevant whether I consider myself to be a pornographer; what really matters is what other people think. If I change career directions and seek work in another field, will prospective employers even care about such a distinction, or will my history in the adult industry be enough to send my resume to the bottom of the pile, regardless of whether I meet the definition of “pornographer”? Would my work history be the subject of officewide gossip? Would coworkers care, one way or the other? I suspect the answers to those questions would vary a bit from person to person, place to place, but in the main, my hunch is that my sister’s definition would prevail. There’s no question how certain critics of the porn industry would classify me, I think. In the right-proper minds of the folks at Morality in Media, I’m quite sure I’d be considered a

“

I think to call myself a pornographer would be to claim a mantle that’s not mine to hold, and to usurp the rightful place of the pornographers who actually made the porn that I’ve promoted and marketed over the years, and the place of the various owners I’ve called “boss” over the last couple decades, as well.

pornographer — or perhaps worse, an abettor of pornographers, the silver-tongued assistant sitting at Mephistopheles’ right hand, helping to lead astray the world’s few remaining innocents. (Come to think of it, that job description would sound pretty pimp on a resume …. ) Working in other fields before starting in Please see boyer, page 79

BY FILIPE RODRIGUES

Traﬃc Clicks

7 Tips for Real-Time Bidding Success £ Top Traffic Bids Get the Guarantees, But There’s More to the Mechanics

tain quality traffic leading to better conversions.

eal-time bidding (RTB) was first introduced to the online ad industry back in 2009. The aim was to create a more targeted way to advertise digital display ads (CPC, CPM). Advertisers are asked to bid for certain premium ad inventories supplied by publishers via ad networks, who act like a kind of stock exchange. Various advertisers offer different prices for the ad spots and the highest bid wins the space or the first impressions on the publishers channel. These auctions take place in the milliseconds it takes before a page loads — that’s what makes it real time. In it’s simplest form, here is an example, for the CPM model: Advertiser A bids $1.50, Advertiser B bids $1.60, Advertiser C bids $1.52; B wins the bid and therefore he pays $1.60 for the ad space for 1,000 impressions. Some ad networks also offer the SmartCPM model which is a form of dynamic CPM where the system determines the lowest price you will have to pay to get the best position, so using the previous example, but bidding on SmartCPM would give the following result: Advertiser A bids $1.50, Advertiser B bids $1.60, Advertiser C bids $1.52 B wins the bid and therefore he pays $1.53 for the ad space for 1,000 impressions. This system allows you, when used wisely, to save time and guarantees you the best spot at the lowest price. (Note: Be realistic with your budgets as targeting too many impressions with a large bid price and a small budget could increase the chances of an overspend.)

he advantages of RTB benefit both publishers and advertisers. Publishers obtain higher revenues on their inventory by opening up that inventory to a buying market designed to maximize the value of each individual impression. Advertisers get enhanced consumer targeting capabilities and premium ad placements meaning their ad spend goes further as they are not wasting budget on poorly-targeted impressions. Being a top bidder will give you access to the freshest traffic and guarantee you those all important first impressions, but life as always is not as simple as we would like it to be. I am one of ExoClick’s advertiser account managers and I work with advertisers helping them to maximise the impact of their campaigns using RTB. Try out my seven tips on Filipe Rodrigues is an advertising account manager at ExoClick.com.

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n IMPLEMENT YOUR TRACKING PIXEL So how do you ensure that you have the data in front of you to take you to the next stage which is analysing what to bid on? You need to implement a conversion tracking system like tracking pixel. Think of the pixel as a cookie that the ad network’s system can use to give you the metrics you need to analyse and track how your campaign is going. Tracking will allow you to measure as well as predict the ROI and lifetime value of a customer. Tracking also allows you to re-target users.

n ANALYSIS FOR DECISION MAKING In an active, dynamic environment where the competition is very aggressive the key to stay on top is to analyse the information available to you. On ExoClick’s Campaign page for example you can analyse all the necessary metrics to check your goals (conversions) utilise clicks, CTR, impressions and the eCPA to see if your campaign is making money. That way you can judge if the amount you are intending to bid will give you a good return.

n MAKE YOUR BIDDING TARGETED

how to control, manage and maintain your RTB campaigns.

n FIND THE BEST SITES TO BID ON Unless you have already identified the website that you want to bid on I recommend that you first run some campaigns on an ad network with the RON (run-of-network) selection. This initial test will reveal to you which sites will perform/convert better. Now go and study that website as there must be a reason why you are converting better on that site. Maybe its content is perfectly suited to the product you are advertising, it is being constantly updated with fresh content that is driving regular traffic to the site. Although the Alexa ranking is important, if you have a niche product the content on the site will be much more important to you because you will ob-

The more optimisation settings an ad network offers you, means you can really target your campaigns and not waste impressions and click opportunities. You can really play with targeting features to fine tune your campaign to reach quality traffic. But targeting can also help you widen your reach! For example, lets look at language targeting. Say you have a campaign aimed at the French market, instead of just bidding for French traffic why not also bid on French speaking Belgian and/or Canadian traffic? You will be able to reach a broader number of users that you may not have considered before.

n CHOOSE THE RIGHT AD NETWORK

No one likes to work with just anyone! So, choose the best ad network that suits your needs. Investigate, ask around on forums, see the volumes available and the targeting/optimization options offered. A premium RTB platform may be a bit more expensive at first sight, but in the end, it will always be more profitable as you will be accessing a premium service. Not only will there be more quality traffic available but the platform itself will be much better developed.

n HAVE PATIENCE Give RTB time. Not only do you need to learn, but the ad network system also needs Please see RODRIGUES, page 85

BY AJ HALL

Paysite Power

Looking at Tour Optimization £ Here’s a 5-Step Process to Help Guide Your Paysite’s Growth

rompted by recent message board discussions on XBIZ.net, this is the second in a series of articles on paysite optimization. For the purpose of these couple of articles I’m focusing on tour optimiza-

tion exclusively. In most cases there’s more than one right way to do things and what may be the best thing for one web site won’t be the best thing for another. What most people can agree on is that no matter how well someone’s site is selling, there’s no one who will turn down an opportunity to make it sell even better. There’s a lot of temptation to look at competing sites, big brands and sites run by the big cash programs and copy their setups assuming that they’ve already tried everything, tested everything and are using the best setup. This isn’t necessarily a bad assumption to make or a bad baseline starting point for a lot of sites but the reality is that every site and its traffic is different. Because of this, every site owner should go through some form of optimization process in place of or in addition to working off the same base setup used by other successful sites. Optimization is a process that might look something like this:

n DECIDE HOW YOU PLAN TO

ACCOUNT FOR STATS AND TRACK THE RESULTS OF YOUR CHANGES

The old school way is to make a change and then pay attention to sales and site stats over a period of 2-4 weeks and see if there’s any noticeable difference. It’s pretty simple and is still a pretty good option if you’re less technical. The modern method is A/B split-testing of 2 different versions of a web page to contrast changes which is more accurate but also a bit more involved. One of the easiest ways to split-test changes is to use Google Analytics AJ Hall is a 14-year adult industry veteran and CEO of Elevated X Inc., a provider of popular adult site CMS software. Hall has spoken at industry trade shows and is a contributing writer for several trade publications. Elevated X software powers more than 2,000 leading adult sites, has been nominated for more than a dozen industry awards and won the 2012 and 2014 XBIZ Award for Software Company of the Year.

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experiments. Once you get past the initial learning curve, Google Analytics is a very useful tool for testing performance of different versions of a page. If you’re not high tech enough or are overwhelmed by setting up Google Analytics experiments, don’t worry. For more than a decade before this was an option, people tested and optimized things without it and got by just fine.

n DETERMINE YOUR STARTING POINT If your site is converting at a ratio of 1:500 (1 sale for every unique visitor) and your average daily traffic level is 2000 unique visitors, that’s your starting point. It’s always better to test changes with steady traffic levels than during periods of peaks and fluctuations. Starting from a place of consistent sales conversion rates and traffic levels makes for more reliable stats. The result of the first change you make will be measured against these numbers. Once you decide a change has been positive and decide to keep it, the new resulting conversion rate will become your starting point for the next test.

n LOOK AT YOUR SITE OBJECTIVELY AS IF YOU WERE A CONSUMER

Think about what you could be doing differently. Make a list. Next, look at 5 or 6 of your main competitors’ sites. Take note of what they’re doing differently. Make a list. This will give you some ideas of things to test. In next month’s article I’ll go over some of the things pro-level site builders commonly try but my experience has been that it’s best to test based on insights you have into your own customer base. Knowing who your competitors are is helpful but knowing who your customers are and why they’re buying your content will prove far more useful. This information will guide you when making changes to optimize sales, primarily because you can make changes strategically. For example, if you know that your customers buy out of curiosity, you can test site changes that tease more by showing fewer previews, more text or less updates all together. As another example, if you know that your customers are into a certain fetish and are making an impulse buy, you may want to experiment with showing more site Please see HALL, page 78

BY JUDY SHALOM

Reaching Your Target

Sure Ways to Monetize Your Traffic £ Taking Full Control by Exploiting Revenue Possibilities

oday the most common monetization of website traffic is advertising. This is obvious for many, but surprisingly many sites owners still do not know what type of traffic they have, does it mainly consist of web, mobile, or tablet traffic? Is there any other type of traffic on their site, which they currently are not monetizing and how much can they expect to earn from that? In order to get the most revenue from a site it is important to keep track of where your visitors come from, how they act and what usually converts to sales. By using tools such as Google Analytics, you as a website owner can for example see how many visitors came from Google, if they used a mobile phone, tablet, or any other utility and analyze visitors behavior on your site according to that information. This data is an important source of information in order to draw conclusions from the analysis of what type of advertising methods you should offer to your visitors, and how you can increase your revenue even more on a global level. In September 2013, Google rolled out an update on a large scale causing Google Analytics users to no longer see which organic keywords delivers them traffic or conversions, instead now “Not provided” appears for virtually all organic traffic. With these types of changes, the analysis of your website traffic has become much more difficult, but with the help of Google Webmaster Tools combined with AdWords data, this can still be tracked reasonably well and you can still piece together the results of your organic search traffic. While website owners can have access to tools which will allow them to segment their traffic entirely and have a great overview over what they currently have, this is of course only one small step in the monetization process. Actually finding buyers for each and every segment of your traffic, including buyers for traffic of different geo-targets, different devices, different ad methods, etc. can be a daunting task for anyone without the access to a large sales organization. This is where the ad networks come in, ad networks can help you reach that large pool of worldwide advertisers that are interested in your traffic, but who you might never reach on your own. There is a plethora of different ad networks you can use and you can basically use several at once as Judy Shalom is CEO of ADAMO Advertising.

24 XBIZ WORLD SEPTEMBER 2014

well (using alternative codes if your minimum CPM wasn’t reached). This is a feature that is quite popular among ADAMO’s publishers, allowing them to fully control their traffic and maximize their revenue.

hile having an ad network in between you and your advertisers will cost you a certain percentage of your revenue, they also bring a lot of surplus value. Ad networks will always earn you more money in the end, because of their capabilities of working worldwide with local account managers, speaking the local language, which eases the process of selling advertisement on your site to local companies. Ad networks also make sure that you will not sell your inventory under the market price, since most of the ad networks have minimum prices per geo target, per traffic type and per ad method and these minimum prices are based on experience and a view of the bigger picture, combining price knowledge of thousands of sites other than your own. On top of these minimum prices that are being used, most of the ad networks today have some sort of bidding platform implemented. These bidding platforms allow the advertisers to bid against each other for your traffic, essentially creating a fair market value price and earning you the highest rate possi-

ble by filling 100 percent of your available ad inventory with paying ads. Another advantage of using ad networks to help you monetize your traffic is that they help manage the issue of complexity. Having to negotiate all the direct buys yourself, working through the deal and set up processes yourself will cost a lot of time and effort. Imagine that times twenty or thirty for the different types of traffic that you have to sell and having to run everything simultaneously per deal, splitting between different geo targets, devices, etc. you can easily imagine the huge amount of overhead and workload that this will generate. Ad networks will take away these cumbersome processes, taking on the negotiations with the various advertisers, which is an art in itself, allowing you to focus on building up your core business. Choosing the correct partner to help you monetize your traffic can be a difficult choice, especially when there are so many possibilities out there. The best is to choose a couple of ad networks to test and compare, allowing you to also get a feel of the system and how much you can expect to earn with each of them. Also do not forget to talk to the ad networks, they know their capabilities and just by looking at your site they can advise you on the best solutions to maximize your revenue and ultimately grow your business. a

BY JUICY JAY

Business & the Blonde

The Poutine Capital £ Montreal Is the Closest Thing to Europe Without Leaving North Ameria

he day had not started well — a call from my airline at 5 a.m. notifying me that my flight was delayed an hour, forcing a missed connection. Despite the setback I made the most of it, efficiently filling the time with work. My preferred distraction while traveling has always been email and coding, followed by reading. For some reason these all make the time fly by and before you could say “poutine” my flight had landed in Montreal. Michael Plant’s QWEBEC Expo was my destination, for years it has been the only Canadian convention on the annual adult industry show calendar. One of our newest JuicyAds team members picked me up from the airport, since JuicyAds is more than just the Sexy Advertising Network, we are family. Plus, having a Montreal local is great to navigate the myriad of French highway and street signs in Quebec. Even though English and French are the official languages of Canada, you rarely see or hear French used outside of Quebec aside from the requirements at government buildings and retail product packaging. However, in Quebec, it’s not a guarantee to see English and sometimes it is absent altogether. It is as close to Europe that you can get without leaving North America. The city has a variety of hot nightclubs, strip clubs, and erotic massage spots for those looking for that type of sexual adventure. For everyone else, there is old port Montreal that has the look and feel of a European city and has loads of tourist shops, restaurants, and activities. In only a few hours we dined and drank from a swank rooftop lounge overlooking the historical city, shopped for pure maple syrup products, had a sit down with crepes and sangria for dinner, skipped around the corner for “beaver tails” fried dough pastries for dessert, and capped it all off with drinks by the river before walking back to the hotel. Only in Montreal. Each day of QWEBEC expo featured the usual show activities, seminars, invite-only VIP gatherings, impromptu dinners, and festivities with parties capping off each night including the opener at a local Irish Pub (TooMuchMedia), followed by the “Night at the Roxbury” party (JuicyAds, Affil4You) the first party I’ve hosted since my official divorce from “The Blonde.” The final night of bowling and drinking at Sharx was sponsored by another Montreal local company, Gamma Entertainment. BrainCash and Sex.com sponsored a private cruise along Montreal’s old port, which was terrifying from the moment I left the hotel due to the taxi ride to the old port.

Juicy Jay is CEO and founder of JuicyAds.com. Follow Jay and JuicyAds via Twitter — @juicyads.

26 XBIZ WORLD SEPTEMBER 2014

Within two blocks of leaving the Marriott, I discovered our taxi driver was incredibly impatient and possibly insane. Suddenly we veered wildly to the left and accelerated up a hill to bypass some traffic. Then a sharp right turn and soon we were on the other side of the yellow line heading towards oncoming traffic. The next 10 minutes were a blur of uncertainties of not just which lane we were in, but if there was a lane at all. In fact, I suspect he may have opted to drive with the pedestrians if there weren’t so many parked cars blocking entry to the sidewalk. Fast lane changes, swift accelerations, fast stops — all fighting for an extra 10 feet like it was New York City. We merged into cars, not in front or behind them. At one point I was certain we were going to knock mirrors with multiple passing cars all around us. I am an aggressive driver on city streets, go-cart tracks, and my limited experience in driving exotics on a closed track; yet this was an experience that I wanted to end as soon as possible.

his, my friends, is the reason why Montreal is the only city in all of Canada where it is illegal to turn right on a red light. Without this law, the pedestrians wouldn’t stand a chance against the taxi drivers in Montreal. It also makes sense why Formula One makes a stop in Montreal, and why the YNOT Grand Prix (sponsored by JuicyAds) hosts an event here. Having arrived at the Old Port alive (despite all expectations) the only way I would perish would be over the side of the boat that was chartered for our enjoyment. Luckily, the appetizers were quite impressive, the crowd quite pleasant to network with and there was an unlimited amount of quality alcohol and we all managed to stay dry until we arrived

back at the dock. After a load of drinking and partying another night at the show we found ourselves up the street from the show hotel at a little place called Dunn’s. To be honest, when I walked in I was less than impressed and was wondering why the hell this local had brought us to a diner that looked no different than any other late night greasy spoon. What I found out was that it has been been franchised but I was told we were at the original location that offered famous smoked meat and the Canadian favorite, poutine. At one time there was a national petition to make poutine the official food of Canada. Invented in Quebec, poutine in its “purest” form is a combination of french fries, gravy, cheese curds. Its popularity has spread far and wide in Canada. The dish is so popular that it is actually available at McDonalds, Burger King, KFC and other fast-food restaurants. However, these poutines are not very appetizing versus the real thing that comes in every variety you could imagine. There are many poutine spots in the city, and some boast over 30 different varieties. Combinations of ingredients are added like hot dogs, Italian sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, beef, onions and anything else you could possibly imagine. It is a savory bowl of awesomeness, and for adult convention-goers who notoriously drink and party late into the night, it’s perfect before crashing for the night. The all-dressed poutine, complete with green peppers, sauteed mushrooms and pepperoni did such wonderful things to my tastebuds and put me into a food coma. QWEBEC Expo is a great tax-writeoff reason to go, but Montreal as a city is a great reason to stay. To really experience it all, you’ll just have to come to the city — or travel to Europe to get the next best thing. a

Q&A

PRESIDENTIAL SUITE: CATHY BEARDSLEY

SegPay CEO Is Always Planning Ahead

“

are some of the most valuable lessons you have XBIZ: What learned about adult billing? there are no shortcuts or get rich BEARDSLEY: schemes; your business needs to be earned and always play by the rules. i have seen time and time again,

— SegPay CeO and PreSident Cathy BeardSley

t didn’t take long for SegPay CeO Cathy Beardsley to turn the startup high-risk biller into a profitable company. after all, Beardsley’s a veteran processing executive who has more than a dozen years of experience leading and managing payment processing companies. at SegPay, Beardsley oversees the day-to-day operations and long-term strategic planning for SegPay, a top brand in the U.S. and europe, with a humble, hands-on approach. Since 2005, SegPay has offered webmasters a billing platform that provides real time credit card, direct-debit and check authorization services; automated password management systems, marketing tools, real-time sales reporting and an online interface that makes account changes easy. XBiZ World last month sat down with Beardsley to find out more about how SegPay has become a market leader in this Presidential Suite interview.

companies (merchants, payment processors and acquirers) that have opted for short term gains at the expense of consumers causing them to go out of business and face serious fines and penalties. trust your clients and they will trust you. i believe that most billers tend to be very secretive about their business. i see a lot of payment processors that don’t communicate to clients how transactions are handled or who they are working and partnering with to handle transactions. at SegPay, it’s all about transparency. the more open we are with our merchants, the more open they are with us, the better. this transparency allows us to work together solving problems, enhancing our system and overall allowing the partnership between processor and merchant to be extremely productive for both parties. Work closely and openly with acquirers and the card schemes. SegPay has learned that starting and having an open dialogue with acquirers and the card schemes is very beneficial to our business. it allows for our company to work through complicated compliance changes that often make sense only to Visa and MasterCard and nobody else involved. SegPay’s open dialogue with acquirers and the card schemes allows us the opportunity to work through compliance issues that impact payment processors and high-risk merchants to find solutions so everyone can win.

The more open we are with our merchants, the more open they are with us, the better. This transparency allows us to work together solving problems, enhancing our system and overall allowing the partnership between processor and merchant to be extremely productive for both parties.

i hold myself and staff accountable for the goals we set out to achieve. it important to manage priorities and keep the team focused on projects that move the company forward. it is easy to get distracted by something that will potentially have an immediate revenue impact but staying focused on the bigger picture can generate an even bigger revenue impact down the road. Balancing investments in the company as well as meeting shareholders expected returns is an important focus for the company. in order for the company to grow by leaps in the next few years, it is important that SegPay invest now in the resources to get us there. Being a CeO can feel like you are on an island. you often question if you are making the right decisions and if you are heading in the right direction. For me, it has been really helpful to leverage other business professionals and key business partners with different experiences and backgrounds. these relationships have been instrumental in motivating me to try different concepts to push SegPay and myself outside of our comfort zones. it’s great to get insight that helps affirm that the company is on the right track. Adult billing is a field with a lot of competition. What are some of the things that make SegPay stand out in such a XBIZ: competitive field?

XBIZ: you get paid before we do! We are every week, i challenge myself to the only iPSP/PF that has our entire BEARDSLEY: BEARDSLEY: focus on something strategic that is client funds held at the acquiring bank and paid directly to our mergoing to benefit our clients and the company for the long-term. it is easy to As CEO of SegPay, what are some of the biggest challenges that you face in a typical week?

focus on tactical issues that provide an immediate impact, but in order for the company to stay viable and successful, we really need to think ahead.

28 XBIZ WORLD SEPTEMBER 2014

chants. this ensures we are safeguarding client funds. Please see BEARDSLEY, page 75

WORLD

SPECIAL FOCUS

30 XBIZ WORLD SEPTEMBER 2014

BILLINGâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S DIVERSE LANDSCAPE n From Debiting and Mobile Payments to U.K. Credit Card Use, the E.U. Maintains a Great Deal of Variety for the Adult Space BY ALEX HENDERSON

t is often said that technology makes the world a smaller place, which is true in some respects. An adult webmaster in Prague can post new content online and be

selling it to customers in Dublin or Paris moments later. Yet different European countries have their own nuances, and when it comes to adult billing, Europe maintains a diverse billing landscape with a variety of billing and processing needs. Continued on page 38

SEPTEMBER 2014 XBIZ WORLD 31

ADULT MOBILE MARKET

WHY EUROPE IS SO FAR AHEAD BY STEWART TONGUE

dult mobile in the E.U. has evolved faster than the rest of the world, fueled by a fertile ecosystem created by favorable billing regulations, tech-savvy consumers and rapid growth of the mobile consumer market overall. While the market remains fluid and continues to change rapidly, there are definite trends worth monitoring in what may have become the simplest market to monetize for webmasters right now. “I’d expect the U.S. and other markets to eventually catch up, but in 2014 the idea of using a credit card to buy adult memberships is foreign to most E.U. consumers and that notion is perfectly aligned with the simplicity of one-click billing options that work beautifully with mobile E.U. traffic,” said Ross of TrafficForce.com. “Being able to dial in exactly the kinds of clicks you want from our premium network while making the payment process as easy as the rest of your website user interface and user experience makes E.U. mobile one of the easiest ways to make money.” “What we are noticing here in Europe is that you can’t necessarily consider tablets as whole mobile devices, you need to see the tablet also as a web product that is used as an alternative to a laptop,” said Oliver Crane of MobileCashOut.com. “Smartphones tend to be used more specifically for mobile enabled site browsing. Billing also affects device viewing habits because credit card billing converts better on tablets, whereas one-click billing is easier to convert smartphone users.” Another interesting point Crane made regarding Mobile in the E.U. was that the content itself is often very different from what one would expect as a desktop user in the U.S. “Perhaps the most interesting thing is how content works in the conversion flow that occurs before billing. In the U.S., quality content is used to engage the consumer to take them through the billing process. In Europe we are finding that the quality of content is less important in obtaining sign ups and conversions. For example blurred images work well in Europe, the consumer is driven to sign up in order to see the content in high quality, this is also a good strategy to use with one click billing as it’s an impulse buy.”

t’s also important to keep in mind that E.U. traffic goes well beyond the likes of Germany, France and the U.K. “Eastern Europe is an emerging market right now, especially Romania, Hungary and Bulgaria” Crane said. “To build volume from the eastern bloc you have to look at each country individually and localize the content and marketing activity in your pursuit of conversions; because the standard of living is lower in Eastern Europe and your average revenue per user is less than Western Europe or the U.S., so your product has to be tailored to those countries by language and culture in order to extend the lifetime of users. We have also seen excellent growth in

32 XBIZ WORLD SEPTEMBER 2014

Austria, even though the population is small, with the right targeted product we are finding Austrian traffic that converts has a much longer life span as long as you keep them engaged with quality member content.” “In many ways this is actually the same process as other regions,” said Alex LeComte, marketing manager for StarEdition.com. “Of course traffic sources are distinct since user consumption can be quite different from one country

to another, but all in all it’s about buying views or clicks from an online audience. “In my opinion, in Europe underneath it all, the media buy scheme is the same, it just needs to be adapted to another user profile and most importantly to different languages.” Another demographical distinction that some may have missed is that “European viewers don’t seem to have the same love affair with the Apple iPhone that their American counterparts do,”

to users who convert garnering over 85 percent of all sales on mobile devices. We’ve also noticed that European mobile users are often more reluctant to purchase and are increasingly wary of giving away personal information via mobile. “Though we also see a 39 percent increased conversion ratio when comparing European vs. American mobile traffic. The key to unlocking better ratios and conversions on European traffic is really a matter of presenting an atmosphere of security while streamlining the process. Mobile is increasingly going from being the second screen to the main screen for many people and providing device specific experiences rather than simply responsive design is also a key component of this migration.”

Alex LeComte

Julia Dimambro

‘E

said Jesse Garza, senior online marketing manager for FameDollars. “The iPhone represents approximately 26 percent of all mobile traffic for America, while in Europe it only represents 19 percent for FameDollars. But when it comes to the Samsung Galaxy series devices, European traffic outweighs American traffic on these models 9 to 1. “However, despite a preference for Android devices, Apple still reigns supreme when it comes

urope was actually Oliver Crane Joey Gabra way ahead of most other continents in offering adult mo“Right now, the best performing activity for bile services (as far back as 2004 and 2005) and Mobile is redirecting a visitor from a desktop obviously in comparison with other potent moversion to a mobile offer in Europe,” said Joey bile territories like India, Latin America and Gabra of Affil4You.com. “Some sponsors (like Africa, handsets and networks are advanced, alMobidea) offer very interesting tools for webmaslowing the capability to offer more advanced ters and media buyers to pre-filter their users or services and experiences” according to Julia Diprovide them with a native Android app, etc.... mambro, CEO of Cherry Media. “This obviously influences trends as it’s not an even playing field All the best companies are developing these kinds of features because that is where the users and we see that Europe’s advanced mobile cul— and money — are nowadays. ture and technology is actually closing the gap “Mobile dual-screen mode is also blooming in with fixed line in terms of viewing experience. Europe,” according to Gabra. “Many TV proPopular services tend to be VOD channels, streaming and long-form videos, which is a stark grams incentivize the use of a smartphone or a contrast to Latin America and India for example, tablet while someone is watching a program so they can get feedback, play or socialize with which despite having good networks, handsets other people watching the same thing. It’s very are still more basic for the most part, so downloads and short-form (1-2 minutes), highly compressed videos are the biggest sales. In fact in India, images are still dominating “In my opinion, in Europe undersales in many of our partner channeath it all, the media buy scheme is nels.” Still, too many site owners conthe same, it just needs to be adapted tinue to think of Europe as one ento another user profile and most tity, falsely equating countries of the E.U. with states of the U.S. importantly to different languages,” “It’s more complicated to draw a says Alex LeComte, marketing European trend, because Europe is a union made of several countries,” manager for StarEdition.com. she said. “Each part has its own language, adult behaviors, sex and beauty tastes — it can’t be taken as a single unit to compare with another market helpful for our industry, because it reminds the like American leads for example.” Which means rather than looking for E.U. trends, smart media user that they can view content from a private and discreet device (great for VOD offers) but buyers drill down to examine trends in each spealso interact with other people (priceless for datcific country within the European Union as ing and webcam products). In a nutshell, everystand-alone entities. thing is helping European consumers to get a Expanding your profits can be as simple as smartphone/tablet, use it frequently and make properly redirecting traffic to suitable mobile ofpurchases through it.” a fers.

SEPTEMBER 2014 XBIZ WORLD 33

ADULT TRAFFIC TRENDS

SPECIALISTS FIND THE SUCCESS BY STEWART TONGUE

ebates raged on industry message boards and at event cocktail parties about whether traffic or content is king when it comes to monetizing producers and services in the adult market. That debate is now very clearly settled and anyone who thought content mattered most is now likely working for someone who has mastered the traffic side of the equation. In Europe especially, the traffic component has become even more of a focus now that billing and content can be targeted to such a narrowly refined point of focus. Once testing and tracking are sufficiently completed, the key to your success quickly becomes acquiring an ever-growing allotment of the traffic that responds best to your custom-tailored marketing campaigns. “Europe is very specialized due to its high number of localized markets in different countries, cultures, languages, billing models and mobile carriers,” said Peter Rabenseifner, head of business development for ExoClick.com. “ExoClick proudly serves 125-plus billion ad impressions per month according to its website and had been ranked in the Deloitte Fast 500 twice due to a meteoric rise in volume to become the fifth largest ad network in the world by W3Techs and arguably the largest ad network overall in the adult entertainment market. One of the reasons the company has maintained its edge is a careful consideration of the many variables involved that are unique to the European marketplace. “Consumers feel much more comfortable buying goods and services in their native language,” said Colin of TranslationsXXX.com. “Only 750 million people speak English as their first or second language which leaves 6.2 billion people with no idea what you are saying if you are only communicating in English. It is imperative to be communicating accurately in your consumers’ native language to earn their trust. Over the past year there has been a trend of companies expanding upon their multilingual websites. Historically French, Italian, German and Spanish (FIGS) have been the go-to European languages but there recently has been a large increase in the need to publish in Eastern European languages such as Slovenian, Czech and Russian as more European markets become increasingly profitable.”

‘T

here are many variables you need to experiment with in order to acquire quality traffic,” Rabenseifner said. “Trial and error is the first port of call, so start experimenting with different publishers as traffic sources, then fine-tune your products, and pitch products that are culturally modified to the right audience. Depending on a certain culture, the content that converts best matters a lot. Then you should look into the population and the ARPU in each specific country.” Rabenseifner also detailed some of the key

34 XBIZ WORLD SEPTEMBER 2014

variables involved and emphasized the importance of planning properly to allocate your ad budget most effectively. “There might be different languages within one small country such as Switzerland so make sure you target the right ones for your product. Some billing models that might work great in certain countries can totally fail in others — so make sure to send traffic to the right product with the best performing billing option at the end. You should focus on the billing even more when it comes to mobile traffic. There are hundreds of carriers all over Europe and each one might convert different than another one. If you spend money on expensive targeted carrier traffic, make sure to have the best converting product for this specific carrier.” Another massive traffic broker,TrafficForce.com serves billions of ad impressions each month as well. “European traffic can be harder to sell, but with enough optimization it does well, geo-targeted ads allow users to better understand products in their own language, coupled with informative local language text on the landing pages to help advertisers become more successful

in the E.U.,” said Ross of TrafficForce. “In the past 18 months, dating sites have taken off significantly in Europe, before it wasn’t as popular a niche as it was in the U.S. but now they are more open to dating/hooking up online and traffic is moving accordingly.” “The other trend is the shift towards LESS explicit content,” said Julia Dimambro, CEO of Cherry Media. “We were expecting this to go the other way initially as it’s obvious that harder content will always sell better than glamour content if the consumer is left to decide. In the late noughties, many European territories had robust access controls in place, which saw a lot of them offering some form of adult entertainment within their portals (and promoting it). “Content varied from non-sexual nude to hardcore, but it really was a buoyant market and as long as there weren’t complaints, you would see operators increasing the level of what you could offer little by little. However, that now seems to be going in reverse, with the U.K. (one of the easiest markets to sell hardcore content on mobile previously) doing a complete U-turn and now only allowing non-nude, non-sexual content, Turkey being even stricter in terms of banning

Peter Rabenseifner

products that require less ‘in demand’ traffic bebikini, non-sexual content and other countries come more and more interesting. If you have a now following suit. We are actually being asked product that converts in smaller GEOs or for Wifor yoga or exercise content by Turkey, because Fi traffic, you will get a lot of traffic for a very the consumer demand for mobile erotica recompetitive price.” mains, but an exercise class is as close as they When asked for some specifics that buyers can can get to erotica.” benefit from, Peter pointed out that, “In counMeanwhile, mobile traffic is asserting itself more and more with each passing month and media buyers continue to acquire “premium geo top-tier speed” traffic, that “Some billing models that might work popularity is also starting to create some cracks for hungry great in certain countries can totally start-ups and forward thinking fail in others — so make sure to send advertisers to cultivate. “Due to the very good converttraffic to the right product with the ing mobile payment models in best performing billing option at the most of the European countries, 3G traffic is clearly the most end,” says Peter Rabenseifner, head of popular. ExoClick provides exbusiness development for ExoClick.com cellent targeting features to optimize traffic by device, by carrier and by operating system — so you can begin to segment tries like Serbia for example we have seen a the traffic to find the best performing traffic for large increase of Smartphone users and ARPU your product. Because of the optimization opwhilst the demand for that traffic is of course not tions this traffic performs best but of course this as competitive as 3G traffic in the U.K. or other makes it more expensive so you need to ensure big GEOs. There are many niches that give you you have the right product to get a good ROI. the chance to become a local specialist. Be a speHowever, as the demand of 3G traffic is still incialist and you will succeed.” a creasing, we are now at a point where niche

SEPTEMBER 2014 XBIZ WORLD 35

LIVE ADULT WEBCAMS

EUROPE: NO SLOW DOWN HERE BY ALEX HENDERSON

urope has a long history of being a major contributor to adult entertainment, and in recent years, one sector of the European adult industry that has experienced considerable growth is the live webcam sector. Live cams were once a marginal part of Internet erotica in Europe, but in 2014, a long list of European models are earning a living from webcam work alone — and the European cam sector is showing no signs of slowing down. “Growth has been consistent,” asserted Douglas Richter, webcam unit director for DNX Network. “Despite economic problems, live cams have continued to flourish.” Boasting a portfolio of major cam sites that includes XModels.com, XCams.com and the gayoriented HunkPrivates.com, DNX is one of the top players in the adult cam field — and Richter noted that DNX has an enthusiastic following in many different parts of Europe. Richter stressed, however, that one shouldn’t think of the European adult cam sector as one big market, but rather, as many different European markets that all have their own characteristics. “Growth and profit can absolutely be found in almost any niche or geo-market in the live cam sector in Europe,” Richter asserted. “We are focusing on several new markets right now, and truth be told, the success depends mostly on how prepared you are for a local region’s e-commerce culture. In the E.U., you have many different countries, each with a unique culture—and the way people consume in different regions can be very different. What works in one country will most likely not be par for the course in another.” Asked to address regional variations in the European cam sector, Richter explained: “It literally goes country by country. What works in Germany will not likely work anywhere else; this is true for most E.U. geo-markets. Most of this information is a very tightly held trade secret because the knowledge to make something work in

Douglas Richter

the offer for that geo. One size fits all doesn’t necessarily always make sense in live cams. You have to keep in mind that users consume differently in different countries.” Adult webcams are thriving not only in Western Europe, but in Eastern Europe as well — and the Czech Republic, Hungary and Romania are among the East European countries that have been extensive contributors to the adult Live cams were once a marginal part webcam sector. Michael M., of Internet erotica in Europe, but in spokesman for the Romania-based ModenaCam (a company specializ2014, a long list of European models ing in software for adult webcams), are earning a living from webcam explained: “Live webcam performing is very popular in Eastern Euwork alone — and the European rope, where many performers speak cam sector is showing no signs of multiple languages — which in turn, helps convert surfers into buyslowing down. ers when targeting clients in European countries. The live webcam sector in Europe keeps on seeing Germany is unique from Sweden, for example— steady growth.” and that learned experience is invaluable in Another European player is Luxembourgcams.” based Jasmin.com, whose CEO, Laszlo Czero, “XCams.com is the largest E.U. cam provider asserted that Europe no longer takes a back seat because of the way we approach each country,” to the U.S. in the adult cam sector. Richter said. “We first learn what the market ex“Five years ago,” Czero explained, “we saw pectations are in a particular region and cater U.S. traffic dominating this sector. But today,

36 XBIZ WORLD SEPTEMBER 2014

Europe is at least as strong as the U.S.— and we see new emerging markets also. As usual, the economically strong countries are doing the best, like Germany, the U.K. and France.” Czero added: “Some of the European countries are providing models in huge quantity and excellent quality. Also, we see that the studios and models are getting very professional, which not only produces more incomes to all parties involved, but makes the whole cam industry look more mainstream and professional.” Michael pointed out that cam specialists doing business in Europe need to be aware of the different ways of running a live cam outfit. “There are three business models for adult webcams in Europe,” Michael observed. “There’s the ‘freemium’ business model — which works very well everywhere — the free chat/private chat business model, and the premium-rate business model. Most of our start-up clients are interested in running the freemium business model. We started developing Avenocam, an enterprise version of our cam script specifically designed for the freemium business model.”

iles Hirst, marketing and communications manager for the Barcelona, Spain-based ad network ExoClick, said that companies operating in the European adult cam sector need to be aware of advertising strategies — and for those with enough of a budget, one option is pop-under advertising. “The pop-under is very popular for advertising live cam sites,” Hirst noted. “Usually, it is a large-format, 1024 x 768 ad that appears hidden behind the main browser window and is triggered when a user clicks anywhere on the page that they have visited. Once displayed, the popunder remains unnoticed until the main browser window is closed or minimized, leaving the user’s attention free to experience the ad.” Hirst continued: “Because it’s big, the popunder format is able to show the full cam product experience via a video creative of a cam model performing. The consumer immediately sees the intimacy of face time, they see the (user interface) of the site and a private-show call-to-action button to encourage the consumer to interact and either sign up or log in. However, because they are so effective, pop-unders are also expensive.” How the language barrier affects the European

cam sector can vary considerably from country to country and from model to model. A cam model who performs in one language exclusively can, depending on the language, turn a profit: a cam model who speaks French as her main language might attract a following by catering to customers in France and Belgium. The German cam site Visit-x.net has fared well in Germany, Austria and Switzerland thanks to its abundance of German-speaking models. And English-speaking models have a broad appeal given how widely English is spoken in many parts of Europe. Addressing the language barrier in the European cam sector, Richter observed: “With language translation tools improving, it becomes less and less of a problem. Mostly, it is about finding a pretty girl or guy that you can connect with and share time and experiences. But indeed, the more fluid the communication, the better. Of course, it is advantageous to a person to speak multiple languages. I suggest to everyone—not just models—to learn multiple languages. But for models, it can definitely translate to higher earnings.” Michael M. noted: “Models speaking multiple languages have a clear advantage on websites with a majority of European traffic. For them, it’s easier to build a steady fan base.” As Europe’s adult cam sector grew by leaps and bounds, it became increasingly competitive — and many European cam models have turned to niche marketing. Countless niches exist in European cam modeling, from gay niches to BDSM

niches to MILFs and cougars. Hirst asserted that when it comes to advertising strategies, European cam sites with a certain niche need to work with companies that understand that niche. “Specific niche live cam sites should choose an ad Giles Hirst network that has a wide range of targeting options within the adult segment to reach the right audience,” Hirst emphasized. “ExoClick has 20 adult niches to target. So if you have a cam site filled with MILF models, you will want to target traffic via publishers who specialize in MILF content.”

he growth of Europe’s adult webcam sector has not only been beneficial for cam sites, but also, for other areas of the European adult industry. ExoClick, for example, benefits from the abundance of European cam sites by offering them advertising solutions. And when European cam companies grow and prosper, that means more business for companies that offer billing options in E.U. countries. Nikki Night, performer coach for the Los Angeles-based Cam4.com—a company that offers everything from MILF and cougar cams to lesbian cams to transsexual cams — observed that

European cam models can be quite different from their U.S. counterparts. “Internationally,” Night said, “the perspective of the cam performer differs greatly. In places like Europe and South America, performers are more likely to work from a studio because of privacy issues — and on average, they have a lower expectation on earnings. In North America, the #1 fear is being found out—and they have much higher expectations of what they should be earning in tips.” Michael M. said that whether a European cam company focuses on specific countries or looks to other parts of the world for customers may depend on the company’s business model. “A good example of a webcam company that has a multicountry approach in Europe is Jasmin,” Michael noted. “They’ve been doing very well in Europe and the U.S.” Czero said: “Jasmin is doing well in the U.S. market, being one of the market leaders for a while now. And the fact that U.S. customers find the European models somehow ‘exotic’ was a part of this success over the years.” Richter pointed out that European cam models don’t necessarily earn all of their profits from European customers — many of them are getting a lot of business from Americans. “This is interesting, for sure—a lot of the E.U.-based webcam companies have as much as 30-50 percent of their sales from the U.S.,” Richter observed. “E.U. models are enjoyed all over the world. Plus, the U.S. is a huge market. So there is a lot of room for people to succeed.” a

SEPTEMBER 2014 XBIZ WORLD 37

BILLING’S DIVERSE LANDSCAPE FROM PAGE 31 E.U. “If you look at Germany, for example, only 20 percent of the population use credit cards— yet it is the world’s fourth biggest economy and needs to be monetized. Alternative payment methods will need to be involved.” athy Beardsley, Nonetheless, CEO of SegPay, Farber destressed that scribes Europe Europe continas a part of the ues to be a part world in which of the world in which webcredit card paymasters encounter many ments have different billing preferences been increasing for adult entertainment — and will conand what works well in one tinue to do so. E.U. country might not Mitch Farber “In the E.U.,” work well in a neighboring Farber exE.U. country. There are plained, “debit many parts of Europe, sumers to pay for Internet and transfers are king, as Beardsley said, where purchases directly from many consumers do not use credit cards aren’t used their bank account.” credit cards—although that nearly as much online as Germany, France, Italy is changing. While payment they are in the U.S., but the and the Netherlands are all types in Europe differ conbilling methods used instrong markets for both the siderably from one country stead of credit cards can production and consumpto another, the general vary considerably. Beardsley noted that Ger- tion of adult entertainment, trend over the past decade but they are four different has been similar—card paymany remains “a debit ments are gaining imporcountry with minimal credit E.U. countries with their own billing preferences— tance, and the number of card usage” and described and webmasters who offer card payments per capita France as a country where credit card billing excluhas increased in each and consumers “rely on paying sively in any of those counevery E.U. country.” by check, direct debit or Beardsley noted: “At SegPay, we’re seeing Cathy Beardsley, CEO of SegPay, stressed a surge in that Europe continues to be a part of the credit card and debit world in which webmasters encounter many transactions different billing preferences for adult in Europe. Debit card entertainment — and what works well in transactions are currently one E.U. country might not work well in a outpacing neighboring E.U. country. traditional credit cards and represent over 50 percent of all with Carte Bleue, which is tries will be at a major consumer purchases. We also a debit solution.” disadvantage. are also seeing a shift in Beardsley said that Italy “It is never easy to get Visa transactions in digital is a country where conpeople to use their credit payment processing with sumers “rely on local paycards,” Peter Rabenseifner, more consumers opting to ment options such as Sella use MasterCard or other Cartas as well as debit solu- head of business developemerging cards such as tions,” adding that “Nether- ment for the Barcelona, Spain-based advertising China Union Pay and JCB. lands consumers rely on specialist ExoClick, said of However, China Union Pay Ideal, which is a local debit adult billing in much of the does not currently allow for solution that allows conMitch Farber, president and founder of the Valencia, Calif.-based NETbilling, explained: “Obviously, electronic payments are growing all around the world. However, North America and Europe remain at the forefront of this evolution. They account for the highest density and strongest markets with regard to existing electronic payment volumes and traffic.”

38 XBIZ WORLD SEPTEMBER 2014

acquiring adult.” The SegPay CEO added that a country’s billing preferences must be viewed in “cultural” terms.

olfgang Ruecker, CEO of the European payment solutions provider Global Humax Cyprus Limited, also described payment preferences as “cultural” and cited Germany and Austria as two E.U. countries where consumers don’t like going into debt. “Germany and Austria are countries with a high demand of direct debit payments,” Ruecker observed. “People don’t use credit cards as much as in the U.S., and there are two main reasons for that. First of all, people spend money only if they do have the money. Second, people with a bad financial history didn’t have the opportunity to apply for credit cards or even debit cards in the past.” Some companies that offer extensive E.U. billing solutions are actually based in Europe — for example, Global Humax, the Londonbased GTBill and the Barcelona-based CommerceGate. But there are many U.S.-based companies with expertise on adult billing around the world, including NETbilling, L3 Payments (based in Westlake Village, Calif.), the Burbank, Calif.-based Mobius Payments, the Eureka, Calif.-based iProcessing (whose range of services for Europe includes debit and phone billing) and the Tempe, Ariz.-based CCBill. Rabenseifner pointed to mobile payments as a billing method to keep an eye on in Europe. “The growth of mobile has seen one-click payment solutions explode,” Rabenseifner observed, “and the industry can expect to see this as the basis of payments, but activated in different ways—for example, fingerprint recognition payments, voice activated payments with pin codes, etc.” Julia Dimambro, founder

and managing director of the Barcelona-based mobile specialist Cherry Media, said that with adult mobile content becoming increasingly popular in Europe, it stands to reason that Europe will be ahead of the curve when it comes to mobile adult billing. Dimambro observed: “Europe has been offering adult mobile content for more than 12 years now, so billing processes and options have always been quite advanced when compared to other continents. The fact is that Europeans will rarely purchase mobile entertainment services of any kind using their credit card because operator-based one-click billing is the standard over here. Conversion rates for credit card billing are so low in Europe that if this is your only billing model, you’ll probably be missing about 80-90% of your potential reach.” But Dimambro, a native of London, quickly added that mobile billing also has its challenges in the E.U. “The main point to consider about billing — especially in Europe, where local regulations will vary dramatically from one territory to another — is localized billing,” Dimambro asserted. “In mobile, it is actually impossible to get a ‘one account does all’ to bill Europe-wide or globally. This is because a billing aggregator will need to connect directly with each individual carrier in each country. Add to that the fact that different carriers within the same country will also vary on what you can and cannot sell when it comes to erotica — and you can start to see the can of worms open.” Although Farber said that webmasters billing in Europe need to have a thorough understanding of the different billing cultures, he also cautioned against offering too many payment options. Farber advised: “Not only for adult, but for online payments in general, e-tailers need to offer a variety of payment options based on the location of consumers

using IP and other methods of geo-tracking. However, too many options can often lead to confusion for the consumer, thus resulting in less sales and more abandoned payment pages.” Beardsley advised webmasters billing in Europe to keep a close eye on regulatory trends in different countries. “There are regulatory requirements that affect content that webmasters can process in Europe,” Beardsley said. “The U.K. has put regulations in place that require webmasters to block consumers that cannot prove that they are over the age of 18. Revenge sites have also been a focus of the U.K. government. The Icelandic government is very concerned with revenge and hate sites. Recently, several conservative politicians in Iceland even tried to lobby the ban of digital adult entertainment in the county.” Beardsley continued: “It’s important for webmasters to be aware of compliance changes with the E.U. Payment Services Directive (PSD). The PSD originated through European legislation, aiming to establish a comprehensive set of rules applicable to all payment services in the European Union. The legislation states that payment processors are required to be registered in one of the E.U. countries and licensed to process payments and handle funds in the E.U. It is important that your E.U. biller or processor is registered. If they are not, the biller/processor can face fines or be shut down.”

chargebacks overseas is ChargebackHelp, which has developed an anti-chargeback solution for the E.U. Raja Roy Choudry, ChargebackHelp’s owner/CEO, explained: “We are currently offering a managed service version of Ethoca’s Fraud Alerts. While Ethoca is primarily known as a chargeback intercept provider in

the U.S., they also have a large presence in the U.K. Currently, their coverage includes eight E.U. card-issuing banks that are all focused on U.K. consumers; two of them are part of the top five issuers in the U.K. Over the rest of 2014 and into 2015, Ethoca will continue the expansion of their coverage across the conti-

nental E.U.” Clearly, adult billing in Europe remains a complex matter with many variables. But given Europe’s importance to adult entertainment, savvy webmasters will make an effort to meet its diverse billing needs. “Billing specialists are working hard to implement as many payment op-

tions as they can into their portfolio so they can expand their client consumers reach,” Beardsley explained. “It is a top priority for SegPay, and it should be a priority for other global payment processors to continue to enhance and expand the ability to add new payment types for merchants.” a

he U.K. remains one of the more credit cardfriendly parts of Europe, and when credit card billing is involved, European banks maintain a very low tolerance for chargebacks. Ruecker noted that Global Humax is “working on a score system to reduce chargebacks. The system will automatically allow each issuer to receive a refund instead of processing a chargeback. A similar system has been launched for a few issuers in the U.S., but it has not placed in Europe yet.” One U.S.-based company that is trying to reduce

SEPTEMBER 2014 XBIZ WORLD 39

Q&A

EXECUTIVE SEAT: NIGEL WILLIAMS

AdXpansion’s Solutions Man

ince its launch in late 2009, AdXpansion has built its brand by providing innovative features and powerful optimization tools — all guided by its visionary company vice president, Nigel Williams. mWilliams, well known throughout the online adult business for his leading role at the adult contextual ad network as well as his larger-than-life personality, believes it’s a “must” to help clients maximize their returns, as well as a “must” to constantly strive for new solutions. XBIZ World recently caught up with Williams last month to find out more about him and AdXpansion in this month’s Executive Seat. did you become an expert in the online adult traffic business? XBIZ: How I’ve been working with mainstream WILLIAMS: traffic for about nine years now. About five years

ago, we decided to create an adult ad network. At that time, I just jumped in, analyzed the market, talked to publishers, talked to advertisers, attended industry tradeshows and seminars, explored every piece of information that came my way and tried things for myself.

does AdXpansion offer that sets it apart from competitors? XBIZ: What There are really three philosophies WILLIAMS: that are at the heart of what sets AdXpansion

apart from our competitors: No. 1 — Help get more people what they want. When we first decided to build an ad network for the adult industry, the free tube sites were (and still are) having the most amount of traffic. We quickly discovered that there were only a handful of advertisers dominating all the tubes and they were not very sophisticated in their advertising. There wasn’t any context with the ads for the material being viewed. Most tubes have quite a few categories like amateur, teen, milf, gay, shemale, etc; but no matter which niche a user was viewing, the ads shown were the same — not in context. Furthermore, the ad spots on tube sites are very, very expensive. I remember the first spot I bought on a tube site. $80,000/monthly for a next-to-video spot. That is quite cost-prohibitive for an advertiser who would like access to tube traffic but only about five percent of it is relevant for their niche. That’s when we decided to create a keyword targeted ad network and buy ad spots from tubes with the intention of having hundreds if not thousands of advertisers targeting exactly what they want. No. 2 — The second thing that sets AdXpansion apart from our competition is our customer centric approach. My background in run-

40 XBIZ WORLD SEPTEMBER 2014

ning brick-and-mortar or online businesses has always been with a customer intimacy focus. People don’t care about how much you know until you show them how much you care! Because my past and present sales teams have bought-in to this philosophy, our businesses have been able to grow in environments amidst fierce competition. No. 3 — Constant innovation. When we first started, we were first of the adult ad networks to offer an in-player solution. First adult ad network to offer text-ads with images and margin ad placements. We are also the only adult ad network to have a high volume of adult search traffic available for our text ads. But the best is yet to come. We’ve put a lot of work into developing a game changer for adult ad networks. More on that subject I will not say. You’ll have to wait for our announcement on that. Please see WILLIAMS, page 78

Market Watch XBIZ Picks January Show Dates, Hits the Sunset Strip

OS ANGELES — XBIZ is pleased to announce plans for the 2015 XBIZ 360 events series — the next generation of adult industry trade events, set to take over the trendy Andaz Hotel, located on Hollywood’s famed Sunset Strip, from Jan. 14-16.

XBIZ 360 will once again be closed to the public and occupy the entire property of the Andaz Hotel Jan. 14-16 for seven separate events specifically tailored to explore the future of Digital Media, Movie Production, Pleasure Products and Retail sectors of the adult industry. The trade events will be a primer for the biggest XBIZ Awards show to date on Thursday, Jan. 15, at a new venue to be announced soon. Two separate XBIZ Executive Awards events also will honor respected business leaders. Among its educational offerings, the cornerstone of

XBIZ 360 is the Digital Media Conference, scheduled for Jan. 14-16. This event will once again deliver cutting-edge information through its market trend seminars and exclusive workshops hosted by online business leaders that share proven techniques and provide forward-looking wisdom. XBIZ 360’s popular Speed Networking and Mix & Meet Market sessions will provide attendees an opportunity to participate in coordinated networking and product showcases and the second annual “Hot List” party will bring together the industry’s finest for a night of revelry under the stars. Complimentary copies of 2015 XBIZ Index will be exclusively distributed to registered attendees of XBIZ 360 and 2015 XBIZ Awards show. And for the first time, the digital edition of XBIZ Index will be made available free of charge to members of XBIZ. net throughout 2015. For a limited time, XBIZ 360 attendees qualify for an exclusive group rate of only $199 per night at the Andaz Hotel. a For more information, visit XBIZ360.com.

Partnership Deal

Another Connection

ModelCentro Announces SkyPrivate Integration

YPRUS — Hosted paysite CMS ModelCentro.com has announced its partnership with Skype plug-in SkyPrivate.com to offer models an additional way in which to connect with their fans. The company said SkyPrivate lets models receive pay-per-minute calls via Skype in order to interact with their members — a reliable communication tool that offers intimate one-onone experience with their fans. ModelCentro explained that as a result of the two-way technical integration of the two sysModelCentro.com has announced its partnership with tems, each model can automatically display her Skype plug-in SkyPrivate.com. personal ModelCentro “We’re focused on becoming the paywebsite in her SkyPrivate profile page, enabling SkyPrivate customers per-minute payment system for independent webcam models but we to visit her site and sign up for a know that a professional model membership. At the same time modneeds a full toolbox to make big els can link their SkyPrivate profiles money. We want to integrate and be into their ModelCentro sites so that complementary to many other tools their visitors can see their pay-perthat models use. Starting with the minute offer details. integration into the ModelCentro “SkyPrivate is a great way for platform is the best first step we models to make even more money,” could take. This partnership will ModelCentro CEO Stan D’Aman give to our models a central location said. “We’re happy to team up with on the Internet — their own personal the provider of such a lucrative opwebsite — which is an additional portunity for our models.’’ tool to monetize their fan base.” a SkyPrivate CMO Alex added,

ImLive: CCBill’s 1-Click Tool Helps Fuel Sales

EMPE, Ariz. — CCBill.com said that cam site provider ImLive.com has captured a significant amount of sales through the payment processor’s one-click cross-sales and Merchant Connect features. “By far the one-click option gave us the opportunity to grow,” said Shay E, vice president of marketing and business development for ImLive, which has more than 50 million registered members and 80,000 amateur webcam hosts broadcasting

from their homes. The company also operates the PussyCash affiliate program. “We are seeing a number of consumers making purchases on our sites through one-click and have been pleased with the added functionality the feature provides,” he said. CCBill’s one-click option complements the processor’s newest feature release, Merchant Connect, which enables merchants to efficiently establish relationships with other companies working with CCBill. These

42 XBIZ WORLD SEPTEMBER 2014

merchants are then able to work with each other to leverage their respective membership bases to drive more revenue opportunities through one-click cross-sales. “The idea behind Merchant Connect is to deliver an easily accessible method for opening up more revenue opportunities through relationship-based sales tools,” said Jason Kirk, vice president of product development for CCBill. “Available to any CCBill merchant, it allows businesses to find other mer-

chants to connect with, and set up one-click cross-sales arrangements with, to ultimately simplify consumer purchases from their sites.” Shay added: “The ease of one-click purchasing for our consumers, along with the assured security CCBill provides for their personal and financial information, makes one-clicks by far the best revenue builder for our sites. The new Merchant Connect portal makes it easier than ever for companies to work together to create cross-sale opportunities.” a

ImLive’s Shay E

SEPA Becomes Operational in the Euro Zone

ONDON — Eurozone countries have moved forward with the switch to the new Single Euro Payment Area (SEPA) for credit transfers and direct debits. After 15 years of development in one of the largest financial integration projects ever started, SEPA integrates payment methods within the E.U. and is designed to reduce delays in cross-border bank transfers from an average of five days to just one.

SEPA, the European Central Bank says, will improve consumer protection for direct debits, with new rules being implemented for the facilitation of refunds. Businesses also will be given the opportunity to widen their reach in Europe

as a result of a single system and set of accounts for all their euro trade in 16 European countries. The European Commission granted a six-month extension for member states, but as of today SEPA’s light is green. Starting Oct. 30, 2016, the legislation goes further.

At that time, SEPA also will apply to Euro-denominated transactions in nonEurozone countries, including the U.K. As the initial six-month transition period is set to begin drawing to a close, merchants that have not previously moved to SEPA for accepting payments could find themselves at odds with the legislation, said Gary Jackson, managing vice president of sales and Internet markets for CCBill. “While some countries

such as Belgium and Spain have already ended the transition period, other European banks are operating on different timelines. While this can be confusing to merchants within those regions, the good news is payment solutions — such as our European Direct Debit service — are available to help them continue processing transactions uninterrupted.” Said Jason Kirk, vice president of product development for CCBill: “For merchants in those regions, it is imperative the processing partner they work with is not only fully aware of SEPA requirements, but also ready to help out with features and solutions to ensure transactions can continue. This includes having a payment service and forms system that is capable of serving the respective European countries and their consumers.” a

New XVideos Policy Sparks Concerns

ONDON — JT of ReallyUsefulCash.co m was the first to raise the topic: That XVideos.com has changed a key policy that affects uploaders to the popular tube site. JT brought up the news this morning on an XBIZ.net post, which has brought out scores of comments about the policy that in essence makes uploaders give up copyright protections. The statement to uploaders is demanding: Users must agree to never remove content, or face having their content channel eliminated. “All actions will be locked until you either accept or reject these terms,” the XVideos message said. “Due to recent events we have to request the following: All the videos you upload under your account will remain on XVideos and you renounce the right to request them to be deleted. “Accepting this will allow you to update your account and upload again. Rejecting this will cause your channel and all your videos to be deleted.” JT told XBIZ.net users Please see POLICY, page 86

44 XBIZ WORLD SEPTEMBER 2014

XBIZ EU Notebook

UKAP Awards Set for Sept. 26

ONDON — UK Adult Producers (UKAP) has announced the 2014 UKAP Awards set for Friday, Sept. 26., at the London Underground Party. The London Underground Party coincides with XBIZ EU, the international digital media conference that draws leading U.K., European and American industry players for three days of education, networking and business opportunities. UKAP joined forces with XBIZ and the grassroots anti-censorship and sexual freedoms campaign group Sex & Censorship to host the 2014 version of its annual industry awards event. The Friday-night party, open only to XBIZ EU- and UKAP-affiliated members, takes place in a refurbished Victorian loft space tucked away in West

UKAP’s London Underground Party coincides with XBIZ EU.

London, featuring both outdoor and indoor space, and just a simple tube or cab ride from the XBIZ EU show hotel. The nominees for the fan vote categories are: UKAP Female of the Year 2014 — Stella Cox, Jess West, Jessica Jensen, Ava Dalush, Chloe Toy, Kiki Minaj, Anna Joy, Samantha Bentley, Satine Spark and Tina Kay, Carmel Cox. UKAP Male of the Year 2014 — Kane Turna, Peter Oh Tool, Pascal White, Danny D, Luke Hotrod. UKAP Studio/Site of the Year — Montys POV, Nerd Pervert, Fake Taxi, Harmony The XBIZ EU international digital media conference is set to draw leading U.K., European and American industry players on Sept. 25-28 for three days of education, networking and business opportunities. Other XBIZ EU special events include a Presidential Suite Party to kick off the conference, as well as a Happy Hour

Grand Union Party, sponsored by JuicyAds, and Spearmint Rhino featuring a wet T-shirt contest on the final night of XBIZ EU. XBIZ EU’s schedule is also packed with informative sessions such as a special keynote from JT, aka “The YouPorn Guy.” Along with seminars dedicated to live cams and e-dating, mobile, e-billing and traffic, XBIZ EU also will cover provocative topics like age verification and censorship. XBIZ EU’s seminar lineup is presented by NETbilling, while Mobidea has sponsored two days of XBIZ EU’s ever-popular Speed Networking sessions. The Hilton London Metropole Hotel, located in Central London just minutes from Oxford Street and Marble Arch, will set the scene for the most extensive conference program since its inception four years ago. a For the XBIZEU 2014 official event website, visit XBIZEU.com.

GlamourBuckz Acquires SoloBuckz

OS ANGELES — GlamourBuckz’ parent Panorama Pacific has announced its takeover of management for the SoloBuckz affiliate program, which just released its latest website, OfficialTommieJo.com. All SoloBuckz websites have now

been integrated into the GlamourBuckz affiliate program, giving the network to a total of 15 interactive model websites. “What really interested me about SoloBuckz is that they had the same caliber of high end photography and beautiful women as the girls we have on GlamourBuckz,” said Marketing Manager Dell Douglas. “However, these girls were willing to get completely nude, which offers us a solu-

tion for those customers that have been asking us for the same high quality photography but with girls that will work to higher levels.” SoloBuckz was created in 2013 as a solution for professional adult models looking to start their own websites, but without the capability of building and marketing it themselves. Each girl’s website consists of their videos and photos, at home ‘selfies,’ a blog, a forum where they chat with members and behind the scenes footage. “From the very beginning with Glamourbuckz, we set out to create a brand people equate with high quality content and beautiful women, who fans can interact with on a daily basis,” Company director Danny Zeeman says. “The girls in the SoloBuckz network were shot with the same attention to detail that will no doubt continue to raise the bar for high end photography and production values where the models interact with their fans.” a

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Can Digital Publishing Keep Adult Mags Alive?

Hustler magazine

OS ANGELES — Walking down to the corner newsstand to pick up the latest porn magazine may be a thing of the past, what with nearly everyone in the core adult demographic glued to their smartphones or tablets in order to get their hardcore fix. But that doesn’t mean publishers have given up on the periodical format

that’s been around for decades — they’ve just gone digital. Top brands like Hustler, Penthouse, Club, High Society, the U.K.’s Men Only and others have either adapted to the landscape by creating their own digital platforms, or are using new services that offer their publications electronically with new rich media bells and whistles.

But are digital publications really the saving grace of adult magazines, or just a band-aid for a dying format? Unlike textheavy mainstream magazines, the meat of porn publications are photos — even in those that carry a number of articles. And as any consumer knows any type of porn can easily be accessed on the Internet, in any format or electronic

delivery system available. So why does the digital adult magazine live, and what lies ahead? According to BlueLight Media’s SkinMagz.com, the independent successor to the now defunct mainstream digital publisher Zinio’s UnderCovermags.com adult newsstand, the market segment is not only Please see MAGAZINES, page 86

‘Ultimate Sex Goddess’ Competition Launched

YBERSPACE — DDF Network has announced the launch of the inaugural DDF awards model competition called “Ultimate Sex Goddess 2014.” Initial voting can be made at DDFAwards.com. The annual competition will roll out in stages and one nominee will be awarded the title of “Ultimate Sex Goddess 2014.” It is fanand model-based, and the first stage has fans suggesting who should be the tenth nominee for each category. DDF says the top girls in each category will also be featured in the 2015 DDF Network Calendar and will be feature girls throughout the year. The Ultimate Sex Goddess will win a trip to France for exclusive scenes and a cash prize. “Affiliates will also be able to use this contest as a tool to drive traffic and push their conversion rates to the limits. It’s been quite some time since the team has wanted to showcase the girls that make DDF Network possible, and finally it can be presented with class. Take part in the fun, and help your dreamgirls grab that top spot,” DDF says. a

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wia WOMAN OF THE MONTH

womeninadult.com

Laura Cebrián

European Account Specialist, JuicyAds How did you get into the business? My first job in the industry was at Private Media Group about five years ago. A friend of mine was working there at the time and she knew about an open position so she called me. I did my interview on a Wednesday; they called me next day telling me they wanted me, so I quit the job I had at that moment and started there the following Monday. I had never worked or imagined working in adult, but it took me no time to love it and feel part of it.

What in your background prepared you for what you are doing now? Well, I started to study English when I was very little. I am originally Argentinean (my mother tongue is Spanish) and I was always curious of what people in the movies were saying or what my favorite songs meant, so I decided to learn that language that seemed so cool and intriguing to me. Later in life, I learned Italian and studied a bit of Portuguese. I love traveling as well. It is the best experience for the mind and the soul. Also, all the jobs I’ve had have always been related to customer service and sales in big multinational corporations. So that, combined with my love for communication and different cultures brought me to JuicyAds, which is the perfect fit for me.

What do you see as the challenges of working in the adult online business? How do you overcome them? I love challenges. The online adult business is a never-ending learning experience, and I feel that this is its most attractive side. Online in general, demands being up to date with the latest

technologies and tendencies. With representing a brand, you need to be 100 percent familiar with the product, the market, your clients, the technologies and everything around it.

Does your work life affect your personal life? I think any job affects your personal life because it is part of your life. The fact that we work in the adult industry makes no difference ... and if it does, it does in a positive way. I’ve always been an openminded person, but since I started in this industry, I think I became even more flexible with the way I see life in general. My family and friends are proud of and happy for me as they see how happy and successful I am. Besides, I’ve met a lot of great people in the adult industry who are now my good friends and, therefore, part of my life. I think my job is simply awesome. Keep it juicy! a

Mr. Skin Celebrates 15 Years CHICAGO — Jim “Mr. Skin” McBride, who recently celebrated 15 years of

} MrSkin.com Anniversary On the Scene event photos. Page 94 running the award-winning celebrity nudity site MrSkin.com, invited hundreds into The Chop Shop on

N. Milwaukee St. in Chicago to honor the occasion with a star-studded gala. Celebrity guests included Ron Jeremy, James Deen and several regulars from “The Howard Stern Show,” among many others. Also in attendance were Whitney St. John, Eila Adams and Carli Bei from Naked News. Luis Gomez of the

Chicago Tribune, who was invited to the event, said, “The whole thing reminded me of the great parties that took place in Chicago years ago before the economy really took a toll on budgets.” Entertainment was provided by hip hop cover band Too White Crew, as well as aerialists, dancers, and women and men dolled up in body paint. a

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IN BRIEF PUSSYCASH PROMO OFFERS PAY-PER-LEADS CYBERSPACE — PussyCash.com is now offering affiliates a new way to make money from three “lifestyle sites:” FetishGalaxy.com, Shemale.com and Supermen.com. Following the success of ImLive.com’s pay-per-lead program, PussyCash is now offering its affiliates a new payout program for the adult lifestyle sites it promotes — the pay-per-lead model. The new program model will join the two existing $150 pay-per-signup and 35 percent revshare programs. PussyCash will now pay affiliates just for sending free members who verify their email address to any of these sites, the company said. The program offers substantial payouts of up to $3 per lead,

according to a scale based on the referred user’s country of origin. Valid leads will be counted across all platforms — PC, mobile and tablet. “As the most popular webcam affiliate program in the adult industry, we are always looking for new ways to make our affiliates more money,” the company said. “Our PPL program promoting ImLive.com, the world’s largest and most popular webcam arena, has proved to be a great success and we wanted to extend that opportunity also to our affiliates who promote FetishGalaxy.com, Shemale.com and Supermen.com. “Affiliates can elect to promote the three lifestyle sites through one or all three, programs. “PussyCash is well-known in the industry for its integrity, punctual payments, precise statistics and highly professional team. Webmas-

ters working with PussyCash get generous payouts for promoting an ever-expanding choice of high-conversion premium sites that attract a wide range of users.”

FAMEDOLLARS, MILE HIGH LAUNCH SITE MONTREAL — Gamma Entertainment’s FameDollars affiliate program has launched Mile High Network’s new streaming website, LesbianOlderYounger.com. The companies said the niche site caters to lesbian cougars prowling on innocent and nubile sapphics. “A clamor for a dedicated site where the taboo of lesbian age-gap romance does not exist was in demand,” said Magalie Rheault, FameDollars’ director of

product and development. “They asked and we provided.” The new streaming-only site will showcase new Mile High related content as well as Sweetheart Video movies featuring both seasoned and new lesbian actors in the industry. “We’re incredibly pleased to see one of our most popular Sweetheart series, ‘Lesbian Adventures: Older Women, Younger Girls’ now available to fans as a member site,” said Jon Blitt, Mile High Media vice president. He added, “The combination of the most gorgeous, iconic MILF’s with fresh-faced beauties is a perfect fantasy, promising consumers a site they will never get enough of. It’s the ideal addition to our Mile High network of stellar sites with FameDollars.” The site can be streamed through any compatible devices such as smartphones, Android, tablets, PS3 and XBOX.

wanted out of the different services and software Mansion offers, and he has communicated very well to our different crews on where he wanted to be for the launch,” the Mansion Productions CEO said. “We wish him all the best on the launch.” Mansion Productions, founded in 1997, released the first commercial cascading affiliate management and tracking software in 2002 in MPA3. Their other software is MAS CMS, in addition to their in-house webmaster services and design group. Assylum’s affiliate program, DerangedDollars.com, is offering a 55 percent revshare offer. The program will initially offer a wide range of banner ads, blog entries, and downloadable content and will be expanded throughout August and September to include hosted galleries, Dr. Mercies said.

NINA ELLE JOINS PORNSTAR PLATINUM ASSYLUM.COM DEBUTS WITH AFFILIATE DEALS NEW YORK — Two-Flame Media today announced the launches of Assylum.com, a new hardcore anal sex and BDSM site, and companion affiliate program DerangedDollars.com. Assylum.com, the company’s first venture into adult member sites, aims to expand traditional market offerings with 4K content. Dr. Mercies, director of the new site and affiliate program, said his company believes that in the current market, porn-for-pay needs to offer more value to compete with free material. “Assylum.com is shot almost entirely with 4K film cameras and is downloadable in this resolution as well,” he said. “Our members also have the option to listen to performer commentary while the scenes are playing if they want to add an educational experience to their porn viewing.” Two-Flame Media developed the sites with Mansion Productions. Oystein W., CEO of Mansion Productions, said that it was “a true pleasure working” with Dr. Mercies. “[Dr. Mercies] has a great understanding of what he

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LAS VEGAS — GermanAmerican porn starlet Nina Elle has launched a paysite with the Pornstar Platinum network. Members of Elle’s site and the Pornstar Platinum network will have Elle free access to her shows, as well as those of the other starlets on the network, including Amy Brooke, Angelina Valentine, Kendra Lust, Tiffany Tyler and Yuri Luv.

DOGFART LAUNCHES WEFUCKBLACKGIRLS.COM LOS ANGELES — Known for its interracial content, the Dogfart Network has announced the launch of its 23rd site, WeFuckBlackGirls.com. “We are thrilled to be rolling out WeFuckBlackGirls.com,” a company spokesman said. “Dogfart has always been primarily been known for big black guys get-

ting it on with hot white chicks. We are shaking things up now with this new brand, and bringing the hottest black girls in the business and pairing them up with top white performers. We feel this new brand will help us reach a new type of fan we may not have tapped before.” The site is already offering scenes starring Skin Diamond, Ana Foxxx, Misty Stone, Monique Symone, Adriana Malao, Ashton Devine, Marie Luv and Nikki Ford. All scenes on WeFuckBlackGirls stream in 1080p. The site will be updated several times a month and subscribers will get access to all of Dogfart’s 23 sites for one monthly price.

AD4X.COM, ZOE ZEBRA PLAN FOR GANGBANG

glamour model. Fowler’s natural 32 GG figure and bubbly personality have struck a chord with fans, making her one of the most popular models on PinupFiles.com over the last year, the operators said. The new site is part of the PinupDollars affiliate program, which also includes PinupFiles.com, SeptemberCarrino.com, LeanneCrow.com and RachelAldana.com.

SHEMALESTROKERS.COM HAS 12TH ANNIVERSARY LOS ANGELES —Rodnievision, Inc./Mancini Pictures has announced that its flagship transsexual site, ShemaleStrokers.com, is celebrating its 12th anniversary.

According to the company, 12 years ago, producer Sammy Mancini had the vision to launch a site showcasing ladies in erotic solo action, but it wasn’t the vision that set his site apart from the few others out there, it was updating the site with both video and photos. “While the others focused primarily on photos, ShemaleStokers focused on DVD quality video for website memberships,” states a company rep. “Now 12 years later members can expect three exclusive updates a week, an active members forum and one of the largest, most diverse catalogs of content of gorgeous transgender models.” The company credits the site’s success to Sammy and Operations Manager Fran,

who have been hands on with the transsexual community. In honor of its 12th anniversary, the site is offering a special celebration signup price of $12.

GFMATECLICKS.COM MAKES ITS DEBUT LOS ANGELES — A team of seasoned adult webmasters have launched GFMateClicks.com. Webmasters can get a webmaster referral code in the affiliate area of the website. The experienced team behind GFMateClicks.com is the same team that launched Triple X Cash, Pornstar Platinum, Teen Revenue, OCCash, and developed Adult.com.

GLAMOURSTARSLIVE.COM ADDS NEW MODELS LONDON — U.K. site GlamourStarsLive.com announced it latest lineup of models, including a former Miss Great Britain, Emma Spellar. Also added are Holly Sparrow, Holly Eriksson, Amber Mae, Amy Green, Holly Gibbons and Becky Perry.

SHEMALE.COM SIGNS DELIA DELIONS LOS ANGELES — Transgender lifestyle site Shemale.com has announced that it signed well-known transsexual porn star Delia DeLions. Other TS stars appearing regularly on Shemale.com are Eva Lin, Nadia, Bailey Jay Granger and Sunshyne Monroe.

GATINEAU, Quebec — Canadian porn star Zoe Zebra is planning a public gangbang on Sept. 5, formally titled the “Ball-OThon.” Zebra is scheduled to have sex with 25 men on Sept. 5 to raise money to buy new breast im- Zebra plants. The event, to be filmed in a trailer behind Gatineau strip club Club 77 for a future video, won’t cost a king’s ransom for participating males — entrance fee is $15. Zebra’s event was organized by the same promoter — Canadian online adult company AD4X.com, operated by owner Alain Joyal — behind the event “23 years and 23 guys for her birthday” with adult performer Heidi Van Horny in January. That event was canceled after Van Horny changed her mind after getting cold feet. AD4X plans on paying for Zebra’s new implants if she successfully goes through with the 25-man gangbang.

PINUPDOLLARS DEBUTS TESSAFOWLER.COM LOS ANGELES — PinupDollars.com has announced the launch of its newest official model website, Tessa Fowler .com. The new site features exclusive video and Fowler photo content of the South Carolina-raised, red headed

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Webmaster Central Taps Into Chromecast Company Adds Compatibility for Its Leased Content

AMPA BAY, Fla. — Webmaster Central has announced that starting Sept. 1 the company’s adult content leasing platform will be compatible with Google’s popular Chromecast service. According to Webmaster Central, the integration with Chromecast means its clients will now have another tool for attracting and retaining customers. “We’ve seen a lot of studies which indicate that consumers want choice and convenience from the online services they use,” said Andy A, founder and CEO of Webmaster Central. “Chromecast has been picking up a lot of users recently, so we decided to do the integration work for our entire content platform so our clients don’t have to do it themselves.” Google Chromecast provides technology that lets consumers stream media from their various devices to their TV screens. Mainstream content platforms like Netflix, HBO GO and Watch ESPN are already integrated with the service, but Webmaster Central is looking to become the first leased content platform for adult companies that offers compatibility with Chromecast. a

Mansion Cuts Price on MPA3 Products

OS ANGELES — Mansion Productions announced that it has cut its licensing fee for its MPA3 Enterprise version of its affiliate management and tracking software to $17,500, down from $24,950. “The typical Enterprise client is a medium-to-large affiliate program, wanting to avoid monthly recurring rent fees,” CEO Oystein W. said. MPA3 Enterprise clients pay a single upfront license fee for the first year of support and upgrades are free. There is a low yearly maintenance fee thereafter. Mansion also announced that it has lowered the price on its flagship product MPA3 PRO from $2,900 to $750 for new clients. a More information can be found at MansionProductions.com

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On Twitter

Do Their Numbers Provide Value? By Lauren MacEwen

f you want to conquer social media you have to be prepared to spend time looking at your analytics. You need to look at your growth rate, click through rate, retweets, favorites. engagement, tweetreach, etc. To get access to these statistics you have always had to go to a third party company that would gather this information through the Twitter API and parse it for you into a digestible report. These tools can cost anything from $15 to $5,000 per month. The cost range is as wide as the information these services provide. Some will provide you only with the basics, and others will go into as much detail as analyzing your top influencers, primary hashtags used, and best time of day to tweet. Over the past few month Twitter has been behaving strangely. We have seen a mass culling of potential spam or fake accounts. Accounts using third party applications, like Hootsuite, have been getting locked out. Sudden drop in Twitter followers, by the thousands … then back up again ... and back down; and reputed purging of Twitter search history. Normally when the Twitter platform starts to act up on an epic level it means a big update is about to happen. The past month (or longer) of Twitter system failures is no exception. Twitter has announced the launch of native analytics for all users! This is amazing! Finally we get to see some of the data that the API has not previously released. Could this be a data gold mine? Twitter first made this available about a year ago to a small number of users and to advertisers. In July, they made some adjustments so not only could you see the performance of your ad but you could see the performance of your entire account. As we all know, if you are in adult you do not qualify for an ad on Twitter. So again, we were excluded from some of the great resources from a social network. Here is the bad news. The headline: “Twitter announces analytics for all users!” should really read “Twitter announces analytics for all users, except adult entertainment who have been denied for ads.”Yes, you read that right. If you have been denied a Twitter ad account then you are being denied access to their overall analytics platform. So far, as long as you have never applied to run a Twitter ad (and been denied), then you should be able to access this Twitter tool. However, if you want to keep that tool I would stay away from applying to do a promoted tweet, for now. To see your analytics you need to sign in to your TwitPlease see TWITTER, page 80 Lauren MacEwen operates 7Veils.com, providing social media strategy and management for the adult entertainment industry. Her Twitter handle is @7_veils.

Pew Report: Sex With Robots to Be Common

YBERSPACE — With all this talk about Love Dolls and Dutch Wives and Real — cyber — Touch and Spike Jonze’s “Her,” it’s reasonable to wonder whether or not the near future will offer sweet robot lovin’ for the general copulating public. While Pew Research Center’s report, “AI, Robotics, and the Future of Jobs” primarily considers the role of robots in the workforce, it concludes that its 1,900 experts sourced “envision automation and intelligent digital agents permeating vast areas of our work and personal lives by 2025.” Essentially personal, sex does not the escape the virtual permeation. Lead researcher for Gigaom Research Stowe Boyd boldly asserts in the report, “Robotic sex partners will be commonplace, although the source of scorn and division, the way that critics today bemoan selfies as an indicator of all that’s wrong with the world.” Meanwhile, the experts remain dubious about whether automatons will infiltrate and topple the workforce as we know it. The report concludes that “they are divided on whether these advances will displace more jobs than they create.” Salon.com reporter EJ Dickson notes that while sex and tech do seem be evolving together, evinced by the rising popularity and prominence of teledildonics in the adult novelty sphere, the associated stigma may be on the outs. “General cultural attitudes toward sex and robotics seem to be shifting toward the positive end of the spectrum: Back in May, a U.K. survey reported that one in five respondents would go to get-down town with a sexbot,” Dickson writes. “But despite the fact that society in general is apparently moving toward a more A.I.-sex-positive direction, most of the currently available technology seems restricted to toys and sex dolls, a far cry from the sentient, uber-sophisticated ‘robotic sex partners’ of Boyd’s prophecy.” a

ADAMO Announces Carrier, OS Targeting Launch

TOCKHOLM — Beyond geo-locational targeting, ADAMO Advertising clients can now target users by operating system and selectively engage users that are hosted on a particular telecom carrier in several markets. ADAMO already offers several detailed reports and key metrics for media buyers, but believes its new upgrades will improve ROI even more for advertisers and publishers. “We are excited to be at the fore-

front of the fast-moving dynamics that are driving digital marketing across the mobile ecosystem” said Judy Shalom, CEO and founder of ADAMO. “Carrier and mobile OS targeting will propel ADAMO customers even further ahead of the curve and allow our clients to maintain a significant competitive advantage backed by technological enhancements that impact every niche of the mobile market.” The carrier targeting launch is already customized to provide traffic on target for Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, France, Belgium, Norway, Spain, Portugal, Mexico, Russia, the U.K., South Africa, Italy and several other emerging markets. a

Search Ranking

Google Rewards Site Security

OS ANGELES — Google has announced its inclusion of the HTTPS protocol as a ranking signal, intended to reward those sites that focus on security and transparency. According to Google, security is a top priority for the company, with the search giant having adopted the more secure HTTPS protocol (also known as HTTP over TLS, or Transport Layer Security) over the far less secure HTTP protocol for its in-house use. “We invest a lot [of money] in making sure that our services use industry-leading security, such as strong HTTPS encryption by default,” says a Google Webmaster Trends analyst. “That means that people using Search, Gmail and Google Drive, for example, automatically have a secure connection to Google.” To help its ongoing security efforts, Google has created resources that help webmasters prevent and fix security breaches that threaten their sites. “Beyond our own stuff, we’re also working to make the Internet safer more broadly,” the analyst added. “A big part of that is making sure that websites people access from Google are secure.” The company notes that it has seen a growing number of webmasters adopting HTTPS on their websites, which is encouraging, but it wants to go even further, announcing at Google I/O several months ago that it wants to see “HTTPS everywhere” on the web.

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“For these reasons, over the past few months we’ve been running tests taking into account whether sites use secure, encrypted connections as a signal in our search ranking algorithms,” the analyst states. “We’ve seen positive results, so we’re starting to use HTTPS as a ranking signal.” Google explains that it does not yet give tremendous weight to this ranking signal, which it says affects fewer than one percent of global search queries, confiding that it carries less weight than other signals such as high-quality content. The writing is on the wall, however, with the low priority given to HTTPS potentially strengthened — a move intended to give webmasters time to switch their sites over. “Over time, we may decide to strengthen [the weight of

HTTPS as a ranking signal],” the analyst added. “We’d like to encourage all site owners to switch from HTTP to HTTPS to keep everyone safe [online].” Google offers tips on moving sites (such as from http:// to https://) while maintaining search rankings, and also advises not to inadvertently block HTTPS sites from being crawled by using the robots.txt file. “Allow indexing of your pages by search engines where possible [and] avoid using the noindex robots meta tag,” the analyst concluded, adding, “We hope to see more websites using HTTPS in the future, [so] let’s all make the web more secure!” If you are concerned about your site’s ranking in Google’s search results, then the analyst’s advice is well worth taking. a

ExoClick Supporting Google HTTPS Policy

ARCELONA, Spain — ExoClick said that it welcomes Google’s news regarding the implementation of using the more secure HTTPS as a ranking signal.

Judy Shalom, CEO and founder of ADAMO.

Google execs decided on an inclusion of the HTTPS protocol as a ranking signal that rewards those sites that focus on security and transparency.

The company noted that it has been encouraging the use of HTTPS since early 2014 and in March introduced a platform upgrade to allow advertising to be served in full HTTPS by generating HTTPS ad tags. ExoClick explained that the upgrade was introduced because even though many websites

have started enabling HTTPS, most ads are still being served in HTTP which can generate broken SSL certificates or in some cases even block the ads, creating a bad user experience which can impact negatively on a publishers’ ad revenues. The platform upgrade offers the exact same performance as the standard HTTP ad delivery. Publishers can log in to ExoClick’s Admin Panel to receive their new HTTPS tags and integrate them in exactly the same way, but with the added benefit of a fully secured user browsing experience. “We are committed to helping our clients maintain their online security which is why we intro-

duced HTTPS website encryption earlier this year. As far as we are aware, ExoClick is the only adult ad network that supports HTTPS ad tags,” said Benjamin Fonzé, founder and CEO. He added, “Publishers should really start looking into HTTPS to increase their ad revenues, keeping their sites secure and also influencing their Google ranking for now and the future.” Additionally ExoClick has created a post on the company’s blog titled “How to create a secure environment using HTTPS,” for webmasters who wish to know more about Google’s criteria for HTTPS. a

XBIZ Poll: Will Google Make Porn Harder to Find?

OS ANGELES — Google won’t uphold its commitment to “freedom of expression” when it comes to porn related organic search results, according to a new poll conducted by adult industry news media organization XBIZ. By a wide margin, 67 percent to 33 percent, members of adult industry social network XBIZ.net believe Google will further filter its search results following a recent policy change by the search giant to ban advertising of adult-oriented websites through its AdWords platform. XBIZ asked: “Will Google uphold its commitment to “freedom of expression” when it comes to organic adult search results?” In June, Google said it would no longer accept ads for its AdWords unit “that promote graphic depictions of sexual acts including, but not limited to, hardcore pornography; graphic sexual acts including sex acts such

as masturbation; genital, anal and oral sexual activity.” The decision to ban “adult” advertising sparked ire with stakeholders in the adult entertainment industry, including some of the businesses’ top figureheads condemning the move. Alec Helmy, president and publisher of XBIZ, wrote an open letter to Google urging the search giant to reconsider its position. So did online men’s magazine BaDoink.com’s CEO, Todd Glider. But, so far, the Google AdWords policy has been put in place and anti-porn crusader coalition Morality In Media has taken credit for the search giant’s decision.

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For Google, the elimination of adult entertainment advertising on its AdWords platform means a shrinkage of at least $350 million a year, one industry expert said. Scott Rabinowitz of SEO consulting company CyberStampede.com notes that the adult entertainment industry has provided at least one percent of AdWords revenue annually. Google makes an estimated $100 million a day in search advertising, he said. “One of the accounts I work with has literally spent over $1 million in the last 10 years,” Rabinowitz recently told TheDailyBeast.com. “They’ve had their account since the day AdWords opened before Google was a publicly

traded company and literally were shut down abruptly without the ability to respond.” Helmy As for organic searches, Google has never censored them; however the latest policymaking decision Glider by Google’s AdWords unit has many concerned in the adult entertainment industry Rabinowitz about even further detrimental re-

strictions. Q Boyer, a regular contributor to XBIZ magazine, said in a recent column, that Google could already be filtering organic searches for sexually explicit terms. “While there’s no shortage of adult sites indexed by Google, one can’t help but notice that certain standalone search terms that once yielded a massive number of adult site links in their SERPs now only return links to adult content if the user appends a modifier like ‘porn’ or ‘sex’ to the search,” he wrote. “A perfect example is ‘BDSM’; in the old days, that search term would return a flood of sites that featured BDSM-related pictures and videos, but now the top responses are the Wikipedia page devoted to BDSM, an entry from the Urban Dictionary, and a host of other non-pornographic options.” At press time, the XBIZ survey involved votes casted from 203 unique industry members. a

Plugz.co Debuts Advertising Widget System

YBERSPACE — Plugz.co has announced its advertising widget system. The company said the offering distributes relevant ads across a network maximizing every click through Wordpress or other platforms. The wigdets help deliver the highest possible ROI from each opportunity to properly monetize websites. “There are some systems on the market that have opened people’s eyes to the possibilities of properly distributed ads already and Plugz.co is the

next step up the evolutionary ladder toward success,” CEO Mike said. He added, “What sets our platform apart from competitors is the fact that every premium quality content ad in our system is perfectly relevant to your specific site contextually. That means you can maximize the value of your ad space in many ways at the same time. Provide better ratios for media buyers to gain recurring ad buys. Let the Plugz.co platform take care of all the ad selling efficiency

and gain an SEO benefit by showing visitors items they actually do want to see.” Advertisers can also take advantage of an API feature that allows mass upload of new creatives in seconds with properly tagged re-

sults. Plugz said that at a time when Google is banning all adult content AdWords buys, advertisers can’t overlook the next opportunity in contextual advertising for their websites. The company explained that the platform calibrates creatives to ensure that they always show up on relevant content sites, and its algorithm work better over

time with an increasingly large volume of data points that can be derived by post and purchase decisions. Posts are fully automated with statistical tracking. Plugz noted that ad spots could actually become beneficial to publishers’ own search engine traffic results. Linking can be aligned with an ABC networking strategy to keep visitors on pages, drive new traffic to sites, and earn premium revenue rates for every new click while serving relevant high quality ads. a

traffic destined for wellknown pools to a malicious server masquerading as the legitimate pool,” Dell researchers said of the scheme uncovered. In total, Dell researchers documented 51 compro-

mised networks from 19 different ISPs, including Amazon, Digital Ocean, OVH and other large hosting companies between February and May 2014. “All malicious BGP announcements were traced to a single router at an ISP in

Canada. The hijacker likely fits one of the following descriptions: A rogue employee of the ISP, a rogue ex-employee of the ISP with an unchanged router password, or a malicious hacker,” the researchers said.

IN BRIEF CHAMELEON UPDATES TRAFFIC DATABASE LOS ANGELES — The Chameleon team has announced the latest database updates for its adult website affiliate marketing and traffic generation tools. According to the company, its software is the only one of its kind on the market, with each Chameleon product having its own unique database of sites that are reviewed, added to, edited, and removed by hand, on a daily basis. The updated Chameleon products include Tube Sites Submitter for submitting clips to tube sites, plus the TGP/MGP submission tool, Chameleon Submitter, and the Chameleon Partner Account Requester, along with Chameleon Link List Submitter, which provides link list marketers with a traffic building tool. Chameleon’s Confirmer tool works with Submitter, but does not rely on a database. Users of Chameleon’s automated tools can update all of their databases by selecting “Update” from the Database Menu (Database > Update) inside each software control panel.

CRYPTOCURRENCY THEFT USED TRAFFIC LOS ANGELES — With more online companies accepting cryptocurrency as an alternative payment, there have been more reported instances of cybercrimes. In the latest case, a Dell research team announced that it discovered a scheme to hijack large amounts of network traffic and redirect

cryptocurrency miner connections to a hijacker-controlled mining pool, resulting in $83,000 stolen from accounts in four months. The scheme, Dell researchers said, involved BGP hijacking, which has been discussed for more than 16 years by Internet security experts, to shake cryptocurrency out of the hands of miners. Hackers in the late 1990s testified to Congress that they could use a BGP attack to take down the Internet in 30 minutes. In 2013, the BGP hijacking scheme redirected a portion of U.S. traffic to Iceland and Belarus. Border gateway protocol, or BGP, connects networks on the Internet, such as Time Warner and Comcast, to become aware of other networks’ existence. Both ends of BGP-connected networks must be manually configured to communicate, ensuring that malicious networks can’t hijack traffic without human intervention from a legitimate network. Dell researchers said the scheme involved bogus BGP broadcasts to redirect traffic to the hijacker’s server. In the end, perpetrators were able to steal Bitcoin, Dogecoin, HoboNickels and Worldcoin. “Hijackers harnessed miners’ hashing power by redirecting legitimate mining traffic destined for wellknown pools to a malicious server masquerading as the legitimate pool,” Dell researchers said. With cryptocurrency, “mining” is the act of validating transactions listed in the public ledger— also known as the block chain, which entails crunching numbers to satisfy a particular formula while simultaneously agreeing as network that the calculated results are valid. “Hijackers harnessed miners’ hashing power by redirecting legitimate mining

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Elevated X Hikes Mobile Paysite Capabilities

OS ANGELES — Elevated X has announced the expansion of the mobile paysite creation features of its popular content management system software. Introduced in 2008, the mobile site setup is an optional CMS add-on that lets paysite owners offer customers a responsive version of a paysite with a design and content that’s been optimized specifically for mo-

bile and tablet viewing. “Functionality has been extended to include mobile access to CMS features that were formerly only available to desktop viewers,” says Elevated X’s AJ Hall. “New additions include saving and viewing of user’s favorite site updates, a calendar of updates and events, FAQ page, custom pages, feedback forms and user commenting on updates, blog entries, models and DVDs, with the ability for site administrators to comment back and create an on-site dialogue.” Additionally, the free CMS tour themes now have accompanying mobile

New Direction

Playboy Does Makeover With Social Media, Mobile in Mind

Elevated X’s AJ Hall: Functionality has been extended to include mobile access to CMS features.

styles, so any Elevated X customer with a responsive mobile/tablet site version will have designs that match their desktop site. “Since its release in 2008, we’ve consistently extended the features available to mobile users to coincide with advancements in mobile phones and tablets,” Hall told XBIZ. “Our goal is to ensure that Elevated X CMS users provide their paysite’s visitors with a great user experience across all platforms and devices.” a

OS ANGELES — Last month, 60-year-old mens’ mag Playboy gave its Playboy.com site (spry at 20) a makeover, designed to optimize its content for social media sharing and with mobile in mind. Says Cory Jones, senior vice president of digital content at Playboy, said that the site is built on a foundation optimized for its growing mobile audience. “We’re going to cover everything from entertainment to humor to style, fashion, as well as girls, but whenever we create a piece of content, we ask ourselves, ‘Would I send this to a friend?’ because that’s the best way to tell people about Playboy.com,” he said. Although the Playboy.com of yesteryear only featured nude women on its subscription site, its homepage was still rife with scantily clad women, perhaps discouraging people from, say, sharing a good article on Facebook, where their mom, coworker and underage nephew are lurking. Now the ladies have all been sectioned off into the Girls category, leaving the homepage virtually sans adult (not a boob in sight). “We developed everything on the site for social,” said Phillip Morelock, Playboy’s chief product officer, echoing Jones. “We’re focused on Facebook

now because that’s where our largest audience is.” Upwards of 60 million articles and other Playboy.com content are shared on Facebook every month. Playboy reports that more than 60 percent of its traffic comes via social media. As of last month, Playboy had 15.6 million Facebook fans, 881,000 Twitter followers, 1 million YouTube subscribers, 1.4 million Instagram followers and 62,400 Vine followers. The site has attracted several big advertisers, including Bud Light, Hornitos and Dimension Films, which is releasing “Sin City: A Dame to Kill For” this month. “What Playboy does for some brands is build credibility in utilizing a natural approach to sexiness in the entertainment business,” explained Bladmiar Norman, Dimension Films’ senior vice president of marketing. Playboy.com’s No. 1 “Latest” article is a Q&A with Frank Miller, the creator of the “Sin City” and “300” graphic novels adapted into hit Hollywood films. a

IN BRIEF SEX.COM CREATES MOBILE SITE MONTREAL — Sex.com has announced the launch of its new mobile site. The Guinness World Record holder for the most expensive domain name ever, Sex.com is now focused on becoming the record holder of most trafficked website, according to a company spokesperson, who notes that as it continues to grow, the site is providing its users with the latest technology and content, along with a social

media community, and a brand that consumers can trust. Featuring an optimized design that makes browsing for free porn via mobile device easier than ever, Sex.com’s new mobile site also allows users to easily take and upload their own pictures. “Now the naughty amateurs and exhibitionists on Sex.com can share their own pictures and videos from wherever they are in the world directly from their mobile device,” states a Sex.com spokesperson. “With this, Sex.com will re-

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move the veil of silence and ambiguity that surrounds sexuality and create an open dialogue for all things sex.”

MYTXTNATION RELEASES UPGRADE LOS ANGELES — Mobile billing specialists txtNation have announced an upgrade to its MytxtNation online control panel, which gives clients increased visibility of their mobile billing and messaging campaigns, as well as providing an interface for support questions.

The MytxtNation panel is accessible to all clients using their usual username and password. Through MytxtNation, users can track their balance and activity for mobile billing and messaging; see how payments campaigns are performing; and split balance and activity, with this section of the control panel showing you how much money the client is making (by country) and how many mobile billing related transactions have been sent and received. On the messaging side, users can track delivery rates

by country, allowing them to see whether their users are receiving their messages. The mobile messaging analytic platform enables users to make the most of their mobile marketing. The new API section of MytxtNation allows users to see the APIs they are currently using and to request access to use other APIs across HTTP, XML and SMPP. MytxtNation’s inbox allows users to see support updates, as well as direct messages relating to their campaign, and features a live chat interface for immediate support.

2257 Appeal Down to Wire

AB 1576

Condom Bill Stalls

AHF-Sponsored Legislation Fails in California, But Will It Be Back?

AN FRANCISCO — The cloud of dust has settled over AB 1576, the piece of legislation that would have required mandatory condom usage on adult film sets in California. The bill, sponsored by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation and authored by Assemblyman Isadore Hall, died last month in the state Senate Appropriations Committee after legislators voted to not move it out of committee, essentially killing it. The bill would have required the use of condoms in adult film productions, as well as STI and HIV testing for performers, But will it, or something like it, be back? “We are reviewing all options,” AHF President Michael Weinstein told XBIZ. “If Cal/OSHA acts quickly on regulations then legislation is not necessary.” Weinstein was referring to a draft proposal that would amend California Code of Regulations Title 8, Section 5193, and mandate barrier protection, including condoms, to shield performers from contact with bloodborne pathogens, or other potentially infectious material during the production of films. Weinstein, however, said that if Cal/OSHA doesn’t approve a draft that specifically addresses sexually transmitted pathogens in the adult entertainment industry, he may go the route that worked in Los Angeles County with Measure B. “If all else fails, the 2016 bal-

FSC Optimistic That It Will Prevail

HILADELPHIA — The Free Speech Coalition and other co-plaintiffs last month filed a reply brief with the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeal, asking for the case to be remanded back to the trial court with instructions to enter a judgment declaring 18 U.S.C. §§ 2257 and 2257A unconstitutional under the First and Fourth Amendments. Jeffrey Douglas, the FSC’s board chair, told XBIZ that “the trial court’s opin- Douglas ion was a grave disappointment, but we are optimistic about the appeal.” “The reply brief, representing the last written advocacy that goes before the 3rd Circuit Court, is a remarkable piece of legal argumentation,” said Douglas, also an adult entertainment industry attorney. “The entire team at the Free Please see 2257, page 79

Jules Jordan Awarded $2.3M in Piracy Suit

ONTREAL — In another chapter of one of the longest running piracy cases in industry history, the Superior Court of Quebec has awarded Jules Jordan Video $2.3 million in damages in a case that has spanned almost 10 years. Montreal Judge Louis Gouin upheld a U.S. ruling for Jules Jordan Video in his copyright and trademark infringement case against Alain Elmaleh that was first investigated in the Please see JULES JORDAN, page 80

“

A bad bill died. Its only strength was politics, rather than policy.

— FSC BOARD CHAIR AND ATTORNEY JEFFREY DOUGLAS

lot box is an option,” said Weinstein, referring to a new statewide porn-condom initiative.

The AHF’s leader noted that his organization moved the porn-condom legislation farther along in this session than any previous year. Hall spokesman Terry Schanz declined to answer XBIZ queries whether the assemblyman would reconstitute AB 1576 into another bill or push it forward as-is next term. In response to Weinstein’s comments, Kink.com CEO Peter Acworth said he’s ready for discussion that will put the issue at rest in California. “I want to make it clear that whatever has happened in the past, our doors are open,” Acworth told XBIZ. “I hope that Weinstein/AHF Please see AB 1576, page 82

AHF’s Nevada Complaint Focuses on Oral Sex

ARSON CITY, Nev. — The AIDS Healthcare Foundation’s complaint to Nevada OSHA over a Kink.com shoot in Las Vegas targeted oral sex only, including cunnilingus. In a two-page letter obtained by XBIZ, the AHF told state OSHA officials that “workplaces in the adult film industry ... are unsafe, pose a risk of serious bodily injury and are in violation of federal OSHA regulation 1910.1030” involving bloodborne pathogens. In the July 25 letter submitted by AHF, the Hollywood, Calif., organization targeted Kink.com over a June 8 shoot that was captured online.

58 XBIZ WORLD SEPTEMBER 2014

The AHF infered in its complaint letter that all of the evidence is available online at Kink.com accessed for viewers of “Hogtied Whores,” starring four indiAcworth viduals — Skin Diamond, Krissy Lynn, James Mogul and Maestro. Peter Acworth, the CEO and founder of Kink.com, told XBIZ that the shoot named in the complaint included only oral sex. But this is the first time that

the act of cunnilingus has been suggested and used in a adult scene-bloodborne pathogen complaint to OSHA officials by the AHF. The AHF in their complaint to Nevada industrial workplace authorities pieced together its complaint by viewing the web for the movie, which Acworth earlier identified as “Vegas Road Trip,” and by monitoring the Twitter accounts of Diamond and Lynn. “As depicted in the film trailer for ‘Hogtied Whores,’ Ms. Diamond and Ms. Lynn were clearly exposed to bloodborne pathogen’s and [other potentially infectious Please see COMPLAINT, page 83

ATVOD Overruled by Ofcom in ‘Urban Chick’ Case

ONDON — Ofcom, the U.K.’s chief communications regulator, has ruled on two appeals made by website operators challenging statutory rules that force them to register their sites with video-on-demand programming regulator ATVOD. In one appeal, Ofcom decided that ATVOD’s ruling over femdom BDSM site Urban Chick Supremacy Cell (UC-SC-Femdom.com) was outside its scope of reg-

ulation because its service was not “TV-like,” even though it offers external links to video content. In another appeal, Ofcom sided with ATVOD in its case against adult website FrankieAndFriends.net, ruling that the site didn’t comply with Section 368A of the Communications Act 2003

U.K. regulator Ofcom decided that video-on-demand czar ATVOD’s ruling over femdom BDSM site Urban Chick Supremacy Cell (UC-SCFemdom.com) was outside its scope of regulation because its service was not “TV-like.”

by not registering its site. Ofcom said that it found the

website to be TV-like. In the Urban Chick case,

Ofcom said in its decision that the appellant did not meet the definition of an ODPS, or on-demand programming service, as defined in the Communications Act and wasn’t in breach of notifying ATVOD or paying its fees. Urban Chick’s website — with its femdom look and home page where a topless woman wears a balaclava, torn tights, army boots and is pointing a gun — provides links to other websites. Please see ATVOD, page 74

Adult Biz Execs in Partnership Battle

OS ANGELES — Two well-known individuals with adult entertainment ties are feuding it out over ownership of NOHO Inc., the purveyors of anti-hangover beverage NOHO. NOHO’s CEO and largest shareholder, Jay Grdina, were sued yesterday by Todd Blatt, who alleged in a federal suit that he helped create the company and whose industry connections and resources were vital to its growth into a publicly traded company. Today, NOHO is the world’s No.1 selling hangover-prevention supplier, according to the suit. The company trades on the OTC under the ticker DRNK. NOHO produces two beverages, NOHO “The Hangover Defense,” a 2 oz. shot, and NOHO Gold “Premium Lifestyle Beverage,” an 8.4 oz. can. Blatt has had stakes in adult entertainment ventures for more than 25 years, operating Antigua Pictures and other companies involved in broadcast and distribution. According to the suit, Blatt through the years earned the badge of honor as the “alpha dog of foreign licensing and distribution in the adult entertainment industry.” Blatt and Grdina first met over 20 years ago. At the time, Grdina was a producer, actor and investor in adult films. Please see NOHO, page 78

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Live Webcam Legal Portal Makes Debut

ONGWOOD, Fla. — Walters Law Group has launched WebCamLaws.com, a site focused on addressing the legal needs of the live webcam industry. “Given the rising popularity of the live webcam entertainment, we felt that a specialty site was necessary to deliver focused information to this unique target audience consisting of performers, agencies, and cam network operators,” industry attorney Lawrence Walters told XBIZ. The new site is part of the Walters Law Group’s Weblaw Network at WebLawNetwork.com, the firm’s umbrella site that links together all of the legal resources, mobile apps and technology devices offered by the firm. “WebCamLaws.com will continue to provide updates and legal information to the live webcam industry as the field evolves,” Walters said. Last year, Walters rolled out Quick2257 for Android and iOS devices. Designed for mobile use, the Quick2257 app creates 18 U.S.C. § 2257 records for performers, webcam models, escorts, dating site members and anyone who produces depictions of actual or simulated sexually explicit conduct. The Florida attorney also has invented and patented other technology designed for the adult entertainment industry. a

Settlement Is Encouraging Sign for Podcast Producers

EAUMONT, Texas — In an encouraging sign for operators of podcasts, including the scores who operate adult entertainmentthemed ones, patent troll Personal Audio has dropped its lawsuit against Adam Carolla, the comedian and former radio personality who ventured into the format several years ago. The lawsuit, dropped last month, had alleged that Carolla infringed on its patent for delivering episodic online content. If the case had gone to trial, Carolla planned to argue that Personal Audio’s patent was invalid because the so-called podcast invention was described or made obvious by other people’s work before Personal Audio filed its patent. The Electronic Frontier Foundation today said that Carolla and everyone who donated to a defense war chest he set up “deserves massive credit for putting up such a strong fight.” “The podcasting community showed that it would not be shaken down,” the EFF said. “Patent litigation is very expensive and most troll targets settle early just to avoid the cost of defense. By fighting back, Carolla forced Personal Audio to actually mount a case and establish that it deserved money. That turned out to be too hard for the troll. “Carolla is the one of the most successful podcasters in the business. If suing him makes no economic sense, then it makes no sense to sue any podcaster.” But the EFF also said that because the

Adam Carolla’s settlement is good news for podcasters.

parties came to a settlement, Carolla loses the opportunity to invalidate the patent and have Personal Audio pay his legal fees. “For now, the TV companies are still in the case and are headed to trial in September,” the EFF said. “If they don’t settle, and they win on invalidity, then they would also defeat Personal Audio for the entire public. “And EFF’s challenge at the Patent Office will continue. So Personal Audio’s claim to own podcasting is not necessarily saved by this settlement.” The EFF’s case is before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. EFF is on schedule for a hearing in December with a ruling likely by April 2015. Carolla’s settlement does not impact the EFF’s case. a

SEPTEMBER 2014 XBIZ WORLD 61

Appeals Court OKs Prenda Sanctions

HICAGO — The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last month affirmed a lower court decision levying contempt sanctions against three attorneys who filed a copyright infringement case on behalf of adult operator Lightspeed Media Corp. In consolidated appeals, the three-judge panel held that an original order callJohn Steele, one of Prenda Law’s ing for $261,000 in sancprincipals. The firm has been pro- tions, as well as finding Prenda Law’s principals — lific in exacting payments from attorneys John Steele, Paul piracy defendants.

Hansmeier and Paul Duffy — in civil contempt, were appropriate. Prenda Law for years has been prolific in exacting payments from porn piracy defendants through courtapproved subpoenas. The appeal acted on stemmed from a case against a man named Anthony Smith, who was alleged to have been the ringleader of a hacking gang involving 6,600 users who obtained stolen passwords to break into about

40 Lightspeed Media porn sites. At the behest of Lightspeed Media, Prenda Law made additional claims against corporate executives at AT&T and Comcast Cable Communications that they aided, abetted and conspired with the hackers to steal content because they refused to comply with subpoenas and turn over subscriber data based on IP addresses. Prenda Law later told the court in a motion that

Lightspeed Media intended to drop the suit. That motion spurred defendants into action with requests for reimbursement of attorneys fees because the suit was based on “frivolous claims,” which the lower court later affirmed. The lower court ordered Lightspeed Media’s attorneys to pay sanctions for Smith ($72,000), AT&T ($120,000) and Comcast ($69,000). After missing deadlines to pay the $261,000 in sanctions, a lower court ordered the firm to pay 10 percent more as a fine. Prenda Law attorneys Duffy, Steele and Hans Please see LIGHTSPEED, page 78

Prenda Loses Appeal in Minn.

INNEAPOLIS — In another stinging defeat, Prenda Law counsel lost an appeal over attorneys fees sought by porn piracy defendants. The Minnesota Court of Appeals has affirmed a $63,000 judgment against Prenda Law for attorneys fees and costs associated with a piracy case against defendant Spencer Merkel, four John Doe defendants and Qwest Communications Corp. Last month’s $63,000 judgment was just the latest in a string of court cases that have beset Prenda Law. Also last month, the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a lower court decision levying contempt sanctions against three Prenda Law attorneys who filed a copyright infringement case on behalf of adult operator Lightspeed Media Corp. The 7th Circuit affirmed $287,000 in sanctions against Prenda Law counsel, which for several years has been prolific in exacting payments from porn piracy defendants through courtapproved subpoenas. Last year, another federal judge in Los Angeles orPlease see GUAVA, page 80

6 2 XBIZ WORLD SEPTEMBER 2014

UDRP CASES

XVideos Files 3 More Cybersquatting Claims

AS VEGAS — The parent company of XVideos.com has filed three more cybersquatting cases with WIPO over adult tube sites that use “XVideos” in their domain names. In the latest cases filed at WIPO, XVideos.com’s

operator made separate complaints over the domains XVideosDaily.com and XVideosToday.net, both registered to Andrey Kuzmenko of Ukraine, as well as XVideos.nu, which is registered to a private domain service. All three cases are in

In each of those six the hands of WIPO arbitrators and pending. Kuz- cases, respondents failed to reply to WGCZ’s accumenko did not reply to sations, and arbitrators XBIZ for comment over the two cases filed against ruled that each of the websites were registered his domains. and used the site in bad WGCZ S.R.O., faith because the names XVideos.com’s parent were similar to either company, operates scores “XNXX” or “XVideos” beof other tube sites includcause the names shared ing XNXX.com and is common characteristics to based in Czechoslovakia the brands. and has U.S. operations Each of the tube sites in Las Vegas. were handed over to The company recently WGCZ. filed numerous cyberIn another case, WGCZ squatting cases, known as received a victory over UDRP filings, against enXNXX.pro (see below). trepreneurs and compaWGCZ has held the a nies that ride on its tube U.S. trademark on its sites’ coattails. XVideos brand since 2012 WGCZ recently won and its XNXX brand since cases at WIPO over the 2013. sites New-XVideos.com, WGCZ was represented XNXXNow.com, NewXNXX.com, X-Videos.com, in each of those cases by Randazza Legal Group. HD-XVideos and Adult industry attorney HQXNXX.com — all Marc Randazza told XBIZ highly trafficked tube sites offering adult fare. Please see XVIDEOS, page 87

Wins Over XNXX.pro, NudeCam4.com

AS VEGAS — The parent company of XNXX.com recently received another victory over a domain name after arbitrators at WIPO agreed that operators of XNXX.pro registered it in bad faith. The respondent in the cybersquatting case, an unidentified individual or company under blind ownership, contended that it registers generic domain names to derive advertising income via click-through deals and that provided

links don’t hook up to competitors. (Archived pages from earlier this year show that XNXX.pro depicted adult tube site content.) The respondent further said that it wanted the WIPO panel to apply the equitable doctrine of laches to deny the complaint, asserting that XNXX operators slept on its rights over the site, which has been in existence in some form since 2009. Parent company WGCZ S.R.O. of Las Vegas has held a U.S. trademark on

its XNXX brand since 2013. The company has waged numerous cybersquatting battles recently against those sites allegedly infringing on its XVideos and XNXX brands. “The interesting angle to this case is that the respondent originally agreed to transfer the domain name upon receiving the complaint,” according to attorney Marc Randazza of Randazza Legal Group. “However, our client decided that a reported Please see XNXX, page 87

Case Pits GirlsDoPorn vs. GirlDoPorn

APE TOWN, South Africa — The operator of membership adult site GirlsDoPorn.com had its cybersquatting complaint over GirlDoPorn.com denied by a WIPO arbitrator this month. San Diego-based BLL Media Holdings, operator of GirlsDoPorn.com, a subscription-based adult content website, claimed that the operator of GirlDoPorn.com, Infinitoria Ltd. of London, registered the site in bad faith because the site

dropped the “s” in its domain name and now shows adult tube-site content and related advertising. GirlsDoPorn.com several years ago received instant publicity after the site included a sex video of Melissa King, the former Miss Delaware Teen USA. After found out, King, who performed oral and vaginal sex and ended up with a facial in the video, gave up her crown. But her notoriety continued and the site gained a following. In the case, BLL Media

said that the GirlsDoPorn.com membership site was registered in 2006, launched in 2007 and that its case was clear — that its domain name was senior in its launch to Infinitorial’s website, GirlDoPorn.com, which debuted in 2009. BLL Media also claimed in its complaint that it had acquired rights in the GirlsDoPorn.com trademark as a consequence of use that it has made of the trademark through advertising and Please see GIRLSDOPORN, page 87

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Perfect 10 Sues French Host OVH

OS ANGELES — Adult entertainment brand Perfect 10 has filed a federal lawsuit against French hosting company OVH.com, alleging that it hosts pirated copies of its copyrighted images for 17 websites. Perfect 10 said in the suit filed Wednesday that it has identified at least 12,000 images it owns on the 17 Norm Zada, operator of Perfect 10, sites and is suing for told XBIZ that he’s got a particular $150,000 per infringement. opinion on what to do with adjudiThe suit, naming OVH and 100 John Does, is simicating infringers and that there lar to another claim that it should be an “Internet police.”

settled earlier this year with hosting firm LeaseWeb. In that suit, Perfect 10 said it sent DMCA notices over at least 12,220 infringing images hosted on the servers of the LeaseWeb defendants. Terms of that settlement were never revealed. In the current suit, the adult brand also accuses OVH and 100 John Does named to the suit of allowing infringing traffic to pass through the Internet backbone.

Perfect 10 argues that OVH is directly responsible for copyright infringements committed by 17 clients — operators of Celeb.to, CelebForum.to, Daily-Ladies.com, Gallery-Dump.com, Erooups.com, GoPhoto.us, HatunCenter.net, ImageChunk.com, Sualize.us, IMGMaster.net, ImageRise.com, OhFree.net, PixHost.eu, RedBlow.com, TuxBoard.com, VisualiZeus.com and WallpaperPanda.com. Perfect 10 said it sent

DMCA notices to OVH since 2011 ans said it believes the hosting provider should have taken the URLs in question offline. Perfect 10 seeks maximum statutory damages of $150,000 with respect to each work infringed and a restraining order over alleged infringement against OVH and its Canadian subsidiary, Hebergement OVH Inc., as well as the Does. Norm Zada, operator of Perfect 10, told XBIZ that he’s got a particular opinion on what to do with adjudicating infringers. “I strongly believe that there needs to be some sort of Internet police so that copyright holders do not need to spend all their time and resources in court, rather than developing their businesses,” Zada said. “Also, federal courts are in desperate need of more support from Congress and the president. There are not nearly enough judges, and they are overworked and underpaid.” a

Buck Angel Cleared to Split From His Wife BATON ROUGE, La. — Transsexual porn star Buck Angel’s bid to divorce his wife and seek alimony was given the green light under Louisiana law. A court decision found Angel and estranged wife Elayne Angel legally married although he was physically a woman at the time of the marriage in Angel 2003. Angel’s wife hoped that he was declared a woman, which would void what she called a same-sex marriage. Under Louisiana law, a person doesn't change sex unless the genitalia is altered. But the court ruled the union was legal because the couple always intended to be man and wife. California also helped sway the Louisiana court's decision as Angel got a name and gender change there in 1998. a

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IN BRIEF PORN.COM RECOVERED AFTER 'HIJACK' ATTEMPT LOS ANGELES — Porn.com has recovered its domain. The company released this statement: "We can now confirm that Porn.com, one of the largest and top adult entertainment websites in the world, was recently “hijacked” by an unknown third party. Porn.com was originally purchased in 2007 for $9.5 million making it the third most expensive domain of all time. "Since learning of the hijacking, Porn.com’s attorneys Corey D. Silverstein, and Paul Keating, with the assistance of Larry Walters have worked tirelessly to recover Porn.com and return it to its rightful owner. Porn.com is presently in transit back to domain registrar Moniker. "The domain was recovered through the diligent efforts of Porn.com' s legal team, in cooperation with the registrars and Verisign. At no time did Porn.com consider payment of any ransom or settlement fee to retrieve its rightful property. "As a result of Porn.com’s legal team’s efforts, despite

the hijacker’s malicious attempt to steal Porn.com, at no time was day-to-day business affected at Porn.com and consumer experience was not impacted in the slightest.”

MELISSAMIDWEST OPERATOR FILES SUIT LINCOLN, Neb. — The operator of MelissaMidwest.com filed a federal lawsuit against the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission, Lincoln officials and others alleging that his constitutional rights were violated when his liquor license application for a nightclub was rejected. Shane Harrington’s $27.5million lawsuit at Omaha federal court complains that authorities spurned his request for the license because of his history operating adult entertainment websites, including the MelissaMidwest site. Harrington said in the suit that the authorities went so far with a “witch hunt” against him because of his porn empire that they created “The Book” that included notations of surveillance “of not only plaintiff, but also his friends, family and associates over the past decade,” since he

founded his company MelTech Inc. in 2005. “During the hearing before the Nebraska Liquor Commission Control City, which lasted approximately three hours, defendants broadcast approximately 50 nude photographs of plaintiff’s ex-wife [Melissa Midwest] to embarrass and harass Mr. Harrington, despite the fact that these photographs had nothing to do with obtaining a liquor license and despite the fact that they did not have legal authority or permission to broadcast these photographs to the public,” the suit said. MelissaMidwest.com, which made “millions of dollars in revenue from 2005 to 2009,” the suit said, continues on to this day. The site, which closed its affiliate program — MelissaMoney — years ago, offers pictures of the namesake Midwest, some webcam offerings and links to other webcam communities. She started her career in 2003 at age 21, and transitioned from online solo girl and girl/girl to hardcore boy/girl for DVD. Many promotions through the years included public nudity shots — one a wet T-shirt contest at a bar — mostly in and around Lincoln.

Harrington’s suit seeks $2.5 million in damages, punitives in the amount of $25 million and attorneys fees.

PLAYBOY SUES WEBSITE FOR TARNISHING BRAND LOS ANGELES — Playboy says the term “Playmates” shouldn’t be confused with hookers and is going to court to make its case. The entertainment giant has fired off a lawsuit against Canadian escort service PleasurePlaymates.com, claiming that the term “Playmates” is reserved for girls with a wholesome appeal. Court papers say PleasurePlaymates is tarnishing the Playboy-branded term because escort services are typically used for “illicit activity.”

CHINA WARNS BAIDU ABOUT PORN ON CLOUD BEIJING — China’s porn cops have slapped a notice on search engine giant Baidu.com, to clean its Cloud of porn — or else. The country’s cultural administrative authorities re-

portedly found “obscene” and porn content on the online storage service after being tipped off by citizens as part of its “Cleaning the Web 2014” that began last November. Beijing’s anti-pornography and anti-illegal publications office said Baidu has already been warned about it’s nonchalant supervision of its cloud and was told to “promptly delete all files in question, shut down accounts uploading such content and present a report on its clean-up effort.” The warning came despite Baidu’s post last April that said “In order to cleanse cyber environment, Baidu Cloud thoroughly bans the sharing of pornographic content... Users are welcome to report improper resources.” In what appears to be a move to comply, the Xinhua new agency reported that a new anti-porn statement has emerged on the company’s forum stating that it’s now checking users’ shared files for questionable content. Since it began, the campaign has led to the shutdown of 1,222 websites and deletion of about 2,200 pieces of text containing porn, according to official figures released in June.

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FSC Lifts Performer Moratorium

Porn Actor’s Test Was Determined a ‘False Positive’

ANOGA PARK, Calif. — The industry-wide moratorium due to a potential positive HIV case in the performer pool has been lifted because a test result was determined to be a “false positive,” FSC CEO Diane Duke said. The Free Speech Coalition called for a production moratorium in late August after one of the testing facilities in its PASS testing system reported a possible positive HIV test for an adult performer. “The performer does not have HIV. Additionally, the first generation performers who were tested proactively have also come back negative. Production on adult film can resume safely,” Duke said. “We understand that a moratorium is nervewracking for performers and difficult for producers. However, it’s essential that when it comes to performer safety, we err on the side of caution. “The moratorium and testing system has enabled us to prevent any transmission of HIV on an adult film set for over ten years. While opponents of the industry often use our periodic moratoriums as evidence that adult sets are not safe, quite the opposite is true. Moratoriums have and continue to enable us to prevent HIV from being transmitted between adult performers.” a

Girlfriends Films Now Distributing Homegrown Video

ALENCIA, Calif. — Girlfriends Films has announced that is now the official distributor of Homegrown Video and its line of real amateur adult movies. A veteran provider of amateur adult entertainment, Homegrown Video is the quintessential brand for those looking to share their sex lives on camera or view others celebrating their sexuality. Four movies per month will be available from Girlfriends Films Distribution on DVD. “We have long admired the business Please see HOMEGROWN, page 89

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Plight of Porn

Studio Execs Find Ways to Weather Storm of Free Porn

OS ANGELES — The mainstream porn industry in the summer of 2014 could take its motto from Charles Dickens: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” The current state of porn, as XPlay co-owner Will Ryder opines more succinctly, is “great and horrible, all at the same time.” Free porn continues to erode DVD sales, but new lines and innovative concepts take up some of the slack. Different distribution opportunities arrive through the Internet. It’s a moment of change but also opportunity. XBIZ World’s informal survey of studio heads and company owners shows a remarkable unanimity, and overall it’s one of guarded optimism. Their views are encapsulated in this statement from Vivid Entertainment’s Steven Hirsch, one of the architects of the porn marketing paradigm. “The adult industry is increasingly challenging. We all know this and there are fewer movies being shot. Traditional adult proPlease see PLIGHT, page 89

“We all know, felt and see the decline of DVD due to all the tube sites out there. To stay strong for our studio we’ve tackled other avenues to generate money,” says Stuart Wall, Smash Pictures vice president.

EvilAngel.com Is Relaunched With New Features

ONTREAL — FameDollars, Gamma Entertainment’s affiliate program, has announced the relaunch of EvilAngel.com. Since 1989, gonzo innovator Evil Angel has stood out in the DVD market and, since partnering with FameDollars, have likewise reigned over the web with content from

edgy, diversified directors. The redesigned and upgraded website features several user experience enhancements, including a new playlist and favorites features, a simplified, “intuitive” content browsing system and updated search options, reportedly all based on its site’s member feedback. In addition to the new features, EvilAngel.com sports a new responsive design to fit Please see EVILANGEL.COM, page 89

OBITUARY 1934-2014

Golden Age’s Philip Marshak

OS ANGELES — Golden Age director Philip Marshak, best known in the XXX realm for his hardcore 1978 adaptation of Bram Stoker’s novel, “Dracula Sucks,” passed away July 24 in the arms of his loved Marshak ones at the age of 80 after battling leukemia, diabetes and heart disease, his son Darryl Marshak told XBIZ. “‘Boogie Nights’ was my dad, Philip Marshak,” Darryl Marshak said of his father, who was raised in a tough neighborhood of the Bronx. He moved to L.A. in the 1960s Please see MARSHAK, page 93

APAC Announces Board of Directors Election Results

OS ANGELES — The Adult Performer Advocacy Committee (APAC) has announced the results of its election of Directors of the Board. Serving as chairperson for APAC’s second year will be former treasurer, James Deen. Conner Habib has been elected to vice president. Habib said, “I’m so grateful and excited to be elected vice president of APAC. I’m looking forward to working on bridging the gap between gay, queer and straight adult industries to create a stronger unity between performers and advocates. I’m also honored to be on a board made of such thoughtful and talented people.” Veruca James ran uncontested for treasurer, while Ela Darling has taken on the role of secretary. Darling said, “I am thrilled to take on the role of secretary of APAC.” APAC president Chanel Preston commented, “I am so excited for this coming year. The new board is very strong, and it will be great to get new perspectives on many of the things we’ve been working on.” The association noted that it would like to thank Kimberly Kane, Mick Blue, and Stoya for their service during its inaugural year and invite all current and former adult performers to the APAC meetings, which take place on the first Sunday of every month in the Silverlake area of Los Angeles.

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War Machine Faces Up to 32 Years, Nevada D.A. Says

AS VEGAS — War Machine, who was arrested last month on suspicion of beating adult performer Christy Mack, could spend up to 32 years in prison if convicted on all counts, authorities say. Mack The Clark County District Attorney has filed seven felonies against War Machine, including counts on battery with substantial bodily harm, battery by strangulation, open or gross lewdness, assault with a deadly weapon, coercion, and two counts of War Machine battery with substantial bodily harm that constitute domestic violence. "The total amount of time he is facing, if everything is run consecutive, is 7 to 32 years," Tess Driver, a spokeswoman for the prosecutor's office, told XBIZ. "With the exception of [two domestic violence

charges], the remaining counts are probationable. However, it is up to the sentencing judge as to whether he would be granted probation or not." War Machine, 32, also could face up to $52,000 in statutory fines over the seven counts, Driver said. His arraignment on a felony fugitive from justice charge in California has been scheduled for today at 1:30 p.m. at Ventura County Superior Court on Victoria Street in Ventura, Calif. War Machine, whose given name was Jon Koppenhaver, awaits extradition to Nevada at press time. The mixed martial arts fighter is the primary suspect in an assault and battery that left his ex-girlfriend, Mack, and a friend with serious injuries. War Machine showed up unannounced at Mack’s Las Vegas house two weeks ago and beat her and her friend without saying a word, Mack said. Mack said that she suffered from 18 broken bones, a broken nose, missing teeth, a fractured rib and a ruptured liver as a result of the hands of War Machine, who is a professional mixed martial artist competing in the welterweight division. War Machine also is a former boyfriend of Mack's and has had scenes in porn productions. a

IN BRIEF INDUSTRY HONORS CHRISTIAN MANN VAN NUYS, Calif. — The adult entertainment community came out in force on last month for what became a moving “Celebration of the Life” Mann for beloved industry leader Christian Mann. The diverse gathering underlined the remarkable imprint Mann left, as 500-plus friends, colleagues and family members stood united inside the grand ballroom at Van Nuys’ Airtel Plaza Hotel in honor of the man whose career spanned more than 34 years. Purple and white flower arrangements adorned each of the round tables, which had a program titled “Christian: In Words And Pictures” at every seat. Three large video screens played a slideshow of personal photos from Mann’s life — including the early years, recent months and everything in between. And music from Mann’s favorite band, The Beatles, played softly as the crowd filed in before friends and loved ones shared their experiences with the Evil Angel executive.

lot to think about with the accent and the character.” Also due out soon from Rotten’s own production company Mental Beauty is “Anal Candy Disco Chicks,” in which the inked starlet said she had her hand in every aspect of production. “The movie was a lot of fun to create,” Bonnie said of the film streeting Aug. 12. “I made the costumes, designed the sets and took on the challenge of bringing sex appeal to eating candy. I love the sex scenes in this movie, they are all bright, vivid and a lot of fun.” The “Anal Candy Disco Chicks” cast includes Skin Diamond, Penny Pax, Dahlia Sky, Sarah Shevon, Mike Adri-

ano and Tommy Pistol.

JAMES DEEN, SARA LUV STAR IN ‘KINK 3’ MONTREAL — “Shades of Kink: Volume 3” is now available from Mile High Media, following the recent release of the trailer for the theatrical adaptation of E L James’ bestselling “Fifty Shades of Grey.” “While the adult industry saw a bit of a lull in fetish sales from the previous boom due to a certain trilogy of books, the new trailer for the movie adaptation has created a renewed frenzy for all things kinky,” said Jon Blitt, vice president of Mile

High Media. “As fans wait for Hollywood’s foray into fetish next year, they can satisfy their curiosity for submission and domination with our erotic series, ‘Shades of Kink.’” Nominated for several XBIZ awards, the third installment of the James Avalonhelmed kink-centric series stars Sara Luv and James Deen, as well as Scarlet Red, Chloe Foster, Mr. Pete and Tyler Nixon.

‘SHEMALE.XXX GOES TO BANGKOK #3’ RELEASED CHATSWORTH, Calif. — Grooby Productions and Third World Media have re-

leased “Shemale.xxx Goes To Bangkok #3.” Directed by Frank from Frank’s TGirl World, the DVD features five scenes with ladyboys Alice, Benz, emma, Game and Wan. “This DVD definitely encapsulates Frank’s distinctive style,” Grooby CEO Steven Grooby said. Director Frank added “‘Shemale.xxx Goes To Bangkok #3’ follows the adventures of Christian as he travels through Bangkok in search of the horniest shemales in town. If you like seeing sexy ladyboys getting fucked by a horny American like Christian, this title will definitely deliver the goods.”

ROTTEN DIRECTS IN ‘CAPE FEAR XXX’ VENICE, Calif. — Bonnie Rotten has released her first hardcore feature since she stepped behind the camera as director with the debut yesterday Rotten of “Cape Fear XXX” for DreamZone Entertainment. Directed by and starring Bonnie Rotten as the iconic Max Cady, portrayed by Robert Mitchum (1962) and Robert De Niro (1991) in the previous mainstream versions, “Cape Fear XXX” also stars Chanel Preston, Jodi Taylor, Luna Star, Evan Stone, Tommy Pistol and Alec Knight. “‘Cape Fear XXX’ was the first feature I directed,” Rotten said, admitting that “It was very challenging to direct and star in this movie. I had a

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NakedSword Porn Legend Adds Hot House Rafael Alencar to Membership Appears in ‘The Pack’ Studio Has Added 5 Other Brands to Website Lineup

AN FRANCISCO — NakedSword has added Hot House Video to its membership offering. The announcement is the latest in NakedSword’s ‘Servin Up Summer’ campaign which launched at the beginning of July highlighting the addition of all new studios to NakedSword’s content library of more than 15,000 scenes. So far this summer, NakedSword has added Corbin Fisher, Gay Hoopla, Extra Big Dicks, Men Over 30 , and Circle Jerk Boys to their lineup. For more than 20 years Hot House has produced movies epitomizing the chiseled, allAmerican, muscular stud. Now for the first time in years NakedSword members will have access to Hot House’s best movies. To mark the occasion NakedSword’s Sister Roma (formerly of Hot House) has handpicked her top 10 Hot House movies ever. NakedSword is launching with these special top 10 releases which include the award-win Please see NAKEDSWORD, page 87

C1R Debuts Dom-Themed ‘#LEATHER’

EST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — C1R.com is rolling out the hashtagged leather movie, “#LEATHER” The studio said that “this spit and bootlicking romp brings some favorites and newcomers into the seedy world of slings, chains, and dark back-room sex.” “The nasty journey starts with superstar Johnny Hazzard taking total control of blonde muscle bottom jock, Logan Vaughn. With Johnny in master mode Please see C1R.COM, page 89

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AN FRANCISCO — The third episode of NakedSword’s “The Pack” series, called “Lucky Night at the Bloc” stars relentless top and legendary performer Rafael Alencar along with bubblebutt bottom, Marcus Isaacs. Filmed entirely on location in the Big Apple, “Episode 3” was shot at the famous sex-drenched NYC bar, Eastern Bloc. The episode begins with Leo Forte invitLegendary performer Rafael Alening Cam Christou to a private event for part car appears in NakedSword’s “The of his “initiation” into Pack” series. The Pack. Arriving at the bar, Christoue sees Alencar dancing seductively and gets excited about what the night has in store for him. Pack leader Boomer Banks doesn’t pick Christou to hook up with Alencar for the night, instead choosing Isaacs. Christous’ initiation, it turns out, is cleaning up the mess after Alencar finishes with Isaacs. Christou then begins to wonder if will he ever become part of “The Pack.” “The Pack” was written, directed and filmed by Grabby Awards 2014 Director of the Year mr. Pam. a

Buddy Profits, Mile High Launch MaleReality.com

ONTREAL — Buddy Profits, gay affiliate program and subsidiary of Gamma Entertainment, announced the launch of the fantasy-based website MaleReality.com. The new website features exclusive content created by Mile High Media, Buddy Profits’ latest content partner. In 2011, Mile High Media entrusted Gamma with managing the online web presence of its straight websites; today’s announcement extends that relationship to also include all of its gay product lines. “I’m excited to get the opportunity to work with Mile High, a seasoned player in the adult content industry with more than 20 years’ experience, on their first gay membership site and Buddy Profit’s 42nd website.” said Hector Camacho, Buddy Profits’ managing

director. “Over the past few years, Buddy Profits has been expanding into new niches in order to offer its affiliates a diverse collection of high-performing websites to promote,” Camacho added. “MaleReality’s fantasybased scenarios tap into the desires of gay men everywhere and includes a variety of sexual fantasies we can all relate to.” “We have been working with Gamma for quite some time now, and couldn’t be happier Please see MALEREALITY, page 87

Sureflix Launches BarebackFlix

ORONTO — Sureflix Digital Distribution Inc. owner of flagship website MaleFlixxx.tv, has announced the launch of BarebackFlix.tv. The operators said the new site was created to satisfy the needs of customers and affiliates as it’s

one of the most popular categories across the Sureflix network. Fans constantly requested access to an exclusive site where they can find their favorite bareback studios and see the latest updates in one place. BarebackFlix.tv features all of the bareback studios available on the Sureflix network including Treasure Island Media, Chaos Men, Hot Desert Knights, Staxus, Bareback Inc. and more. New studios will also join the network including Knight Breeders and Lucas Entertainment’s new bareback line. Sureflix noted that affiliates also asked for a bareback-only site so they could promote that genre exclusively. The site’s layout and navigation has been improved and allows full access to new “edgy raw HD” content. BarebackFlix.tv has a variety of monthly payper-view packages starting at $28.98 per month for up to 500 minutes with a launch offer at $9.98 per month. “As a seasoned, award winning VOD network, we re-evaluated our customers’ needs. We reviewed everything from the pricing, to the way the content should be featured. BarebackFlix.tv is the culmination of all that research. We are thrilled with its launch and know it will be a hit with customers,” CEO Erik Schannen said. “I’m very excited to introduce BarebackFlix.tv as a new site to our affiliates,’’ said Brent Meredith, director of account management. ‘’We’ve made it much easier for bareback lovers to find their favorite content and to discover what’s new. I know this will be a hit with affiliates.” a

IN BRIEF NAKEDSWORD DEBUTS ‘CASTRO 2014’ SCENE SAN FRANCISCO — NakedSword Originals has released the latest scene in its “Summer of Fuckin — Castro 2014.” The latest scene, like all others in the series — shot in the backyards of the Castro — is called “Muscle Garden” and features Paul Wagner and Connor Maguire . “Scene two opens with another beautiful summer day in the Castro which means more time spent outside with nature,” said NakedSword’s pubicist. “Connor and Paul wander

off into the backyard of a classic San Francisco Victorian house for a romp in the semi-secluded urban foliage. Connor and Paul trade oral before Connor pounds Paul in multiple positions all over the lush yard as the sun shines on their muscular bodies. NakedSword’s Award-winning director mr. Pam, who filmed the series, said, “Connor and Paul could be one of the most perfect pairings ever. They look amazing together and they have such intense chemistry which made shooting this scene a dream.”

RS, TITANMEN SIGN MARX, WOLFE SAN FRANCISCO — Gay porn powerhouses Raging Stallion Studios and Titan-

Men announced that Hunter Marx and Shawn Wolfe will be the firstever coexclusive Marx contract actors for the two studios. Marx has been a TitanMen exclusive for sevWolfe eral years, while Wolfe has been under exclusive contract with Raging Stallion, and was named 2013 Raging Stallion Man of the Year.

Marx voiced his excitement, “Re-signing as a TitanMen exclusive was a very easy decision because they have always treated me like family,” he said. “Raging Stallion also produces topquality videos with some of the hottest men in the world. The co-exclusive agreement allows all of us to share ideas and make great porn even better.” “While the concept of coexclusives is something new, it makes perfect sense in the new business environment,” said Keith Webb, vice president of TitanMen. “We can ensure the very best performers in the industry work with the very best condom-only studios. It’s a win-win for both the performers and the studios.” Both men can currently be seen on their respective studios’ websites, RagingStallion.com and TitanMen.com.

GAYBOYS4U.COM NOW LIVE CYBERSPACE — Gay webcam chat and hookup site GayBoys4u.com is now live. The site is being offered In association with VS Media Inc. “In conjunction with our gay dating and social chat network this is an ideal opportunity for us and we look forward to future growth,” the operators said.

FALCON STUDIOS RELEASES ‘EASY INN’ SAN FRANCSICO — Falcon Studios released the all-sex, all-male romp, “Easy Inn.” Tony Dimarco directs a cast starring exclusive Ryan Rose and fan favorites Chris Bines, Colt Rivers, Nikko Russo, Adam Wirthmore and Topher DiMaggio. Gathering at the “Easy Inn” for a weekend of fun, the guys turn the secluded retreat into a hot and heavy hookup scene. Normally a quiet getaway, this weekend the inn succumbs to the energy of the six lusty studs, the plot description explains. Falcon teases the pairings, “Topher DiMaggio isn’t interested in breakfast when he finds Colt Rivers in the

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kitchen; they do it right on the counter. Nikko Russo’s oral fantasy comes to life when Chris Bines finds him naked on the porch. Ryan Rose shows Adam Wirthmore that there’s no need for sexting when there are plenty of horny guys in real life. Colt Rivers and Nikko Russo are restless until they find each other and connect. Chris Bines is just looking for a gym buddy, but he and Ryan Rose get their workout in at home in a spontaneous session.” “‘Easy Inn’ delivers allout, spontaneous sex featuring incredibly hot models with serious chemistry. Put these guys together under one roof, and you get an explosion of lust,” director Tony Dimarco said. “I selected these men for their strength, energy and vigor, and as a result, the sexual connections in ‘Easy Inn’ are off the charts.” “With Tony’s talented eye for casting, these scenes all display maximum sexual chemistry. The models are hot as hell, the action is intense and the pacing is thrilling,” added Chris Ward, Falcon and Raging Stallion Studios president. “‘Easy Inn’ is a world-class Falcon Studios production that fans of intense, passionate sex are sure to enjoy.”

‘WINGS OF DESIRES’ NOW STREAMING TORONTO – “Wings of Desire” is streaming exclusively on the Sureflix VOD Network. “Wings of Desire” is produced by Bound Gods under the KINKMEN network. The title features Hayden Richards and Tanner Wayner. The movie’s plot is described as the following: “While driving down the road, Tanner picks up hitchhiker Hayden who has his own kinky plans for the duo. Tanner wakes up bound and hooded and is sexually interrogated by Hayden. Drifting in and out of consciousness, Tanner is tormented by wild fisting and bondage dreams. It’s 68 minutes of raunchy nipple play, CBT, ass-stretching toys and deep nasty fisting.” ‘’KINKMEN content is extremely popular and constantly requested by our customers. All their films are amazing quality and they consistently deliver au-

FALCON STUDIOS GROUP ANNUAL VIP SLATED FOR SEPT. 20

AN FRANCISCO — Falcon Studios, Raging Stallion Studios and Hot House Entertainment have announced that the Falcon Studios Group Annual VIP Party is slated for Sept. 20 from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. This year’s party will celebrate Raging Stallion’s 15th anniversary by bringing in international DJ/Producer/Remixer Tracy Young. Famed porn director and DJ Chi Chi LaRue is scheduled to kick-off the festivities. The Falcon Studios Group Annual VIP Party is free to all fans and media, and the

first 500 guests will receive a free gift at the door. Complimentary tickets will be available to all fans at area retailers. Fans will be able to download free tickets once they’re available, or they can send a ticket request to customerservice@falconstudios.com with their address and the number of tickets requested. Falcon Studios Group models will be on-hand to meet-and-greet fans and go-go dance for everyone’s enjoyment. Currently confirmed to attend are exclusives Brent Corrigan, Ryan Rose, Boomer Banks, Sean

Zevran, Shawn Wolfe, Brian Bonds, Andrew Stark, Johnny V and David Benjamin, along with featured performers Landon Conrad, Adam Ramzi, Jimmy Durano, Connor Maguire and Trenton Ducati. “We’re very excited about the spectacular list of DJs and porn superstars appearing at this year’s event,” said Toby J Morris, vice president of marketing for Falcon Studios Group. “We have so much to celebrate with the formation of the Falcon Studios Group, Raging Stallion’s 15th anniversary and the addition of Hot House Entertain-

ment. This event is important to us because it gives us an opportunity to thank our fans and everyone in the industry for their support.” This year, the soiree sponsored by HUNT eZine and FalconTV is a Folsom Street Fair official event and will function as the preparty and exclusive point of sale for day-of tickets to Magnitude, the Saturday night dance event for Folsom Street Fair. The party is located at Mezzanine on 444 Jessie St., San Francisco, Calif. on Saturday, Sept. 20 from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. a

Chi Chi LaRue

thentic kink in a variety of fetishes,” said Brent Meredith, director of account management at Sureflix Digital Distribution. “‘Wings of Desire’ is a superb example of hot kink, coupled with creative storytelling. We are thrilled to collaborate once again with KINKMEN.” All affiliate white-label theater sites will also feature the premiere of the three-day series. Affiliate tools, banners and pictures to promote this exclusive series are available upon request. The project marks a series of collaborations between KINKMEN and Sureflix Digital Distribution. According to the company, a new studio of KINKMEN will be added on the VOD network next month.

MANVILLE PREPARES FOR 'TWINKY & THE BEAR' VAN NUYS, Calif. — Manville Entertainment is preparing for its upcoming all-male fantasy feature "Twinky and the Bear: A Beary Gay XXX Tale" are available. Directed by Austin, "Twinky and the Bear" follows four twink boys who find themselves lost in the woods with no way out. Eventually they encounter a pack of furry muscle bears on the attack. Talent includes Fabio Stallone, Chase Young, Dusty Williams, Ryan Colton, Dustin Gold, Brian Davilla and Christian Matthews.

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ATVOD

Continued from page 60

Ofcom said that the evidence showed that the site’s main homepage was primarily used to guide users to the paid content available on the members home page. “This paid content was promoted as ‘over 10 hours of relentless, no mercy hard-edge, high-resolution femdom clips,’” Ofcom noted. The “interface was not indicative of a service whose principal purpose was the provision of audiovisual material because video and photographic material appeared as a series of blog-style posts (although the majority did not include text) out in chronological order.” Ofcom relied on a previous decision involving News Group Newspapers’ Sun Video division to make its ruling over alleged violations of Section 368A.

n the Sun Video decision, Ofcom created a three-prong test over whether a website is TVlike. The test asks: Would users consider the audiovisual content on the site as an option that competes with TV? Would viewers consider they are watching a TV-like program? And would the user have expected what he is viewing to be regulated as a TV program in the ways provided under the directive? In the Urban Chick decision, Ofcom ruled for the BDSM site on all three points. “Ofcom did not consider that the [Urban Chick] service was a competitive option for a user wanting to watch programs normally included in linear TV program services,” Ofcom said in its ruling. Ofcom noted that the BDSM site had been constructed using a blogging template “and therefore could only be navigated in a traditional web-like manner.” “This rudimentary, nonTV like navigation was demonstrated by the members’ homepage, which consisted of 20 chronologically presented posts, each with an attached photo gallery or individually embedded video,” Ofcom ruled. “Consequently, Ofcom considered that a user viewing material on the [Urban Chick] service would be unlikely to consider themselves to be watching a program service competing with linear TV program services. “Ofcom considered that

Dominatrix vs. ATVOD The following is a press release from Backlashuk.org.uk, an umbrella organiaation providing academic, legal, and campaigning resources defending freedom of sexual expression:

DOMINATRIX BEATS ONLINE VIDEO REGULATOR INTO SUBMISSION Ofcom spanks its internet video agency, ATVOD, for treating a small independent erotic website like a competitor to TV.

dominatrix and performance artist dealt a blow to the Authority for Television on Demand (ATVOD) when Ofcom ruled that her website was not subject to their regulation. Itziar Bilbao Urrutia is a producer of The Urban Chick Supremacy Cell (UC-SC), a website that publishes video performances mixing erotic scenarios with social commentary. Scenarios include contrived scenes of kidnapping corrupt bankers and other high-powered businessman. In June 2013 she was threatened with legal action and fines if she did not pay a fee to ATVOD, a private company with delegated authority from Ofcom to regulate online videos. Ms. Urrutia was advised by sexual liberties campaign Backlash and their legal adviser, obscenity law expert, Myles Jackman. ATVOD persisted, so Backlash via Hodge Jones Allen partner Daniel Godden instructed Ligia Osepciu of Monckton’s to prepare a formal appeal to Ofcom. The appeal was successful. In a decision released this week Ofcom sided with Ms Urrutia, repudiating their own subordinate and limiting ATVOD’s jurisdiction. ATVOD’s legitimate area of regulation remains a value judgement, continuing a worrying level of uncertainty for Britain’s media producers. Ligia Osepciu, the barrister who drafted the appeal, commented: “Ofcom’s carefully reasoned decision gives proper effect to the AVMS Directive as an instrument of economic and competition regulation rather than a vehicle for moral legislation.” UCSC producer Itziar Bilbao Urrutia said: “I’m so glad we won after such a stressful year. In Britain authority is usually so uptight about sex, especially these days, with the shock of the new that still surrounds technologies such as the Internet.” “We’re also delighted to have had ATVOD’s endorsement as being a site of significance. We are militant female supremacists, but I must concede that the patriarchy has its uses.”

the content available on the [Urban Chick] service was of particularly niche appeal, made for and consumed by a very limited audience,” Ofcom ruled. “This, together with the small user base and turnover made it less likely, in Ofcom’s view, to be a service that was in competition with linear TV program services, and users were unlikely to have regarded the audiovisual material in the service to be regulated as TV under the directive.” Ofcom noted in the Urban Chick case that the ATVOD determination also referred to a service made available by Clips4Sale.com. “As the audiovisual material available on that

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service appeared to be shared with the service which is the subject of this decision, Ofcom considered that the material was not suitably TV-like to satisfy the relevant requirement in the directive and meet the definition of an ODPS,” Ofcom ruled.

fcom noted various elements of the videos offered on the site that were indicative that they had been made with a limited production budget and wouldn’t be necessarily be viewed as a TV-like program. According to its operators, the website had a limited customer base — 58 paid customers and revenue of $2,193 in about two years. “[T]he majority of videos

available on the [Urban Chick] service were filmed in one location and many appeared unscripted and lacked any narrative conceit,” Ofcom said in the ruling. “In addition, audio had not been recorded using professional equipment, there was no music to accompany the scenes, the videos did not appear professionally lit and the content appeared to have been filmed using basic, consumer-grade cameras. “The production values of the material presented on the [Urban Chick] service were accordingly not closely comparable to professional content broadcast on linear services.” After Ofcom’s decision Urban Chick operator

Itziar Bilbao Urrutia said in a statement, “I’m so glad we won after such a stressful year. In Britain authority is usually so uptight about sex, especially these days, with the shock of the new that still surrounds technologies such as the Internet.” “We’re also delighted to have had ATVOD’s endorsement as being a site of significance. We are militant female supremacists, but I must concede that the patriarchy has its uses.” In the FrankieAndFriends case, Ofcom upheld ATVOD’s ruling over complying with statutory rules that force VOD operators to register their sites. In its ruling, it concluded that FrankieAndFriends was indeed an ODPS. “The provider of the FrankieAndFriends service had argued that the principal purpose of the website was to provide access to still images and that the videos on the service were ancillary to that purpose,” ATVOD said in a statement.

either of the Urban Chick and FrankieAndFriends decisions involve Rule 11, the U.K. statute that requires website operators make sure those under 18 can’t access hardcore porn, but instead focused on registration of the sites and paying fees under Rules 1 and 4. Commenting on the decisions, ATVOD CEO Pete Johnson said, “the two appeal decisions demonstrate that there is sometimes a fine line separating adult services which are subject to the statutory rules from those which are not. U.K. services which feature the most extreme material are not subject to the video on demand regulations — which protect children from material which might cause them serious harm — unless they are considered TV-like.” Johnson noted that websites operated from outside the U.K. are not subject to the ATVOD rules but that the group continues to discuss with policymakers further options in an effort “for reducing the exposure of children to pornography and other potentially harmful VOD material on websites based both inside and outside the U.K.” He also noted that ATVOD is working with the Department for Culture Media and Sport on drafting legislation that would prohibit VOD services any material which would not be classified for sale on a DVD. a

Beardsley

with local currency options. I believe U.S. webmasters struggle a bit with the regulatory requirements of Europe and other regions around the world. This is an area where we spend time educating and helping our clients who are preparing to expand into foreign markets.

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Our company’s transparency allows us to share and communicate information with our clients. We share information on what they need and want to know about the payment industry and that differentiates our business from everyone else. For instance, SegPay is the only IPSP/PF that actually discloses who our Acquires are to our merchants. We are one of the few IPSP/PF that have invested in earning our Payment Institution License in Europe. This is EU legislation that requires anyone handling transactions and money to register and meet a series of compliance hurdles in order to earn their license. Without this license, we could be required to cease processing in Europe. We are young and continually investing in our system and infrastructure. This helps us put out a good quality product that is meeting the current needs of our clients. We have been in business for close to 10 years and have earned a solid reputation and the trust of highrisk merchants. That’s something a lot of IPSP/PFs can’t say. We have a hands-on-approach. Everyone at SegPay is accessible to our clients. There are no layers you need to wade through to speak to me, our CTO or any other staff member at SegPay. XBIZ: What advice do you give other company leaders in maintaining a tight team of loyal staff? Beardsley: It is important to create clarity within the organization and openly communicate with your staff on priorities and goals so everyone is in the loop on where the company is heading. This also means communicating to your staff when there are issues or problems that need to be addressed as team. Listen! Everyone at SegPay is smarter than I am and I learn something every day. Listening to the staff helps develop areas of focus for our strategic plan. It helps combat any concerns or issues a staff member might have about the company. I am super fortunate to have such a wonderful staff, as many of our staff members have been here since day one. They have invested so much of their time and effort making SegPay successful, I truly feel indebted to all of them. It takes a lot of effort and is a waste of resources to keep churning through staff

XBIZ: In what ways do you see SegPay evolving in the coming years? What changes in the adult billing space do you foresee, and what steps will SegPay take to address them? Cathy Beardsley, SegPay’s CEO and president.

members. It is much easier for SegPay to be successful if we have tenured staff all working towards the same goal. XBIZ: Many in the adult industry predict substantial growth in the mobile sector. From a billing standpoint, do you see substantial growth and what steps must companies take to be as mobile-friendly as possible? Beardsley: We are currently seeing over 60 percent of our pay page hits coming from mobile devices. So at the moment, we are fully focused on helping our clients capture more of the mobile market. Mobile billing is still very credit card centric. We want to focus on streamlining the checkout process to make it easy for consumers to purchase on mobile units. Utilizing Remember Me functions and other EZ click checkout options are the best ways to effectively convert mobile traffic. It is also important for Webmasters to have device responsive payment pages for consumers. We realize our Webmasters are mobile too. That’s why we are starting to mobilize client reports to give them access to stats at any time or any place. XBIZ: On the whole, how knowledgeable do you find American webmasters to be when it comes to billing in foreign markets? How great is their understanding of non-U.S. billing needs, and what steps do you take to educate them?

Beardsley: We don’t see a lot of mandated changes in the high-risk processing space in the coming years. I think the industry has done a great job of policing itself and making sure it is has a reputation for treating consumers responsibly. We do see our clients needing more and more flexibility through our system in order for them to grow their future business. Here’s what we’re currently working on to improve our system: n Creating effective solutions for low transaction purchases such as clips, apps and music; n Making it easier for our Webmasters to share traffic and network their programs together; n Being open to non-traditional forms of payment/virtual currency as a checkout option; and, n Expanding payment solutions to capture the growing markets of Asia Pacific, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa. XBIZ: What are some of the things that make the adult billing field exciting for you? Beardsley: Our industry is young and innovative. There is always something new to learn, to tackle and become a part of. Every year there is a new “IT” program that excites the market. Those are the programs that push us to think about expanding and evolving our billing solutions. XBIZ: What inspires you in business? Beardsley: I love what I do and the people I work with. SegPay is very personal to me. I view how the company behaves and treats our clients, consumers, acquiring partners and the Card Associations as an extension of who I am. Dedicating time and energy to the company and seeing us succeed is incredibly rewarding. It is what keeps me pushing myself and everyone around me.

Beardsley: I find our U.S. webmasters to be extremely knowledgeable. I believe most understand what is needed to convert European and other ROW traffic. They also understand that there is an investment that needs to be made to localize programs for the foreign market. Webmasters need their payment processing partner to XBIZ: When not thinking provide a solution to help about the biz, what do you them convert site traffic to like to do? And how do you sales by offering pay pages Please see BEARDSLEY, page 80

SEPTEMBER 2014 XBIZ WORLD 75

Piccionelli

Continued from page 12

6 In the case of sound recordings, to perform the copyrighted work publicly by means of a digital audio transmission. Many content producers are familiar with at least some of the rights listed above, such as the exclusive right to make and distribute copies of work. But producers of non-theatrically distributed motion picture content, such viral video, and adult entertainment content producers that produce content that is rarely performed in a theater or any other venue that one traditionally associates with the notion of a “public” performance, often fail to realize that performance of content on a public website or via a publically accessible mobile app is likely to be a public performance.

o what constitutes public performance? Under U.S. copyright law to perform a work “publicly” means (a) to perform or display it at a place open to the public or at any place where a substantial number of persons outside of a normal circle of a family and its social acquaintances is gathered; or (b) to transmit or otherwise communicate a performance or display of the work to such a place or to the public in general, by means of any device or process, whether the members of the public capable of receiving the performance or display, receive it in the same place or in separate places, at the same time or at different times. Thus in the context of the Internet or a mobile network, the fact that performances and displays may occur in diverse locations and at different times will not exempt them from being subject to the public performance right. The public performance right as it pertains to a musical work applies to the musical composition and not a sound recording of the composition. The exclusive right to publicly perform a sound recording is a different copyright. The public performance right in a music composition originally vests in the creator or creators

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of the work, usually one or more composers or songwriters. But most professional composers and songwriters contract with publishers that help them get their music recorded and performed and, in so doing, assign some or all of their rights in their compositions to the publishers.

ince a holder of the public performance right in a musical work is entitled under the law to demand payment of a fee each time such the work is publicly performed, composers, songwriters and publishers all generally want to be paid when their music is publicly performed. But as you might imagine, however, when it comes to public performance of music, it is virtually impossible for even a moderately successful composer or songwriter to keep track of all the public performances there might be of his or her music. Because of this, many years ago, performance rights organizations (PROs) were created to keep track of public performances of music and collect fees for such use on behalf of the owners of the music. PROs, which are usually not-forprofit companies, provide an important intermediary function for composers, songwriters and publishers, namely, the collection of royalty payments from parties who wish to use (i.e., perform) copyrighted musical compositions publicly. In some foreign countries PROs are called copyright collectives or copyright collecting agencies. There are two principal PROs in the U.S. that collect royalties from companies and persons licensed to publicly perform specified musical works. These PROS are known by their acronyms: ASCAP (The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) and BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc.). There are also a number of foreign PROs, such as the Society of European Stage Authors and Composers (SEASAC), the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) and the Society of Authors and Composers of Mexico (SACM). Essentially, PROs pretty much all do the same thing. They issue blanket licenses to music

“

As we move toward a future ... online producers and providers will be required to have a greater understanding of the basic rights involved in the online use of music.

— ATTORNEY GREGORY PICCIONELLI broadcasters, such as television and radio stations, web site owners, concert venues, larger restaurants and clubs, hotels, and theme parks. Basically, the licenses are issued to anyone who plays music in a public manner. By paying the blanket license fees to the PROs, these broadcasters are able to use whatever music they want in the large music catalogs of the PROs without having to account to each individual songwriter. For media companies, the blanket license is usually based on the licensee’s broadcast or digital traffic footprint. Thus, a large commercial television station will be required by a PRO to pay a higher blanket license fee than a small website, but both are subject to payment if they publicly perform music that is in the PRO’s catalogue. A potential problem: royalty-free music licensors may not have public performance rights to license. As discussed earlier, composers, songwriters and music publishers generally grant exclusive rights to license the public performance of their musical compositions (and/or digital transmission of their sound recordings) and collect fees on their behalf for such licenses, to PROs. Because of this, many royalty free music licensing companies that have acquired rights from composers

and songwriters to license the use of their music to third party producers (e.g., indie film producers or adult content producers) have not acquired the right to license the public performance of music from such composers and songwriters because those rights were already provided to one or more PROs. This is why the specific terms of such “royalty-free” licenses of music (which I suspect most licensees of royalty free music do not bother to read) often are limited to granting the licensee the rights to associate, or “synchronize,” the music with visual content, such as in motion pictures, commercials, websites, etc., and specifically exclude any claim to license any public performance or digital transmission rights. If the royalty-free music license does not provide the rights to publicly perform a musical composition or digitally broadcast the sound recording of the composition, use of a recording of music via the Web can potentially result in infringement of two of the aforementioned copyrights, i.e., the exclusive right to publicly perform the musical work (No. 4 above) and the right to digitally broadcast a sound recording of the work (No. 6 above). The problem highlighted earlier has not traditionally been a problem for independent content producers, such as adult entertainment companies, because for most of the last 30 years such producers mostly used music in synchronization with visual content in tapes and DVDs which were privately sold and not often publicly performed in theaters or other public venues. And to the extent such content was publicly performed, say via a cable or satellite broadcast, the cable or satellite broadcaster was the party doing the public performance. Most such broadcasters maintained blanket licenses from one or more PROs.

ow, however, as independent content producers are increasingly becoming public performers and digital broadcasters of their own content via their own websites, if the content includes music, such online use is likely to include the public performance and digital broadcasting of that music. Consequently, with-

out a license from all the appropriate PROs, on a global basis, (because websites are generally accessed globally) or a license of public performance rights directly from the owner(s) of the rights (e.g., from composers who have not assigned their public performance and digital broadcast rights to one or more PROs), a website operator transmitting content online that includes music might be infringing one or more copyrights of one or more owners of the public performance and/or the digital broadcast rights in the subject music.

SOLUTIONS There are several things that independent content producers can do to avoid public performance and digital broadcast rights infringement problems regarding music incorporated into their works. Here are few suggestions: n Obtain public performance licenses from the appropriate PROs (e.g., ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, Sound Exchange, etc.). Since websites often provide public performance of content to a global audience, additional licenses from foreign PROs may also be required to effectively obtain all the required public performance rights required to transmit music throughout the world from a website. Unfortunately, the cost of obtaining numerous licenses from domestic and foreign PROs may be prohibitive for many independent content producers that broadcast their content from their own websites. n Use royalty free music that is provided under a music use license that expressly provides to the licensee a license to publicly perform and digitally broadcast the music. This category of music is sometimes referred by some royalty free music licensors as “completely royalty free” music. My firm represents several licensors of completely royalty free music and we have negotiated music licensing agreements on behalf of clients with many others. n Hire a composer/music producer that can provide specially composed and recorded music for the subject project along with all the required rights. This is, in my opinion, the best, safest

and most prudent option. It is the method by which major motion picture and television production companies generally acquire music for their feature projects. It is unfortunate that many small content production companies erroneously believe that specially commissioning music for their motion picture productions, websites, commercials, and other projects, is an expensive option well beyond their means. It has been my experience that many fine and very talented professional composers, songwriters and music producers are often quite willing to provide specially commissioned and fully produced music along with all required rights to small content producers at surprisingly reasonable rates. If your company is interested in exploring the option of specially commissioning the creation of music for a project, please feel free to contact me. My firm may be able to direct you to one or more providers of music suitable for your company’s contemplated use. n Always read the music licensing agreement carefully. It is critically important to determine whether a music license will, in fact, provide the all the necessary music rights for the requisite amount of time required by the licensee. Because music licenses can be complex and full of legalese, I also strongly recommend that before executing any music licensing agreement, it should be reviewed by a competent attorney familiar with the area of music rights licensing. n Finally, I believe that it is critically important to license music only from reputable music licensors that can provide adequate assurances that they actually have all the rights they are offering to license. Every reputable music licensor that I know will gladly warrant in writing that they do, in fact, have all the requisite rights required to grant the subject music license and will fully indemnify the licensee from any third party claims regarding the music rights. a This article is not intended to be, nor should be considered to be, legal advice. I strongly urge you to seek the counsel of a qualified and experienced adult entertainment attorney familiar with the legal matters discussed in this article.

SEPTEMBER 2014 XBIZ WORLD 77

Williams

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XBIZ: Do you see adult traffic converging with mainstream? Williams: Yes, without a doubt. When I talk with most mainstream advertisers, they do realize that there is a tremendous amount of adult traffic available at significantly lower prices than mainstream. But they (or their clients) have policies against using adult traffic. I’m quite confident that the need for mainstream businesses to grow will force some to reconsider their policies towards adult - where it makes sense of course. I’m pretty sure that I’m not alone in my thinking. Lately I’ve seen a sharp increase of familiar (adult) faces when I attend mainstream shows like Affiliate Summit and ad:Tech. XBIZ: What sector of the online adult business is driving the market these days? Williams: For desktop traffic, it’s dating, pharmaceuticals and cams. For mobile, it’s video-ondemand, dating and cams. XBIZ: How important is it to network at the various industry conventions? Williams: For an online business in the adult industry, it’s critical. People

NOHO

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In 2004, Grdina’s former company, Club Jenna Inc., hired Blatt as its international licensing agent, resulting in a significant boost in foreign sales and Club Jenna’s worldwide brand recognition, the suit said. Grdina was married to porn star Jenna Jameson and acted, produced and directed in Club Jenna films.

even years later, in March 2011, Grdina approached Blatt with an offer to partner on his new hangover-prevention drink, NOHO. Grdina said that he needed Blatt’s foreign sales expertise and connections in order for his plan to take NOHO public to succeed and that he believed Blatt was the right person for the job, the suit said. “Grdina and Blatt entered into the oral joint venture

need to trust you and your organization, especially since the adult traffic industry operates on a payup-front basis. Who wants to send $10,000-plus in advance to a person they’ve never met or a business without any good reputation? If you want to get started and stay in this business, you must maintain a presence at industry shows. One thing is for sure, if you’re out of sight, you’ll be out of mind. XBIZ: How do you motivate your team? Williams: First, I motivate my team with pride. You must be proud of your work, what we are doing, what we want to accomplish, what we have accomplished. If you can’t be proud of who you are and what you do, your teammates and clients will feel it. Nothing good will come from that. Second, is team spirit. Playing sports as a teenager made me learn that you winning is fun, losing sucks, and the worst thing you let your team mates down. In sports and in business, you’ve got a position to fill, and you need to do it to your best if your team is going to have a chance at winning. Nobody wants to let down a teammate and everybody likes to win. Coaching my team to have a good sense of team spirit is a great motivator. Third, I empower team-

agreement whereby in exchange for a 10 percent founders’ interest, Blatt would use his connections, skill and expertise to direct and manage NOHO’s foreign licensing and distribution and build NOHO into a successful brand that could be taken public in the U.S.,” the suit said. Blatt alleges, among others, that he was defrauded out of his shares of NOHO, suffering more than $5 million in damages. Blatt claims that his share of the company, 10 percent, was wiped out when Grdina dissolved Doce Bevuto LLC and transferred over to a Nevada corporation that was eventually acquired by NOHO Inc., which later went public. Blatt’s shares, the suit said, were effectively wiped out. Blatt and co-plaintiff TCB Partnership said in a complaint filed at federal court in Los Angeles that “through their substantial investment of blood, sweat, tears and

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mates to think and act on their own. There is a sense of ownership of responsibilities that comes with an empowered teammate. That’s always good for business. XBIZ: What’s a typical work day like? Williams: OMG, that’s a good question. Typically my day starts before I get out of bed. As soon as I wake up, I check the sales and emails for anything that looks like it needs urgent attention. After that, get to the office and see if anyone needs me for anything. Once that is done, I get back to working on our future, at least a year ahead. But even the best plans can get derailed or delayed frequently. Being in a fast-paced online business, something always happens that would require immediate attention. XBIZ: When not thinking about the biz, what do you like to do? Williams: I’m an extremely social person and I like to do anything new. Meet new people, learn new skills, but most of all, I love going to new places. I rarely stop moving. I travel as much as I can. The world has many great places to discover and cultures to learn about. I get a lot of satisfaction from those new experiences. a

capital, plaintiffs built NOHO into a successful, publicly traded company.” Grdina “In return ... Jay Grdina, rewarded plaintiffs with dishonesty and broken promises. Plaintiffs have been cheated out of their rightful interest in NOHO and defendants must now answer for their actions,” the suit said. The filing, alleging breach of partnership and constructive fraud and 11 other counts, seeks unspecified compensatory damages in excess of $5 million, as well as punitive damages and attorneys fees. Blatt’s attorney, Gary Kaufman of the Kaufman Law Group, and Grdina declined comment to XBIZ. a

Hall

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updates but with smaller previews.

n Pick an item from your list and make a change. Unless you were already due for a full site update or overhaul try to resist changing a lot at one time. It’s always easier to measure the effectiveness of a single change. There’s nothing wrong with making a lot of changes but you won’t have an easy way of knowing which of the changes made a difference — for better or for worse. Sometimes as surprising as it is, a very small, seemingly insignificant change can make a noticeable difference and a very big change may do absolutely nothing to a site’s conversion rate.

emember that this is all a big experiment and start with something you believe will improve an aspect of your sales process. One example might be adding more free video trailers or perhaps showing fewer trailers or trying censored or soft-core trailers. Another example might be adding more prominent calls to action (join links, signup buttons, etc.) throughout the page. Another example might be adding a few bullet points of site benefits or a short list of reasons to join to the header graphic or just below it. Unless you already have experience optimizing tours I suggest starting with smaller, easier to make changes that can have a big impact you’ll see right away. This is where knowing your customers and why

Lightspeed Continued from page 62

meier appealed; however, the 7th Circuit rejected contentions that the sanctions were not appropriate, as well as their appeal holding them in civil contempt and imposing the fine. The attorneys offered a litany of reasons why their two appeals should stand, including that they didn’t receive proper notice for the motion for sanctions, that they were never given opportunity to be heard on the motion and opposing counsel fee itemization and that the merits of ordering the imposition of attorneys fees were lacking. But the 7th Circuit panel was not convinced with Prenda Law attorneys’ arguments. “Lightspeed raised baseless claims and pressed for a

they buy is helpful.

n Pay attention to the results. If you’re using Google Analytics you’ll have easy access to view simple stats showing whether your original page or your changed version is performing better. Typically after a 2 week run of an experiment you can be fairly confident about which is the better version. If you’re testing things the old-school way without split-test stats, looking at the difference in sales over a 2-4 week period will give you a good idea of whether your change was effective. If you see a noticeable (consistent) decline in sales after making a change, revert to your original page prior to changes. Be patient. Getting accurate stats takes time. Don’t panic if you see low sales days in the mix after making a change but keep a close eye on things every couple of days while testing. If it’s obvious after a few days that a change is affecting your site big time in a negative way, revert the page. Once you’ve decided to keep the change or abandon it and revert the page, move onto the next item on your list, make another change and see what happens. This is a process you want to repeat until you reach a point where you’re happy with your sales conversion rate or have tested every sensible change and come to the conclusion that your site conversion is as good as it’s going to get. Remember, this process isn’t just for new sites. You can optimize your site at any point in its life cycle and it’s a good idea to repeat the process every couple of years to keep your site selling at its full potential. a meritless ‘emergency’ discovery hearing. The district court found that the litigation ‘smacked of bully pretense,’” the panel wrote. “At the Nov. 13, 2013, hearing on fees, the court could not have been more clear: it stated that appellants were engaged in ‘abusive litigation simply filing a lawsuit to do discovery to find out if you can sue somebody. That’s just utter non sense.’

‘W

e see no need to belabor the point. The record amply supports the district court’s conclusions, as our discussion of the case thus far demonstrates. There was no abuse of discretion in the court’s decision to grant either the ISPs or Smith fees for the entire case.” The case is Lightspeed Media Corp. vs. Anthony Smith, Nos. 13-3801 and 141682. a

Jackson

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If a payment processor (and therefore, a merchant) can offer all payment options right out of the gate, that scenario never becomes an issue. Speaking from a technology perspective, Americans sure do love their gadgets. Whether we look at tablets, smart TVs, content streaming devices, wearable tech, or the latest mobile phones, significant segments of U.S. consumers are always quick to adapt the newest thing. Even online sales in general were quick to catch on back in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

here is little doubt that technology moves fast, and consumers are not known to wait patiently for anyone to incorporate a new payment process on these newer devices. This means that whichever payment processor a merchant partners with should not only have methods for running transactions or subscriptions on the latest tech, but also a steady eye on future trends so when the next big thing comes out and consumers want to make a purchase on it, they can. In the meantime, ask yourself if your payment flows are currently built to handle these various consumer devices U.S. consumers seem to gravitate toward.

n Converging markets. The physical location of your business notwithstanding, it seems to be fairly clear that selling to U.S. consumers can have its own set of obstacles. And sometimes these can be exacerbated should your business happen to be headquartered or operate out of Europe. However, the American market is large and should hold a place within any businesses own strategies. While the baselines and trends listed earlier in this article can serve as a primer of sorts to U.S. consumer behaviors, it’s important to also consider a few additional things if you are looking to get into the U.S. market from elsewhere. It is true that many U.S. consumers tend to be a bit wary of making online purchases through a non-U.S. merchant. This essentially

Boyer

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the adult industry, I didn’t really encounter this sort of ambiguity. In the music industry, it’s clear who the “musicians” are — and equally clear that the PR

boils down to the fact that there is a perceived trust they have with the U.S. banks and credit issuing institutions, dating back to the 1950s. Another contributing factor to this behavior can be based on perceived challenges interacting with support teams that are not located in the U.S. may present. Lastly, U.S. issuing banks will generally decline European authorizations unless the account is set up to allow for trans-Atlantic e-commerce transactions. Rightly or wrongly, these perceptions and practices exist. But they can be addressed and overcome. So what is a European merchant to do? The short answer is to look for or ask the current payment processing partner how it interacts with U.S. consumers and financial institutions. If the consumers see a payment method they recognize and trust, they are of course more likely to proceed with the purchase. Another important aspect to consider is the ability to process transactions in U.S. Dollars. American consumers will pretty much never use any other currency to buy something online. Or offline, for that matter. Once again, this is where the right payment processor can help. Offering multi-currency payment options is a practically mandatory component for a European merchant selling in the U.S.. A processor that not only has them, but can help with integration into the merchant’s payment systems can make a huge difference.

n The worldwide economy. At the end of the day, today’s merchants are poised to reach an evergrowing number of consumers. We have the Internet to thank for that. With so many different consumer behaviors, technology trends, and regional regulations to consider, it can quickly become apparent how complex selling online can be. The U.S. does have a huge number of consumers. And successfully selling to them has helped many businesses grow and thrive. So whether they are in your home country or across an ocean, understanding and getting business from them should never be overlooked. a guy who can’t reliably locate C on a piano keyboard ain’t one. In software, a guy like me can’t call himself a “programmer” just because he managed a team of programmers; that’s just not how it works. Thus far, the adult is unique within the con-

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Speech Coalition is very pleased.” The FSC, in its reply brief, again asked for the 3rd Circuit to permanently enjoin the enforcement of the record-keeping law for adult producers. The adult entertainment trade organization offered more examples from previous testimony why the federal laws are unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge Michael Baylson last year found 18 U.S.C. §§ 2257 and 2257A constitutional under the Fourth Amendment, except for in one regard — “the allowance of inspections at the residences of producers, without prior notice, cannot be justified on this record.” “[T]he record here demonstrates that the statutes ‘impose serious burdens’ on expression that ‘have clearly taken their toll’ on plaintiffs’ speech — a fact the government has assiduously avoided discussing,” FSC attorneys wrote in the reply brief.

‘J

effrey Douglas, chair of the Free Speech Coalition, described the Gordian knot posed by the various statutory and regulatory requirements with which commercial producers, retailers and distributors of adult materials must comply — many of which are all but impossible,” FSC attorneys wrote. “Producers must assure that their records are properly alphabetized, photo identification is precisely placed in the correct file, indices are up-to-date, and records are in perfect order when the government knocks at their door for inspection; wholesalers, in addition to obtaining the requisite records from each producer of the materials they offer, must sort through this mass of records to prepare their own indices and cross-referencing systems, which again must be available for inspection at a moment’s notice; retailers and distributors must examine every piece of inventory — both print and digital — to

text of my employment history in that way; it’s the one industry in which I’ve worked that people outside of the field seem entirely comfortable painting with one brush. Not only are those of us working in the porn industry perceived to be of one mind, it’s generally

verify it contains a compliant label on its packaging as well as on the DVD or video inside. “Any misstep in compliance with these requirements is not punished by a simple administrative penalty as under other regulatory recordkeeping schemes, but by a potential prison term of up to five years.” FSC attorneys in their reply brief cited scores of examples that have “snuffed out speech” from witnesses who testified at trial court, including adult film star Marie Levine; website owners Betty Dodson, Carlin Ross and Tom Hymes; and others. “Are these burdens necessary to achieve the government’s interests?” asked FSC counsel, in its contention that the laws are unconstitutional because they are overbroad. While the government doesn’t contend there is a widespread problem with under-age individuals performing, “the government ... insists on a universal age-verification procedure enforced by criminal sanction ...,” FSC lawyers said. “Between 2002 and 2012, nearly 4,000 prosecutions were brought for child pornography offenses under 18 U.S.C. § 2252A. Janis Wolak, the government’s expert on child pornography testified the success rate of these prosecutions is ‘extremely high,’ FSC attorneys said. “In contrast, for the same period of time, only nine prosecutions were brought under 18 U.S.C.§ 2257; no prosecution has ever been brought under 18 U.S.C. § 2257A. “These bare statistics cast considerable doubt on the government’s prediction that invalidating the statutes would place minors at increased risk of exploitation.” FSC counsel said that the government’s main argument relies on the popularity of the “teen porn” genre. “It argues the entire universe of sexual imagery must be saddled with these burdensome requirements because performers’ ages in teen porn, cannot be determined by visual inspection alone,” FSC counsel said.

considered to be a depraved and perverse mind, at that. Having said all of the above, I’m inclined to stick to my guns where my definition of “pornographer” is concerned, if for no other reason than out of respect to the actual pornographers I know. To wit, my former

But the government’s argument was undermined by the testimony of its own expert, FSC counsel said. “Gail Dines testified teen porn constitutes only between one-fourth and one-third of all commercially produced adult expression,” FSC attorneys wrote. “Based on the data available to her, Dines estimated only one-third of commercially produced sexual expression depicted adult performers who are youthful-looking enough to be confused as minors — leaving the remaining twothirds of commercially produced sexually explicit expression unnecessarily burdened by the statutes.” FSC attorneys also cited other testimony that bolstered the case that the laws are overbroad, including evidence that the production of sexual imagery by married couples helps “keep the spark going” in long-distance relationships and the use of technology to find dates over the Internet.

n closing the FSC said that while the government said it has “ voluntarily suspended” the 2257 inspection program, the voluntary cessation has no effect on “the justiciability” of the FSC Fourth Amendment claim when, as the district court observed, it may resume such inspections at any time. “The statutes and regulations remain the same,” FSC counsel said. “They require the government to adhere to the same procedure followed by the FBI in conducting the 29 prior inspections — entering homes, offices, and studios where records are maintained, “without delay” and without advance notice for the purpose searching through them.” Douglas told XBIZ that the FSC is “extremely proud of the exceptional job our attorneys, J. Michael Murray and Lorraine Baumgardner, have done throughout this long, challenging litigation.” “We lacked the funding to put on the case we and our lawyers had wanted to do, but nevertheless,the trial was an outstanding success,” he said. a

colleague Matt Morningwood is a pornographer; I’m just some schmuck who helped market and promote the finished product — more like a porn-gopher, if you will. I’m OK with that. Whether the rest of the world is … that’s another story. a

SEPTEMBER 2014 XBIZ WORLD 79

Twitter

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ter account, from Twitter.com and then go to https://analytics.twitter.c om/about. Clicks “Get Started” and this will activate your account. Some accounts will already have their analytics populated, and some accounts will start gathering the information after you click the “Get Started” button. This might be because it is a new service and has not accessed archival information for all accounts yet. Of course, it may not pull archival information. That is yet to be seen. But lets get down to the nitty gritty. Are their analytics actually valuable? Overall I would say yes. They give you a decent analysis of your account. Impressions: These are based on the number of times you tweet was potentially seen. This does not mean that someone actually read your tweet, it just means that it appeared in their timeline and they had the potential to read it. Your impressions are increased by other accounts engaging with and reweeting your tweets. n The Good: You can see your tweet reach per tweet which can help you establish your baseline as well as which tweets have higher performance. n The Bad: You cannot see what device, or platform, they are viewing your tweet from. The previous analytics provided details about how your audience was viewing your tweets. This told you what percentage of people were viewing from mobile, and

Guava

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dered $81,000 in sanctions against Prenda Law attorneys. In that case, U.S. District Judge Otis Wright said that the firm’s attorneys had “outmaneuvered the legal system” in their porn piracy cases and should not only be sanctioned, but also be held accountable over possible federal racketeering violations and probed over their tax returns, among other disciplinary measures.

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hat this case has in common with the previously asserted actions, again as we discuss further herein, are attempts to misuse subpoena power,” the Minnesota appellate court said. The complaint against

what kind of device. This allowed you to tailor your landing page to be optimized for that platform. Now you only know your impressions but not the device or platform. Engagement: This is the metric that tells you how many people are interacting with your tweets, from a reply, to a retweet, favorite, and click. Your engagement rate is an action taken divided by the number of impressions. n The Good: The charts provide some good information and allow you to see overall patterns in your engagement. The tweet list will show you the engagement rate for each tweet. n The Bad: Unless you are looking at the excel spreadsheet you will not be able to see what tweets are garnering clicks, and you cannot sort your tweets to see which ones are getting the most interactions. …another good, you can download the excel spreadsheet if you are interested in getting this granular with your analytics. Followers: This section shows you your follower growth and the information about your followers. This includes interests, location and gender. Here is the interesting part, Twitter does not ask for your gender on your account. So how do they know the gender breakdown of your followers? They base this on user behavior. They look at the accounts you follow, the topics, and overall behavior patterns to determine the gender identity. If you have 65 percent men and 35 percent woman does

Merkel alleged two counts: the first for interception of electronic communications in violation of Minnesota laws and the second for civil conspiracy to violate the same statute. The Minnesota ruling was punctuated by the court’s queries over the actual existence of the adult company, Guava LLC, that owned copyrights to the film at center of the original suit against Merkel. “It is unclear ... whether Guava even exists,” the court said. “Despite repeated inquiries by the district court, the record includes no evidence regarding Guava’s incorporation, the identity of its principals, or the nature of its business operations. “John Steele, one of several attorneys who appeared on behalf of Guava in the district court proceedings, stated during a hearing that

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that mean you actually have that many men vs. women following you? No it does not. Ultimately Twitter does not know the gender identity of your followers. You will also notice there is no age breakdown. This is because Twitter does not ask for age verification when creating accounts and does not know the age of its users. n The Good: They provide information on interests, based on twitter keyword content, and location, based on IP address at login. It also shows you other followers that your followers follow. So this can give you a good idea of other people to follow or engage with. n The Bad: Most of the follower statistics are highly subjective. The information on location is based on login via IP, however this will only take into consideration people logging into Twitter.com, or from a twitter app like TweetDeck. It does not consider logins from other third-party apps, or people viewing without logging in. In fact, Twitter has said that about 80 percent of Twitter views come from people not logged into the site which means that their statistics are only showing a small percentage of your actual audience. If you want truly comprehensive data from Twitter’s analytics, you should download the excel file. You will be able to get highly granular and look at the information most valuable to you. But as an overall snapshot of your accounts performance, it seems to be a pretty good report. a

Guava has ‘an office in Las Vegas. They’re also based out of I believe they’re in Nevis [in the Caribbean].’ “No corporate representative of Guava ever appeared before the district court.” In the appeal, Prenda Law counsel articulated four arguments for reversing the sanctions award of $63,000. But the court addressed and rejected each in turn. Prenda Law asserted that the award must be reversed because the lower-court proceedings violated their rights to procedural due process; that there was insufficient evidence to support the district court’s finding of bad faith; that the district court awarded excessive sanctions; and that it was precluded from awarding sanctions after the action had been voluntarily dismissed (see related story). “The district court’s initial

Jules Jordan

’m glad the Quebec courts acknowledged the U.S judgment,” Jordan told XBIZ. “This was the final hurdle on the road to collecting the judgment. It’s been over nine years, almost 10 years since the initial investigation.” The Superior Court of Quebec said there was no reason to block execution of the 2011 judgment from the U.S. District Court in California requiring Elmaleh and his companies to pay the money to Jordan. The case, however, may be entering another chapter. Elmaleh told XBIZ he plans another appeal. “It was a big surprise to see the judge’s decision against us because during the trial he clearly indicated

that he was leaning in our favor, as he found immense irregularities in Jules Jordan’s procedures against us in California,” Elmaleh said. “But despite the 10 days in court, with my attorneys demonstrating all the irregularities and procedural wrongdoings that happened in the California court, unfortunately the judge wrote a totally different decision, which does not seem to conform with our laws here in Quebec,” he said. “Therefore we are already getting prepared to file our application in the Quebec Court of Appeal, which in our opinion will have a totally different view of the case, as it shall strictly apply the fundamental principles of the Quebec law that require that I am given the chance to present a full and proper defense,” he said. “This shall probably take two or more years, but we are patient, especially knowing that in many similar cases the appellate courts reversed the first judge’s decision,” he said. “We are confident that in the end we shall prevail.” The start of the litigation dates back to when Jordan’s former distributor, Evil Angel, began receiving an unusually large number of DVDs returned for more than a dozen different titles, all of which turned out to be counterfeits of inferior quality. Upon investigating, those DVDs were linked to Elmaleh’s companies. Even though Jordan won his initial copyright infringement suit in California, Elmaleh in May claimed to be a Quebec resident who had no assets in California and done nothing unlawful in the U.S. Elmaleh’s defense also maintained that the state of California should not have had jurisdiction to try the original case. a

determination that Guava demonstrated that the information it sought was relevant and material did not preclude it from later — on being made more fully informed of the facts — finding that appellants were acting in bad faith,” the court said. The appeals court ruling also upheld the lower court decision that enjoined

Prenda Law from filing “any future civil action against the John Does or the ISPs without first posting a bond with the court in the amount of $10,000 or such other amount as the court deems appropriate, and without first obtaining a certificate of authority from the Minnesota Secretary of State.” a

Beardsley

with school, sports and friends. It can be a little tiring, but I feel very fortunate to have it all! I do love to work-out and that’s typically how I start my day. I am also trying hard to carve out one afternoon a month to golf with my husband. That is always fun and give us at least 4 hours of alone time to laugh and just relax on the course! a

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mid-2000s, when Jordan’s movies still were distributed by Evil Angel Video. Jules Jordan Video won a summary judgment against Kaytel Video Distribution and Leisure Time Video Canada for $2,373,568 (U.S.) in a case that first had a resolution in August 2007, when Jules Jordan Video, along with John Stagliano and Evil Angel Productions, was awarded more than $17 million. That amount that was later substantially reduced by U.S. District Judge S. James Otero. Evil Angel later settled with Elmaleh for an undisclosed sum, but continued to pursue his claim for the full amount. Last month’s judgment came after Jules Jordan, the operator of Jules Jordan Video, and his legal team spent 10 days in a Montreal courtroom in late May, arguing against Elmaleh’s most recent appeal.

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balance work with family life? Beardsley: When not thinking about work, it is all about my family. I have a husband and three kids — ages 12, 8 and 7. As anyone with children in those age groups knows, it is non-stop

BULLETIN | BY TIM HENNING

ASACP IS THE SOLUTION TO PROTECTING CHILDREN ONLINE

ounded in 1996, ASACP is a nonprofit organization dedicated to online child protection, comprised of two separate corporate entities, the Association of Sites Advocating Child Protection and the ASACP Foundation. TIM HENNING The Association of Sites Ad- ASACP EXECUTIVE vocating Child Protection (ASACP) is a 501(c)(4) social DIRECTOR welfare organization that manages a membership program providing resources to companies in order to help them protect children online. The ASACP Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that battles child pornography through its CP Reporting Hotline and helps parents prevent children from viewing age-restricted material online via its Restricted To Adults website label. ASACP educates members, the online adult entertainment industry, international government policy makers, and the public about online child safety, child exploitation, and the efforts of the online adult entertainment industry to battle child sexual abuse and be proactive with internet child safety issues. Fostering connections with all relevant stakeholders helps ASACP protect children while safeguarding the interests of the online adult entertainment industry: by —among other things— providing a steady stream of reports to authorities and other relevant agencies, along with various forensic services of use to investigators and the criminal justice system, criminals are brought to justice; while the association offers authorities and other relevant agencies support in way of educational and support services to help them better understand the workings of the legitimate and legal adult entertainment industry. Since 2004 the child exploitation hotline has processed more than 920,000 reports and released a report that dissected five years of data from its Child Pornography Reporting Hotline. One of the conclusions of this paper proves that the adult entertainment industry is not involved with child pornography. This report was submitted to, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Online Safety Technology Workgroup and was referenced in their final report as well as several other relevant stakeholders in government and policy circles. ASACP continues to stay on the cutting edge of technology by introducing new approaches to better isolate and investigate the highest of priority reports and thereby placing this crucial information into the hands of law enforcement even more efficiently. In 2006, ASACP created the award winning RTA (“Restricted to Adults”) label to better enable parental filtering, and to demonstrate the online adult industry’s commitment to helping parents prevent children from viewing age-inappropriate content. Within a year of its release in 2006, more than 3 million web pages had been

labeled using the RTA tag. Now the RTA label is in use on some 30 million web pages containing age-restricted content including the most highly trafficked adult entertainment websites in the world. Today millions of adult websites use RTA — accounting for the bulk of professional sites. There are more than 20 billion monthly hits to pages labeled with RTA, demonstrating that the majority of adult entertainment sites have self-labeled. For its dedication and efforts, ASACP and its RTA Labeling initiative have received widespread support from business leaders and trade associations, governments and civic organizations. Embedding the RTA label code in page header metadata tags enables filtering via the various parental control mechanisms that are widely available to parents. The RTA label is recognized by the majority of filtering products and services, and ASACP continues to pursue partnerships with more to ensure that RTA is recognized as widely as possible. Significantly, RTA is recognized by the parental controls in both Microsoft and Apple browsers, including browser use on mobile devices. The RTA label can even be used to tag individual social networking site user pages, blogs, and mobile apps that feature adult material. The RTA label is completely free to use, voluntary, and universally available to any website that wishes to label itself clearly and effectively as being inappropriate for viewing by minors. Using RTA requires no online form to fill out, no registration, and no fee. RTA does not differentiate between the various types of age-inappropriate content available; all content considered unsuitable for minors is simply labeled “Restricted to Adults.”

n the international front, ASACP embraces the global nature of today’s digital media publishing firms, by offering translations of the association’s main website (www.asacp.org), and its press releases, into Spanish, French and German, in addition to the English version. ASACP has also continued its European expansion by forming a European Advisory Council, mirroring its domestic Advisory Council, comprised of digital media and Internet publishing experts, drawn from the ranks of ASACP’s current sponsor base. ASACP serves as an advocate of industrial self-regulation, educating government agencies, lawmakers, regulatory bodies and other relevant stakeholders, about the positive steps that its members take to help keep children out of and away from adult entertainment. ASACP’s government outreach takes place through various media and includes personal interaction with

stakeholders at governmental events — providing an irreplaceable but resource-intensive platform for networking and the exchange of information. The benefits of this activism are tangible and revealing, however, providing a worthwhile return on ASACP’s substantial investment in travel and event attendance. ASACP’s proactive leadership has helped the online adult entertainment industry to thrive in an environment where crippling legislation has not been forthcoming and where the onus of child protection is rightfully split between parents and content providers. ASACP is the only organization that bridges the necessity of online child safety issues with the needs of legitimate adult entertainment business owners and the noted concerns of international regulators and lawmakers — an effort which is made possible by the sponsorships, membership fees and donations that the association receives from decision makers like you — and an effort which reaps continued rewards for all stakeholders. ASACP is currently and aggressively expanding its international presence and needs your support to help us accomplish these challenging but necessary goals. Entirely supported by its generous sponsors, approved members and the contributions of concerned parents and digital media stakeholders, ASACP cannot perform its mission without your help. Relying on a very small staff of extremely dedicated personnel, the association delivers tremendous results despite its minimal budget, and is a force for good in the oftentimes-murky world of today’s Internet. Protecting children from exposure to or involvement in adult entertainment is an ongoing task, borne by the efforts of companies committed to protecting themselves by protecting children — and a task that needs your help to succeed. n FOR MORE INFO, CONTACT TIM@ASACP.ORG

ASSOCIATION OF SITES ADVOCATING CHILD PROTECTION | ASACP.ORG

SEPTEMBER 2014 XBIZ WORLD 81

THE AHF, PORN & CONDOMS AB 1576

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will review their position and that we can begin honest, constructive dialogue with performers, producers and the wider HIV-serving community, based on facts.”

fter the committee shelved the bill, Diane Duke told XBIZ that the Free Speech Coalition was “grateful” to members of the Senate “who saw this bill for what it was — a bald-faced attempt to exploit performers for political gain.” “But the assault had an unintended consequences — it unified performers and producers in ways that we haven’t seen in decades,” the CEO of the Canoga Park, Calif., trade group said. “Out of this grows a stronger industry, one not unintimidated by harassment campaigns like AB 1576. “But the battle is not actually over, for we must always work to make sure our productions are safe and legal, that our performers have a strong voice in their own sexual health, and that we keep a thriving industry in California.” Adult entertainment attorney Allan Gelbard of Tarzana, Calif., told XBIZ that it appears that the Senate Appropriations Committee has “seen through all the smoke and mirrors and has decided that AB 1576 is not good for California.”

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t would do nothing to protect public health, and actually would have the exact opposite effect as to protecting the health of performers,” Gelbard said. “The fiscal effects on the state would be especially damaging. “Further, at a time when California is trying to attract new business, it would make little sense to drive a legal and profitable business out of the state to appease Mr. Hall’s and Mr. Weinstein’s anti-porn agenda,” he said. “I suspect the Los Angeles Times article [published prior to the decision] may have had an effect as well. “Now if the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeal would just hand down a proper decision on the Measure B case, the industry will be able to return to making artistic, exciting and constitutionally protected works that people actually want.” The legislative process

AHF A BIG DISTRACTION TO CAL/OSHA, STAKEHOLDERS SAY

AN FRANCISCO — The AIDS Healthcare Foundation is diverting significant Cal/OSHA resources away from serious work-related incidents to audit the adult film business, particularly with complaints and the drive to amend regulations that mandate barrier protection in shoots, according to new charges leveled by industry officials and stakeholders. Complaints over AHF’s tactics in attempts to catapult condom regulation to the forefront come after a new report was released by the U.S. Department of Labor and federal OSHA that paints a grim picture for Cal/OSHA. The Labor Department, which is threatening to restrict federal funding if Cal/OSHA’s performance doesn’t improve, said that the occupational safety agency is “challenged to fulfill its important mission” in its latest annual evaluation. Federal authorities said that in California a lack of staffing affects citation lapse time, the number of inspections conducted and the response time to complaints. “In particular, the number of inspections conducted by current Cal/OSHA staff is well below the federal average,” officials said. The AHF, which sponsored legislation including the current Measure B ordinance in Los Angeles and Ventura counties and the now-stalled AB 1576, now is reviewing its options on how to proceed after losing the condom bill at the state Capitol. Its president, Michael Weinstein, has threatened that if he doesn’t get his way with Cal/OSHA’s standards board over a draft proposal that would amend California Code of Regulations Title 8, Section 5193, and mandate barrier protection, he’ll try to get a statewide ballot box initiative passed in 2016. After hearing that the FSC called a now-ended performer moratorium, Weinstein said he wants AB 1576 to be reintroduced in California's Legislature next term. While legislation and lobbying over the condom issue has gone a long way for Hollywood, Calif.-based AHF through the years, so have the scores of complaints it’s made over adult shoots. In California, and now in Nevada, the AHF has leveled complaints against numerous studios, including Kink.com, Treasure Island Media and others — much to the ire of the adult film community, who say that state regulators are being bullied with the filings. “Cal/OSHA’s complaint-based system is being abused by AHF,” Diane Duke, who leads the Free Speech Coalition as CEO, told XBIZ. “According to the 2012 stats from the [state] Bureau of Labor and Industry, someone dies every day in California due to unsafe working conditions — but not in adult. “AHF is diverting valuable state resources away from serious incidents to condom-audit an industry that hasn’t had case of HIV transmitted on set nationally in over 10 years. If AHF really cared about workplace safety, it would stop wasting Cal/OSHA’s time.” Peter Acworth, the founder of BDSM studio Kink.com, a subject of several AHF complaints, said that “Cal/OSHA has bigger fish to fry.” “This was a top concern for legislators during the discussions over AB1576,” Acworth told XBIZ. “For years, AHF has been abusing Cal/OSHA’s complaint system as a

worked exactly as it should, said Jeffrey Douglas, the Free Speech Coalition’s board chair and Santa Monica, Calif., adult entertainment industry attorney. “A bad bill died,” Douglas told XBIZ. “Its only strength was politics, rather than policy. Congratulations to FSC CEO Diane Duke and to the dozens of industry figures who contributed so much time, money and effort. “Special appreciation to Peter Acworth of Kink (and

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FSC director), Michael Stabile and the Adult Performer Advocacy Committee. I apologize to the scores of others who deserve individual attribution. What a superb victory.” Acworth, founder and CEO of Kink.com, who went head to head with the AIDS Healthcare Foundation’s president over the considerations of AB 1576 through the past six months, was delighted with the news. Acworth operates Kink.com out of the studio’s cavernous facility, The Armory, in San

means of getting press for their condom bill. Because Cal/OSHA has to respond to every complaint filed, valid or not, it reduces the agency’s ability to affect change where it’s really needed. It’s shameful.” But Weinstein told XBIZ that Cal/OSHA’s problems in managing itself have nothing to do with his Colin Rowntree: “I find it truly offengroup’s goal in getsive for AHF to use Cal/OSHA as a ting productions ‘tool’ for their mission now that they regulated with new have been soundly defeated at the rules that would state level of legislation.” shield performers and set personnel from contact with bloodborne pathogens or other potentially infectious material during the production of films. “Porn producers sudden interest in worker protection is touching,” Weinstein said. “However, AHF believes that California, the nation’s richest state, can afford to protect all of its workers.” Much to the chagrin of industry stakeholders and lobbied heavily by Weinstein and the AHF, Cal/OSHA’s proposed new rules, under draft Section 5193.1, would specifically target adult film productions. “The word ‘draconian’ comes to mind that these now go beyond condoms and imply barrier protection for pretty much the rest of the body while filming sexual activity on film,” said Colin Rowntree, a veteran adult filmmaker and operator of BDSM site Wasteland.com. “Of note, ‘personal protective equipment’ is any garment, device (such as a condom), or equipment used to prevent contact of an employee’s eyes, skin, mucous membranes, or genitals with the blood or OPIM-STI of another. What that indicates to me is AHF wants Cal/OSHA to go far beyond requiring condoms, and ramp up ‘protection’ to include gloves, dental dams, safety goggles, and whatever else is needed to prevent any bodily fluid exchanges.” Rowntree said that aside from the “sheer absurdity of trying to shoot porn in hazmat suits, I find it truly offensive for AHF to use Cal/OSHA as a ‘tool’ for their mission now that they have been soundly defeated at the state level of legislation.” “Cal/OSHA has far better things to be spending tax dollars on than this sort of solution looking for a problem,” Rowntree said. “The adult industry has done a fine job for well over a decade on keeping performers safe through testing, and it is not that uncommon for many studios to have condoms as an available option for their performers.” a

Francisco. “Thank you so much to all those who worked so hard on this,” he told XBIZ. “Thanks to the performers especially for coming together and making sure their voices were heard. The battle is over but the war continues. “The industry is more aligned than ever and we have made some powerful allies in this process, which puts us in a good position for upcoming hearings on the new Cal/OSHA proposed regs.”

Howard Levine of Exile Distribution told XBIZ that he gives credit to the studio chief who earlier took on AB 1576, as well as Measure B with a lawsuit against Los Angeles County — Vivid co-founder Steven Hirsch. “Hirsch fought this bill from minute one, and he deserves a lot of credit and a big thank you from every production company,” Levine said. “If we stand together and fight, instead of cow towing to these ridiculous bills, we get something

Nevada

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material],”the AHF said in its complaint to Nevada OSHA. “Barrier protection was not used in the ‘Hogtied Whores’ film trailer where the female employees were performing oral sex on male employees and on female employees near the end of the film trailer for ‘Hogtied Whores’ Ms. Diamond and Ms. Lynn are shown with semen on and around their eyes and mouths.” The AHF, citing its previous Kink.com complaints in California, told Nevada OSHA that it is “imperative” that it act immediately over the adult studio’s productions. AHF’s Nevada OSHA complaint letter was submitted by Adam Cohen, who was recruited by AHF as a public health consultant. Cohen has appeared at Cal/OSHA hearings on behalf of AHF over California’s draft rules for bloodborne pathogens on the porn set. Acworth told XBIZ said that the Nevada OSHA complaint was a “welltimed publicity stunt” and that Kink.com followed the law in Las Vegas. “[T]he shoot in question did not have anything but oral sex — no actual penetration. All models were 14day tested,” he said. “This complaint centers on ejaculate on face and no condoms for oral sex.” Diane Duke, the Free Speech Coalition’s CEO, said that the Nevada complaint would have been “AB 1576 compliant” if the proposed law would have been in effect in that state — “confirming that AHF’s crusade is not for the health of performers but against the industry as a whole.” Acworth, meanwhile, believes that the Nevada complaint states AHF’s agenda with adult entertainment done.” Marc Randazza, a Las Vegas adult entertainment industry attorney who traveled to Sacramento in April to offer his opinion to an Assembly panel that voted in favor of the bill, said he was surprised that the bill didn’t move forward.

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am pleasantly stunned,” Randazza told XBIZ. “I had my money on stupid winning this one.” Hall, in response to his bill’s defeat, criticized fellow legislators for not pass-

Diane Duke, the Free Speech Coalition’s CEO, said that the Nevada complaint would have been “AB 1576 compliant” if the proposed law would have been in effect in that state — “confirming that AHF’s crusade is not for the health of performers but against the industry as a whole.”

further — that it not only is going after porn studios who shoot vaginal and anal sex, it also is aiming at those who shoot oral sex as well. es, I believe this indicates AHF’s longterm goal, and it is clear that the adult business cannot function under the type of regulation AHF appears to ultimately want,” Acworth told XBIZ. Michael Weinstein, who leads the AHF’s as president and has championed for porn-condom legislation in Los Angeles County and the entire state of California, told XBIZ that he and his group are paying attention to Nevada laws as well, including ones that are extraneous to the adult film industry but apply. “You can dissect every

word in every document to your heart’s content looking for a gotcha,” Weinstein told XBIZ. “However, to be perfectly clear, Kink and others have brazenly said that they will move to Nevada. “AHF has clearly said repeatedly that we support condoms for anal and vaginal sex only. However, the law in Nevada requires condoms for oral sex in legal brothels.” But Acworth, responding to Weinstein’s comment to XBIZ, asked, “What do the laws about brothels have to do with anything?” “The laws in place for brothels exist to protect sex workers from the untested public,” Acworth said. “Those laws are not relevant to on-screen, tested performers, as Michael Weinstein is fully aware.” a

ing the bill in the state Senate Appropriations Committee, saying that it is “unfortunate that some legislators don’t believe that protection should include keeping California actors safe while they are at work.” “While I am disappointed with today’s outcome, one thing is and has always been clear on this issue: Existing state and federal bloodborne pathogen laws already require the use of a condom or barrier device when producing an adult

film anywhere in California and the U.S.,” Hall said. “AB 1576 wouldn’t have changed existing law, but it would have helped increase industry compliance in protecting its workers,” he said. “Here is the dirty little secret about porn production in California: it’s just work. Take away the racy titles and creative storylines found in many of these films and adult film actors become, well, just workers.” a

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SEPTEMBER 2014 XBIZ WORLD 83

Lee

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THE GAME PLAN Across the board, the most repeated advice I heard was to always come prepared. Performer Mickey Mod paints the big picture: “Never underestimate the value of preproduction. Have a plan not just for the content, but also for the delivery of the finished product.” Seems simple enough, yet this is often overlooked, as many performers may not have what it takes to shine on both sides of the camera. Performer Danny Wylde didn’t enter the porn industry with a desire to become a producer. He says that although the thought of expanding a market and making income upfront can be tempting, it’s not for everyone. He’s witnessed new performers with loose plans to start their own website or line of films fail because they didn’t realize how much work goes into producing content. “It seems to fall apart more often than not,” he notices. “I don’t think many young performers understand that producing content is a fulltime job, and not just something you do on the side for extra money. Of course, there are webmasters who will supply services for you at no upfront cost. But they typically take such a large percentage that it’s not worth the effort.” It’s important to keep in mind that even working for free comes with a price, including paying third party help, hosting, and other hidden costs.

erhaps some can balance the difference, if they have a clear trajectory. Arabelle Raphael got her start modeling by doing trade for content to build a portfolio, began performing for companies like Burning Angel, and has recently begun performs with other models doing both shares and trades for her Clips4Sale studio, Arabelle’s Busty Playground. I was visiting Raphael’s home the day she got her first studio check in the mail. “It’s a great way for individual performers to make and distribute their own content,” she says, adding that if given the option to do a trade or paid shoot she would not do trade unless the content was special. “There’s something to be said for just accumulating content for the sake of accumulating content,” reasons burlesque dancer and porn performer Andre Shakti. “Maybe you have a ‘five year plan’ of starting a membership site, or a vague idea that you’ll want this

material for ‘something’ in the future, you’re just not sure what — but if that’s the case, then make sure you’re prepared to put out a lot of money while you’re in limbo.” Shakti recently launched her website AndreShaktixxx.com, and is strategizing to see returns. To call Kimberly Kane an “established” porn star is an understatement. The multiaward-winning adult actress and director has taken hold of her own content by storm. While she sees a lot of value in other big names trading content, she cautions new performers who are just starting out and suggests they do trades only when they are close to launching a website or Clips4Sale studio. “An established performer will already have many ways to distribute the content quickly.” She strives to get her content everywhere and advises others do the same: “Try to eventually have a personal website, Clips4Sale studio, VOD and DVD distribution deal.” Be ready to hit the ground running. The advice comes from lessons learned. Kane readily shares her past hurdles including “having a website but not shooting enough to keep my members happy. And not having enough ways to distribute my content to get it to the maximum amount of potential buyers.” Other pitfalls? Another common piece of advice is to always keep things professional. A clearly written contract, even among close friends, trumps a casual attitude of assumed agreements. BBW star Kelly Shibari stressed that things be kept strictly business. “I think the most important thing is to make sure you’re working with a reputable producer or other model, and to make sure that everyone involved understands the trade shoot as a non-personal, business-only transaction.” Mickey Mod nails it: “Bad trades can ruin friendships.”

5 STEPS TO PREPARE BEFORE THE SHOOT Pick your partners wisely. Do thorough research on your scene partner to ensure the trade is worth your while. A passionate and intimate performer, Owen Gray admits it can be difficult to find a co-star willing to open up in the same way. He laments, “I wish that I had spent more time researching people’s work who I considered doing content trade with and talked with them to understand their sexuality more before doing a scene with them.” Broadway recommends researching MyFreeOnes.com and checking out their

84 XBIZ WORLD SEPTEMBER 2014

Clips4Sale, website, or prior scenes to get a sense of what kind of performance they can provide. Alt porn star Bella Vendetta champions the notion that small investments spent on the opportunity to work with great artists will pay off down the road. “Paying for one excellent shoot that will get you noticed can lead to so much other work.” Get on the same page. “Always make sure you know all of the details for a content share or trade, before you arrive to set. Don’t leave anything un-discussed, because you don’t want to find yourself in the midst of a miscommunication while on set.” Siri lays it out, offering helpful considerations: “If you’re not shooting at your own home or the other performers’ home, make sure you understand the location arrangement — whether the location owner is letting you use their space for free, for a fee that the performers will split, or for a traded scene. And clarify beforehand, who is shooting the scene. Will there be one camera or two? Are you bringing your own videographer? Is another performer bringing a videographer, and if so how is that person going to be paid? Will there be a still photographer on set and is that person being paid, and how? Who is editing the scene, and are you going home with the raw footage?” Don’t be shy to ask questions and talk it through. Paperwork and IDs. Whenever possible, get your paperwork and ID photos squared away ahead of time. “Nothing takes away the sexy like many pages of paperwork and ID photos,” says Mickey Mod. While it may not be sexy, it’s a necessity. “Don’t neglect your record-keeping,” warns performer Andre Shakti. “It’ll bite you in the ass.” Shares and trades still must obey the law. “I would recommend using the same model release and treat everything the same as a standard scene,” says Deen. He also recommends contacting an attorney to finalize the forms, which detail exclusive content licenses. Siri reminds us “that under 2257 law, anyone you share or trade content with has the right to sell that content to a third party, thereby disclosing your legal name and IDs. I like to add a clause to my release stating that the content may not be sold to a third party, or any of my personal information disclosed, without my prior written approval; and I also verbally confirm that with whomever I’m sharing content.”

“

Deliverables. Decide when and how you will get your content. If you’re taking home raw footage, bring equipment (memory cards/laptop/external hard drive) with you to store the files. Make sure your media requirement is compatible! Broadway advises those who outsource the technical aspects of production: “Don’t be afraid to have your editor or webmaster get involved in the discussion. I would much rather answer — JIZ LEE questions before the shoot than have to reformat and resend content because what was asked for was around releasing identical, not what was really shared content. With comneeded.” pletely different shoots, Being clear about the they can be released as defootage is important, as sired. everyone has a different All of these should be conprocess. “We actually had a sidered and discussed begirl refuse to do trade with fore picking up the camera us because she couldn’t or stepping foot on set. walk away from the shoot with her footage (we shoot most scenes with three TROUBLE-SHOOTING broadcast standard camMissed connections. eras, and the raw footage Lorelei addressed the issue runs a gigabyte a minute of working with performers per camera, so we usually in terms of location and have raw footage ready the timing. “If your peer keeps next day). We thought that it was funny that she would canceling and rescheduling, schedule the next one to be refuse content that’s of a where they live. Some perhigher quality that she norformers are simply more mally gets, but understood likely to go through with a that she had probably been shoot if they don’t have to burned by missed promises drive anywhere. If your in the past.” Whether the files can be taken home that peer keeps canceling and rescheduling, evaluate the day, or a future date is agreed, make arrangements start-times you’ve been requesting. Instead of a mornahead of time. ing start, try an after-lunch Depending on the set up, start time. If even that you may simply choose to doesn’t work, try a mid-afbring your own camera. “If ternoon start time, with a you’ll be shooting on tripod with no videographer, try to pizza-break for dinner and then resuming shooting in have each model’s own the evening.” video camera on two Without the incentive of a tripods, side-by-side,” adpaycheck, and even among vises bondage producer friends, planning a shoot Lorelei Mission. “This way can mean going the extra you’ll have your footage to mile. “Be extra organized take home right away, inand on top of the shoot — stead of having to rely on often times if people aren’t anyone else to make copies getting paid, they’re more for you.” apt to cancel at the last minute, be late, be unreA satisfying release. sponsive (communicationEspecially with shares, it’s wise), and just generally not best to set a general timetake it as seriously,” advises line for releasing the conShakti. “Constantly check tent. “I try to make sure in with your crew, and it we’re releasing our shared will set you up for success.” content within a week or two of each other, or at most a month — that way Film screenings and one of us isn’t getting too promotion. Ms. Naughty much of a ‘head start’ on has learned through doing sales of the shared content,” content shares for Brightsays Siri. Desire.com with Zahra James Darling notes that Stardust and Pandora two separate shoots can Blake, she brings up issues also eliminate the issue that may arise for the film’s

Looking to learn from my embarrassing mistakes and gain “best-practice” knowledge for the next time, I did what I should have done years ago: I decided to ask around.

future when working with other, such as promotional materials for affiliates, trailers, and for erotic films, issues regarding who is in charge of festival submissions and premieres. Plan to discuss promotion all the way down to the watermark. “You’ll always want to watermark your content with your logo,” says Vendetta. “When you are shooting for content trade it’s really common to have two different watermarks on images or video. But make sure you talk about this first!” Going global? It’s a small world, with growing number of collaborative opportunities for performers and producers overseas. Being literally on new terrain, it is now imperative that you know your laws. Start by asking the locals. “It’s helpful to talk to other producers to learn about the legalities of porn production and distribution especially with working with people from other countries,” shares Gray. Remember that when shooting in the U.S., U.S. government-issued IDs are required for 2257 forms. When filming abroad, the laws surrounding pornography will depend on the country. To share or trade? Trades tend to work best if both parties have similar level of distribution, or, says Broadway, “if they each have different but specific needs, like one needs an adult baby scene and the other needs a forced orgasm scene.” “Consider doing two separate shoots to focus on what each performer wants

Rodrigues

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rather than trying to fit everything in to one if the ideas don’t work naturally from the beginning,” says Gray. “Sharing a scene with the other performer(s) in that scene never dilutes my own sales, as far as I’ve been able to observe,” notices Siri. “Part of that is because when I do content share, I generally do it with other performers whose markets don’t overlap too much with my own. And when there is market overlap, like when I share content with another naturally busty performer, even then my sales stay the same. I like to keep the ‘pool’ of content sharers as small as possible, ideally so that only me and the other performer(s) on camera own rights to the scene.”

POSITIVE OUTCOMES Expanding a brand is also an opportunity for growth within the industry. A number of performers highlight the positive outcomes of working with trades and shares. For some, it’s a chance to get familiar with the inner workings of the genre and get in touch with their passions for the industry. “My curiosity in learning how to film, edit, do paperwork, and hopefully put out something positive into the world of porn is mostly what fueled making content for me,” says Gray. Kane highlights an oftenoverlooked incentive to be gained from content shares and trades: cross-promotion. “There is also value in shooting content with established performers from a social media aspect. You two can Tweet and cross-pro-

mote each other to generate more sales for yourself, and also gain new followers.” And Vendetta reminds us that content trades and shares can also propel a career. “I always tell people to make a dream list of people they’d like to work with. And work your way up the list. You can do it if you bust your ass!” By building a portfolio, you’ll also be establishing relationships with other models, performers, and producers. I wish I’d had all this advice two years ago. Though now I’m better suited for the next opportunity to come. Never again will I so obliviously forgo paperwork, and take such a risk on my best performances — I love what I do and want my videos to see the light of day! I’ve learned that for the right performer, someone dedicated and organized, the act of collaborating with other industry professionals in either trades, shares, or barter for services can create unique content that has the potential to elevate careers, provide income, and birth new production studios with new, inspired filmmakers. With careful planning and clear organization, trades can be a win-win. (Or if you prefer: a win for you, then a win for me.) a I would like to thank Andre Shakti, Arabelle Raphael, Bella Vendetta, Danny Wylde, James Darling, James Deen, Jimmy Broadway, Kelly Shibari, Kimberly Kane, Lorelei Mission, Mickey Mod, Ms. Naughty, Owen Gray, Siri, and Stoya. Now go buy their shit.

ROCCO

to learn your campaign and understand how you are bidding, on what you are bidding, your banner rotations, etc. Then the platform will use it’s powerful algorithms to determine your best options, so patience is needed before making any big decisions.

n Go for it! Only scale up your spendings after analysing the results and knowing that those are the results you are looking for. Managing an RTB campaign can be very laborious but in the end it will pay off. It’s not just about investing money in the right channels but also about investing time in analytics, making tests, building up your traffic and knowing what that traffic will react to. Nurture your campaigns as though they are your babies and success is guaranteed! a

I’ve decided to sign with another adult entertainment company, Rocco. Your offer of cigarettes and a case of beer just wasn’t enough.

SEPTEMBER 2014 XBIZ WORLD 85

Magazines

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alive, but is humming along nicely. SkinMagz has been in operation since 2012 filling the void left by UnderCoverMags and now boasts 89 titles from 11 publishers including titles from Penthouse and Hustler. And according to CMO Chris Kelly, there is a constant increase in the titles being offered. Kelly attributes the growth of SkinMagz to powerful cross-platform capabilities (created in cooperation with eDition Digital) that provides a comfortable user experience to those who want their mags digital. Readers can enjoy rich, interactive and engaging digital publications complete with links, video and animation, wherever and whenever they choose: on all desktop and mobile operating systems, including iPad, iPhone, Kindle and other Android devices. Digital publications also increase readership reach and decrease distribution costs for the publisher, according to the SkinMagz executive.

he digital newsstand service also offers publishers a “Private Label Newsstand,” that gives them more control over particular title/brand promotion and additional sales channels through a unique business model. As appealing as SkinMagz is to print publishing weary publishers — what with no development or up front technology cost investments — SkinMagz does take a cut of sales. So some publishers have opted to go it alone and produce their own digital mag platforms. Magna Publishing, producers of Club, Swank, High Society and other titles took a unique path by using the Magazine Cloner electronic publishing service and melding it into its own web operations. Although the company admits that using a service like SkinMagz offers the benefit of “coat tail sales” from traffic to the newsstand site, it doesn’t see a great deal of revenue from its digital magazines so it decided to go it alone. A company spokesman explained that by using the digital tool it can control the amount of traffic the publications receive and also offer the digital magazine as a bonus to its website membership. Some publishers have gone the extra step and created their own propri-

etary newsstands, including adult giant Hustler that’s reporting success with HustlerMagazine.com. Hustler President Michael Klein notes that as long as the print version of the company’s flagship mag continues to be profitable they will keep it alive, but eventually it might be solely in a digital format as the consumers gravitate more to that realm for their monthly magazines. Rich media and extras — a key to digital magazines as noted by SkinMagz’s Kelly — are included in the Hustler digital version including special articles posted daily, videos of the photo shoots, some classic features, and a Hustler magazine archive from the last 40 years. “This is just the transition that is taking place for all periodicals, whereas with the growth of the Internet and the massive use of tablets and mobile phones, consumers are just moving towards getting their articles and viewing images on the web more than in print format. So in order to continue to reach the consumers, you have to move your products to where people want to see and read them,” Klein says. And Hustler’s not the only publisher high on a digital solution. British men’s sophisticate publisher Paul Raymond recently launched its own digital newsstand, DigitalMagazines.xxx, working with Electric Magazines that offers its five main titles including Mayfair, Club International, Escort, Razzle and Men Only along with their relative specials, “best of” issues, and two years of back issues Although it’s ventured into digital publishing, the company continues to maintain a print newsstand presence and believes paper is still alive and kicking. “Yes, the market has shrunk massively in terms of competition for Paul Raymond Publications and like with most magazine sectors, circulation has fallen, but we are doing whatever we can to buck this trend and have seen some great results. Mayfair for instance has seen its best selling issue for more than two years recently and a majority of our other titles have leveled themselves out year-on-year. So print will always continue to be a very important part of the Paul Raymond business for many years to come,” says Mark Hassell, group ad and marketing

86 XBIZ WORLD SEPTEMBER 2014

Policy

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that the move by XVideos is “directed at everyone and will affect everyone.” He said that he refused to sign on to the agreement, despite the fact he gets a lot of traffic from XVideos, and gave up his channels on the site. “[It’s] a maneuver by XVideos to counteract my request last week to them (and other major tubes) to have all of my FakeTaxi.com clips removed from their site because I have signed an exclusive deal on FakeTaxi.com with PornHub network,” he said. He continued on to say on XBIZ.net that users are “in effect giving them perpetual rights and ownership over every clip you have ever uploaded to them via their CPP.”

‘Y

Hustler President Michael Klein said that as long as the print version of its flagship mag continues to be profitable the company will keep it alive, but eventually it might be solely in a digital format.

manager for Blue Active Media Ltd. That being said, Raymond notes that the consumption of digital magazines is growing at a rapid rate, with digital copy sales growing at a rate of more than 60 percent a year. “Our digital newsstand will not only give us access to the digital magazine market, but it will also allow us to reach a whole new audience, not just here in the U.K. but from all across the rest of the world,” Hassell says.

igital publications may have a leg up in the new connected environment but can they ever replace the tangible feel of print magazines? Both Hassell and SkinMagz’s Kelly agree that convenience of having magazines available on demand on any device trumps tactile enjoyment, and there’s the added benefit of adding value to the ‘flat’ pages of print, via rich media, hyper linking and physically engaging articles and advertising is possible. But print could survive. “Of course one cannot replace the tangible nature of actually reading a magazine, so we are not looking to compete against print, but rather complement it with currently available technology,” Hassell notes. Kelly says print publications will always be around, but today’s con-

sumers expect content also to be available through various other practical channels and future technology would have to provide “highly interactive cross platform experience.” So what’s on the horizon for digital mags? Kelly believes the future is already here and doesn’t expect any dramatic changes in technology — just improvements in accessibility and production processes. Raymond is so optimistic about digital publishing the company is open to the idea of opening up the newsstand to other publishers. “But as we would like to be as flexible as possible with discounting and freebies at this stage in order to achieve critical mass, we cannot expect other publishers to allow us to slash their prices or give away free magazines. Once we are ready though, it will be a usual rev share arrangement, as one would expect, with interested publishers getting in touch should they wish to be present on the platform,” Hassell reveals. Klein says to have a successful adult magazine website, there needs to be an established brand. “So while there are other types of adult websites and businesses that are very successful, and areas for newcomers to enter the field, I don’t think you will find any new company being successful in the adult magazine website arena.” a

ou lose complete control over your content and this is not something you should be doing,” he said. “You never know what is going to happen in the future, and what is on the imminent horizon for content owners in this industry. Execs from XVideos, operated by a WGCZ S.R.O., which runs scores of adult websites including the XNXX.com franchise, were unable to be reached post time. XVideos attorney Marc Randazza told XBIZ he could “neither confirm nor deny any relevant knowledge.” Later, JT revealed that he may have to challenge XVideos because one of his uploaders clicked on “accept” for the MassageRooms.com account “as he didn’t even bother to read what was written.” “So, according to [the] XVideos announcement, they now have full ownership of all videos ever uploaded to that account, forever,” JT said. a

JT of ReallyUsefulCash.com was the first to raise the topic: That XVideos.com has changed a key policy that affects uploaders to the popular tube site.

MaleReality Continued from page 70

to expand our reach into the gay market with Buddy Profits as our managing partner”, said Jon Blitt, vice president of sales for Mile High Media. “Buddy Profits’ reputation as a global e-commerce leader in gay digital entertainment puts our minds at ease. We know we will have the strongest team out there pushing our brands, while we focus on producing great content. We have no doubt we will yield the same positive results with Buddy Profits as we have had with Fame Dollars.”

aleReality.com will feature series including “Daddy Loves Twinks,” “Gay Frat House,” “Gay Massage,” “Men in Uniform,” “My Boyfriend is Gay,” “Office Twinks” and “Too Big for Twinks.” The content is optimized for web, tablet and handheld mobile viewing, and will be updated twice weekly with downloadable videos and photos. MaleReality.com arrives on the heels of the relaunch of Buddy Profits 2.0, which saw the improvement of affiliate promotional tools like hosted static and flash banners, hosted videos, hosted video and photo galleries, embedded videos, promo codes and downloadable promo sets. a

NakedSword Continued from page 70

ning blockbusters “Justice,” “Skuff 2,” “The Missing,” “Paging Dr. Finger,” “Private Low Life” and more. NakedSword’s Sister Roma remarked, “After nearly 15 years experience with the brand it only makes sense that I would pick my favorite 10 movies to kick off this exciting event.”

im Valenti, CEO and founder of NakedSword, remarked, “It’s really great to have Hot House movies back on NakedSword available to our members after all these years. Hot House is an important producer with a stellar catalog and having their movies helps complete a circle of us having the biggest and best studios from San Francisco, the epicenter of gay adult films.” NakedSword is home to more than 100 of the industry’s biggest studios including NakedSword’s own NakedSword Originals, Falcon, Raging Stallion, BelAmi, CockyBoys, Kink, NextDoor Studios, and Treasure Island. a

Plight

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ducers need to carve out their own niches of unique content to be competitive today. Because the marketplace is crowded and we are constantly fighting free porn, diversification to sell content across multiple venues is also essential. As in any super competitive industry, the smarter and stronger companies will survive.”

ew delivery systems, diversified content, unique niches: all significant elements in today’s porn perspective. First the downside, according to XPlay’s Ryder. “The current state of the business of porn production is the worst it has ever been. Movie and scene shoots are way down and there are a lot of underemployed crew members and girls looking for other jobs to supplement their income because of free porn.” Now the upside. “Movies are still selling albeit at a fraction of past numbers. The fact that many companies have gone out of business or are just repackaging tired comps bodes decently well for companies like mine that still create new content. We are not making anywhere near the amount of new movies we once did and we have to be very careful to select ideas that will appeal to the widest audience, but we are still producing.” Third World Media’s Steve Scott is even blunter. “Nothing’s selling easily. You gotta fight for sales this summer. It’s hard to compete with free.” His strategy: “We keep trying to bring unique product out and develop a fan following of people who wait for our new releases. We have started doing some online exclusives prior to releasing on DVD. We want to get the footage out as much and as regularly as possible.” For veteran studio owner Scott Taylor (New Sensations, Digital Sin), what sells is “genre-specific products. And, as always, quality.” The trends for his labels, he says, are “for now, ‘step’ based products. Very ‘fetishy’ products. We will also be exploring other themes soon. It seems that selling a fantasy is where we find success. Just finding the right fantasy and doing it justice.” He throws in some common sense caveats: “Do not compete in a flooded market. Make products that vary from others. The same ol’ same ol’ won’t work

nearly as well as a new fresh idea. If you are not flush with great new ideas, be the best at someone else’s idea.” And he adds, “I have been surprised by our success in VoD. There is a substantial online audience that has become very important to our overall success.”

DIGITAL DELIVERY Adam Hasner, vice president of Pure Play Media and head of several studios including Airerose and DreamZone Entertainment, asserts: “From what we see, fresh new faces and specialty content remain the retailers’ go-to options. Themed releases are winners with most of our retailers. Specialty titles are definitely our focus. “Airerose, our new studio, is creating high-end gonzo titles that are all themed to appeal to different audiences. ‘Big Ass Crush,’ ‘Wet Panties,’ ‘Young Sex Freaks,’ ‘Raw Talent’ — all focus on specific niches, which we’re also promoting on airerose.com. “We are very excited about our new Airerose.com site, which features content, some of which will be exclusive to the web. We are also setting up content on our affiliate program, ButtBucks.com.” Adam & Eve, with perhaps the most eclectic of content portfolios, has had success with high-end parodies (including two from Will Ryder), swinging (the “Wife Swap” line), educationals (Tristan Taormino and the Kama Sutra guides) and the occasional novelty like the showcase for Duke University porn star Belle Knox, their current bestseller. According to General Manager Bob Christian: “We continue to enjoy a leveling in DVD sales, from the sharper declines of the past years. But the decline is still there. Adam & Eve has continued to produce about the same number of new movies as we have each year recently, because we believe content will always be an important part of people’s erotic mentality. “But we have been putting more attention on digital delivery, shifting somewhat from our usual DVD focus. Our product website integrates with Adam & Eve’s VoD site, so customers can more easily choose how they wish to receive and view content.”

EPISODIC PORN There has been some general interest in episodic porn — HBO-style mini-series that premiere online, then go to Please see PLIGHT, page 89

GirlsDoPorn

to services at a commercial website at which girls do porn.”

videos that feature the trademark. But the arbitrator in the case said that a U.S. trademark was refused because the name “GirlsDoPorn” was “descriptive.” The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, in an April decision, said that “when considered in relation to the identified services, the proposed mark immediately described a feature of the services” and “therefore the plain meaning of GirlsDoPorn.com immediately tells the customer that the services are about or are related

he arbitrator also noted in the ruling that BLL Media incorporated its company in 2013, and, as a result, cannot claim to own a reputation in the trademark GirlsDoPorn.com as of 2007. “A mere allegation of common law rights does not suffice,” the arbitrator wrote. “Where a trademark is descriptive, as is the case in this instance, the onus on a complainant to provide compelling evidence of distinctiveness is greater. “Other than mere reference to its ownership of the

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domain name GirlsDoPorn.com since 2007, the complainant did not provide details of sale and advertising expenditure, or samples of its business advertisements, or media recognition, or any evidence of third-party use of the trade mark in respect of its predecessor’s or its own business. “The fact that the complainant’s domain name GirlsDoPorn.com does not disclose its ownership but is protected under privacy service, also does not assist the complainant with its claim.” The arbitrator, as a result, denied BLL Media’s complaint. a

XVideos

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that cybersquatting cases keep on coming up because the rewards of traffic are immense. “Cybersquatting is a huge problem in the adult entertainment business,” Randazza said. “As soon as a site, be it a porn paysite or a porn tube site, as soon as it gains any traffic traction at all, there are people out there who know that they can make money off of stealing traffic through cybersquat-

“

Cybersquatting is huge business, and some squatters own thousands of such sites.

— ATTORNEY MARC RANDAZZA ting.” As far as how much one site can pull down during the course of cybersquatting on a porn brand, that’s uncertain, Randazza said. “But, the way things are structured, the cost of such a site is minimal,” he said. “Ten bucks a year on average to register a domain name. If you make $11, then you turned a profit. “Of course, it is rare for one of these guys to have only one cybersquatting site,” he said. “If you calculate the costs of a UDRP proceeding (with its $1,500 filing fee), I often hear from these crooks and they offer to sell it for just under that price. But, of course, if you pay them, you make it a virtual certainty that you’ll be paying them again and again.” a

XNXX

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decision demonstrating the bad conduct of the respondent was more important than the sure thing of a settlement,” Randazza told XBIZ. In another cybersquatting decision, the operator of Cam4.com, Surecom Corp., has been awarded the domain name NudeCam4.com after a WIPO arbitrator ruled that the name was confusingly similar to its adult webcam site franchise. The respondent in the NudeCam4.com case was ICF Technology Inc., a Seattle operator of adult website properties. a

SEPTEMBER 2014 XBIZ WORLD 87

WEB DEPOT CSS REMOVE AND COMBINE EXTENSION

BARGING IN ON THE BITCOIN BANDWAGON

Admittedly, this one is not for the technically insecure or faint of heart, but if like many other adult site owners you want to get in on the Bitcoin bandwagon with an in-house, rather than third-party solution, then BitcoinJS may be for

Web developers will appreciate the usefulness of the “CSS Remove and Combine” extension for the popular Google Chrome web browser. The extension removes unused selectors from all of a page’s stylesheets, and then combines the result into a single, downloadable stylesheet. The extension is toggled by a toolbar icon, which when clicked, displays page information, as well as a link to an “unused selectors” report, and a link for downloading an optimized and combined stylesheet, that is based upon the CSS the page actually uses. One reported issue is when dealing with stylesheets hosted on a different domain than the site being analyzed by the extension, but a fix is said to be in the works; as is upcoming support for media queries and elements that are added by Ajax or JavaScript. CSS Remove and Combine is a available as a free download from chrome.google.com/webstore.

you. According to its publisher, BitcoinJS is a library enabling developers to build Bitcoin (and now altcoin) wallets and applications using pure JavaScript that is easy to read and understand, and which works with node.js and web browsers. “Since its creation, BitcoinJS has been used in Bitcoin projects everywhere,” says developer Kyle Drake. “There are now over 1.5 million wallets in production that use some form of it, which have safely and securely spent billions of dollars worth of Bitcoin.” Drake says the script was recently updated with added functionality, cleaned up interfaces, improved code and more. For more information, visit www.bitcoinjs.org.

ANDROID APPS WITHOUT COMPROMISES

WAVOSAUR OFFERS EASY AUDIO EDITING

While there is no shortage of available audio editing applications, they are often either too restricted in their features for “professional” use, or so feature laden (and costly) as to be impractical for casual users — including adult content producers and website operators who may want to perform some basic audio sweetening or to create effects or audio content with ease. Enter Wavosaur, a free audio editing software for editing, processing and recording WAV and MP3 files. Wavosaur has all the basic features needed to edit audio (cut, copy, paste, etc.), to produce music loops, and to analyze, record and batch convert audio files. Wavosaur supports VST plugins, ASIO driver, multichannel WAV files and real time effects processing. The program uses no installer and does not write to your computer’s registry. Windows compatible, Wavosaur comes in both 32and 64-bit versions. For more information, visit www.wavosaur.com.

Claiming to help developers “Make Android Apps in Minutes,” Andromo promises quality apps without the cross-platform compromises facing developers of responsive sites and other non-native approaches. A rep explains that if you are going to make an Android app, you should do it right, with Andromo generating Java code for each app, compiling it on its cloud servers using Google’s official Android SDK, and delivering a stand-alone, native Android app, without coding tradeoffs. Building an Android app using Andromo is an easy, three step process that begins with the creation of an Andromo project. Filling out a few simple forms to add features, graphics, content and “whatever makes your app unique,” is the next step, followed by a button click to automatically build your app. Finally, the Andromo servers speedily generate your app and e-mail it to you. For more information, visit www.andromo.com.

88 XBIZ WORLD SEPTEMBER 2014

EvilAngel.com Plight Continued from page 66

any screen or device for mobile users, and is also compatible with the PS3 gaming system, in order to allow members to view their content on a wide variety of platforms. “We hope that our members will appreciate what we’ve done to the new EvilAngel.com,” Director of Product and Development Magalie Rheault said. “We’ve given special attention in reconstructing the site that is calibrated to our member’s needs specifically in improving their user experience.” Rheault added, “Now our members can create their own playlists, have access to an upgraded video player with scene markers, dimmers, enhanced director browsing system and updated pornstar/director profiles.” The relaunch comes on the heels of Evil Angel’s 25 year anniversary in the adult industry, a feat heralded by owner John Stagliano. “I am very impressed with the Gamma team and how they have stepped up to find creative new ways to present Evil Angel content to the world,” Stagliano said. “Their respect for our edgy scenes shows that they are up to the demands of exploring human sexuality that Evil Angel directors present.” a

C1R.com

Continued from page 70

he teases Logan by slapping, chocking and spitting all while Logan is chained to the wall by a huge metal dog collar,” the studio said in a release. Brett Bradley, Tony Orion, Sean Duran, James Hamilton and newcomer David Benjamin also star in the video. “#LEATHER” is from the dirty mind of award-winning director Chi Chi LaRue and brings Hue Wild back behind the camera,” the studio said. “A filthy, piggy cast brings it all to life for your twisted fantasies.” a

Homegrown

Continued from page 87

DVD — largely because of the perceived success of John Stagliano’s “Voracious.” But in fact, the Evil Angel owner told XBIZ that his episodic feature was “not a financial success.” “I am not encouraged to do another feature or mini-series like ‘Voracious.’ While it is very creatively satisfying and my web people think it probably helps our brand at evilangel.com, I have to disagree. … In fact… putting the episodes on the Internet first has not produced much money. The DVDs (there are going to be four total for this second season) do not sell as well as the average Evil Angel title, a bit below average.” “Considering all the extra work I needed to do in editing this movie I have to look at it as more of an exercise in learning how to be a better filmmaker — which it fact this has been. So in that respect I think it has been worth it. “But if I want to be a financially successful pornographer I need to try some other feature idea, or most probably go back to my gonzo movies. Of note is that I shot the sex so hard that both the first season and this season may not generate any broadcast (cable) money.”

or Evil Angel, he says, the profits continue to lie in its bread & butter gonzo lines. “Jay Sin, Mike Adriano, Joey Silvera and Rocco Siffredi are my bestsellers. Joey has a better handle on it all. Transsexual stuff has held up the best on DVD sales, but that could be because Joey and Jay Sin are so incredibly good at shooting TS stuff. Joey shoots strap-on also. We sell TS and strap-on for a higher price and still sell more pieces.” But other companies seem willing to give the episodic experiment a try. Says Christian, “We are very optimistic about episodic features. Adam & Eve has entered into an alliance with Gamelink and a new production company, LionReach, to develop a really new, contemporary and mainstream-looking subscription site, which will feature original episodic programs. “We are trying to reinvent the look of adult websites to be very attractive, very appealing, very friendly to all tastes, and compelling to return to. Like our Adam & Eve stores, the site will be a comfortable, cheerful, clean, light and bright place to shop for content.” Pure Play has also checked out the episodic concept. “This is something we are considering for the content we present on airerose.com,” says

Hasner. “We most definitely want to convert our online audience to DVD buyers — and vice-versa — using our own content.”

NICHES At Smash Pictures it’s the niche that rules. VP Stuart Wall says, “We all know, felt and see the decline of DVD due to all the tube sites out there. To stay strong for our studio we’ve tackled other avenues to generate money. Shooting both hard and soft has always helped us in the broadcast and lodging market. Our niches are what keep us alive, shooting mainly taboo themes as well as Romance to appeal to the female fans and couples.” For Exile Distribution’s Howard Levine, it’s all about “creating a niche that sells well,” in his case the Forbidden Fruit or taboo niche. “The taboo genre has exploded since they came to the market,” Levine says. “Like the parodies, when something sells, you get a bunch of imitators who try to duplicate a winning formula. Another big seller for us is AMKingdom, who produces various niches — their hairy line and teen line is like no other.” He insists that “the state of the DVD market is still strong with the right product.” Jay West, who with wife Jodi owns Forbidden Fruit Films, has his own take on what sells. “Everything can be the Next Hottest Thing if done right. It might not sell as much as it used to, and there might be much more supply than there used to be, but everything has a market. We just have to figure out the demand, if we can film that genre to the fans’ satisfaction, and how to make it profitable.” “Most people know that our company foundation ‘pseudo-taboo’ line does very well. It’s garnered so much attention that other companies much larger than ours are concentrating a major amount of their production to it. But in our observation, that section of the market has not gotten any larger and the other niches haven’t gotten any smaller. You will not convert someone who prefers gonzo interracial to a taboo line. They still buy what they like.”

TECH Like Hollywood studios that face similar distribution dilemmas, porn manufacturers are looking to new technologies such as 4K video and IPTV-style delivery systems. According to Adam & Eve’s Christian, “4K is something we have not yet embraced, thinking that it just may not be necessary to go that way at this time. We have some directors

who are shooting in 4K, but we are not editing in 4K. 3D isn’t happening as predicted, but I am anxiously awaiting progress from the holographic imaging and displays I read about and see on YouTube. It’s not right around the corner, but it is out there.” Smash is also looking at new technology. Wall says, “We’re still very strong with our VoD streaming in HD. The demand for HD is out there. On top of this working with our partners worldwide IPTV has turned into the future of porn, being able to stream adult content via your home TV in HD. “In talking to various systems around the world, the direction porn is going is all home-based via your television. Using meta tags it will be all about searching for your favorite porn star or theme. Typing in that star’s name to either interact with them live or have the option in seeing the various adult movies they appear in, broken down to hairy, big boob, teen, Latina, etc.”

FEATURES And what about features, once upon a time the industry’s lifeblood? Says Stagliano, “The consumer seems to want gonzo, fetish, shorter form niche stuff. The feature, like I like to do, is a dying art form. If I were you I would see how Wicked is doing with features.” Cut to Wicked Pictures contract director Brad Armstrong, who sees feature production and online content as interdependent. “With the new mantra of ‘Content is King’ comes a new and difficult set of challenges for the feature director. He/she is faced with an almost impossible balancing act, trying to maintain the quality and integrity of the script and movie while trying to keep the guys in the Internet department happy. “All they know is they want girls that generate hits, views and ‘joins,’ while all the director needs is a girl who fits the character, will show up on time, and can spit out a few lines, while sounding genuine doing it. They are rarely the same girl. “For better or worse, the Internet is a necessary ally. For without Internet income, there would be no money to pay for features.” West, whose Forbidden Fruits is nothing if not uniquely slanted, adds, “We like doing storyline vignettes and feature movies, so we do them. The people who prefer those movies have found them, and continue to buy them from us. It’s when companies try to do something not in their wheelhouse, something they are just doing because it’s ‘hot’ now that they get in trouble. The fans can tell.” a

Continued from page 66

practices of Girlfriends Films,” states Homegrown Video CEO Spike Goldberg. “Through a combination of quality, ethics, and hard work, Girlfriends Films has become a powerhouse in our industry. I know partnering with them will ensure Homegrown Video’s amateur movies continue to be enjoyed around the world, while also reaching new adults curious about organic, natural sexual encounters between real life couples.” a

Marshak

Continued from page 66

to pursue a career in film, where he worked as an assistant to Jerry Lewis. “He was a visionary when it came to cinema language and story,” Darryl said. “And his enthusiasm was like that of a young kid, even in his 40s and 50s, he was really just excited about everything

— it’s a nice trait to have.” Darryl worked with his father on several projects, producing both “Dracula Sucks” and “Lust Flight 2000,” and explained “I was part of all of them, but I wasn’t on them. We had to take [Golden Age writer, director and performer] Bill Margold along instead of me.” Darryl now works as a mainstream talent agent in Hollywood, Calif.

“They were an unusual family,” the selfsame Margold said of the father-son duo. “Marshak was a dreamer, I think his body of work compares very favorably to Spinelli, who is sainted in our industry. But I think that Marshak had a much more deviant mind.” “It was drug-seeped era,” Margold added, harkening additional “Boogie Nights”-

type phantasmagorias. “I didn’t do of that kind of stuff, and that’s probably why I was able to finish ‘Dracula Sucks,’ in spite of Marshak.” According to Margold, Marshak was a spitfire and a maverick “obsessed with Bela Lugosi,” and made “Dracula Sucks” as an homage to the actor, who is synonymous with the historic bloodsucker. a

SEPTEMBER 2014 XBIZ WORLD 89

THE INDEX

Premier Services & Solutions |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| AFFILIATE PROGRAMS FAMEDOLLARS Content is king for this star-struck affiliate program BADOINK Profit from next-generation video downloads and streaming Paying affiliates $25 on every free join or 60 percent for the life of each membership via wire, check, Paxum, or PayPal, BadoinkCash offers unique sites and upsell plugins plus the ability to monetize desktop, mobile and tablet traffic with proven white labels as well as through exclusive upsells that add revenue and increase “good” transaction volume.

Gamma Entertainment’s FameDollars affiliate program offers porn star content from Peter North, Tera Patrick, Silvia Saint and Rocco Siffredi, as well as studio content from Devils Film, White Ghetto and Silverstone. } FAMEDOLLARS.COM

} BADOINKCASH.COM

BUDDY PROFITS

HUSTLERCASH

Gay adult affiliate program offers hand-picked exclusive videos, pictures

Affiliate program offers content from Hustler

Buddy Profits free-hosted galleries were built to convert your traffic. The affiliate program offers hand-picked exclusive videos and pictures, free bandwidth and great designs.

The Hustler affiliate program has scores of websites, including Hustler.com, BarelyLegal. com, HustlerHD.com, AnalHookers.com, AsiaFever.com, MuchasLatinas. com, ScaryBigDicks, HottieMoms.com and DaddyGetsLucky, among others.

} BUDDYPROFITS.COM

} HUSTLERCASH.COM

CECASH

NAKEDSWORD

An affiliate program offering cutting-edge features

Make money in the gay porn business

Featuring more than 50 sites for affiliates to promote using new marketing tools and a new user friendly stats interface, CECash 3.0 was designed to make affiliates money through the company’s innovative sites that have been enjoyed by more than 2 billion surfers and 6.9 million members, generating $105 million in webmaster payouts.

A business division of AEBN, the NakedSword VOD site and exclusive content paysites with affiliate payouts of up to $40 per trial join or a 60 percent revenue share. } NAKEDSWORD.COM

} CECASH.COM

DDFCASH Exclusive European glamour babe, fetish and niche program The affiliate program of DDF Productions, one of the biggest European adult website companies since 1999, DDFCash is known for its selection of glamour and fetish sites offering 1080p HD video and high-resolution photography, combined with cutting-edge technology and customizable choices such as a rotating banner system, custom banners, mixed photo video galleries and more.

CONTENT PROVIDERS

ADULTCENTRO Robust tools for content creators, buyers and sellers AdultCentro offers its AC Publisher program for marketers seeking to build a site or add feeds to existing sites and the AC Marketplace, bringing digital content buyers and sellers together, while its AC Cloud service enables creators to distribute and monetize content.

} DDFCASH.COM

} ADULTCENTRO.COM

EVIL ANGEL

SEXENTERTAIN

Promote high-quality content from renowned brand names

The best source for leased content

From top directors to world-renowned actors, John Stagliano’s Evil Angel is a multi-award winning studio offering more than 5,000 hardcore movies catering to consumers’ wildest fantasies, while the Gamma-powered FameDollars sponsorship program allows affiliates to profit from this popular brand.

Thousands of movies, thousands of stars covering every conceivable niche and genre, the SexEntertain movies collection is a great source of bonus content for your sites, tubes and blogs. Handpicked from dozens of smaller adult studios, the SexEntertain movie collection specializes in black, Asian, teen and Latina stars.

} EVILANGEL.COM

9 0 XBIZ WORLD September 2014

} SEXENTERTAIN.COM

||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| LIVE CAMS

cHATURBATE Live cam site Chaturbate: The act of masturbating while chatting online. } CHATURBATE.COM

STAREDITION

The international company operates two divisions: Mobidea, a mobile monetization program, and Star-Advertising, a mobile ad network. Both systems have been entirely developed in-house with a custom built algorithm to identify and track users, the way they navigate and their consuming behavior. } STAREDITION.COM

LIVE cAm NETWORK (2mUcH.NET)

ONLINE DATING

ADULTFRIENDFINDER

LiveCamNetwork (LCN) is a video chat solution for business and the online entertainment industry that lets businesses provide private, semi-private and passive view video chat services at any pay per minute rate.

Popular Adult FriendFinder is an online personals community website

} 2MUCH.NET

} ADULTFRIENDFINDER.COM

MOBILE SOLUTIONS

AFFIL4YOU Redirect mobile visitors to a custom monetization platform Wister-backed Affil4You allows adult website owners and entrepreneurs to quickly set up a customized, mobile friendly white label site featuring highquality content from top studios, such as Adam & Eve, Holly Randall and Private, as well as custom integrations of the affiliateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own content. } AFFIL4YOU.COM

BROKERBABE BrokerBabe is a leading mobile affiliate network for adult webmasters with top converting products in Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and worldwide. } BROKERBABE.COM

AdultFriendFinder is an online sex personals community site. It allows members to meet new friends or sex partners. The site won the 2010 XBIZ Award for Dating Program of the Year.

DATING GOLD One-stop online dating and webcam affiliate program DatingGold offers the advantages of a single source solution to monetizing dating as well as To be on a black (or dark) webcam and mobile traf- background fic, from sources such as exiting site visitors, 404 error pages, search engines, geo-IP banners and text links. } DATINGGOLD.COM To be on a white (or light) background

PAYMENT PROCESSING

ccBILL Credit, debit and other online payment processing and support Founded in 1998, Tempe, Ariz.-based CCBill offers a range of international billing solutions in multiple currencies and languages along with advanced fraud protection, member management, 24/7 customer support and innovative marketing services to make CCBill a trusted partner. } CCBILL.COM

DImOcO

GTBILL

DIMOCO is a leading mobile payment and messaging provider, enabling companies to bill their digital content via the consumersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; mobile network.

Payment processing and affiliate payout services

} DIMOCO.COM

Based in London, GTBill offers the needed diversity and experience required to be a competitive global payment service provider, by processing credit cards, phone orders and electronic checks, with advanced stats reporting, membership management, fraud scrubbing and 24/7 support for customers and merchants. } GTBILL.COM

September 2014 XBIZ WORLD 9 1

THE INDEX

Premier Services & Solutions |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS IPRoCEssING Payment processing and high-risk merchant account acquisition ELEVATED X The Eureka, Calif.-based team at iProcessing offers decades of merchant services and transaction processing service experience for both U.S. and international merchants and supports all major credit cards in multiple currencies, as well as ACH, European debit and mobile phone billing, coupled with fraud prevention services that result in increased revenue and lower chargeback ratios.

Leverage CMS technology to save time and make more money Elevated X provides content management system software designed for building and managing adult websites, with more than 2000 sites using its advanced platform that not only manages content, but prepares it through integrated video editing functions and other unique features designed to give users a competitive edge.

} IPROCESSING.COM

} ELEVATEDX.COM

L3 PAyMENTs

PLuGZ.Co

Flexible and customizable merchant account-based billing systems

Plugz.co’s platform helps publishers increase page views and time on site, while driving new visitors to pages, and monetizing traffic with a lower bounce rate and higher ROI. For advertisers, the company delivers contextual ads that deliver real results from any digital display platfrom.

Westlake Village, Calif.-based L3 Payments LLC is a trusted vendor of merchant processing solutions and payment services providing merchant account processing that allows users to easily create new pricing structures, sites and join forms, without the limitations imposed by third party processing services.

} PLUGZ.CO

} L3PAYMENTS.COM

MoBIus PAyMENTs Mobius Payments, founded in 2010, is headquartered in Los Angeles, with satellite offices located in New York, Ohio and Florida. Mobius Payments is a premier business partner facilitating the acceptance of electronic payments for your business both online and on-the-go. The company specializes in high-risk merchant accounts in the U.S. and E.U. } MOBIUSPAYMENTS.COM

TRAFFIC SERVICES

ADAMo ADVERTIsING Innovative advertising and publishing Whether it is monetizing mobile, web or app traffic, driving more sales, receiving a higher ROI or reaching the right target audience, ADAMO Advertising understands that our clients’ business goals are our business goals. Driving maximum exposure for each brand globally with the first real-time bidding ad store through industries biggest traffic sources. } ADAMOADS.COM

NETBILLING

ADXPANsIoN

Merchant account acquisition, billing and support systems

Buyers and sellers of targeted adult traffic

From its headquarters in Valencia, Calif., NETbilling offers flexible solutions for adult merchants wanting to process credit cards, electronic checks (ACH) or telephone orders, with advanced reporting, membership management, fraud scrubbing, a free shopping cart, and 24/7 live service for merchants and their customers.

AdXpansion is the worldwide leader in targeted advertising for the adult market. Advertisers use keywords to target the consumers they want while publishers earn more money by selling their traffic to the highest bidders.

} NETBILLING.COM

} ADXPANSION.COM

sEGPAy

EToLoGy.CoM

At SegPay, the client always comes first

Etology was created by industry marketing veterans with one goal in mind: to create a centralized and convenient marketplace for both advertisers and publishers alike. Etology’s mission is to make clients money. Whether you are looking to optimize your traffic, or buy traffic, we are sure to have solutions to meet your needs in todays rapidly changing market.

SegPay, launched in June of 2005 as an EU IPSP, has a global reach and has secured multiple acquiring relationships that support merchants in the US, Canada and the European Union and supports consumer payments globally. It’s processing engine is designed on industry standard technology and its hardware is fully redundant with load balanced servers that are scalable both “upwards and outwards.” The servers reside in a 24/7/365 managed hosting facility. } SEGPAY.COM

9 2 XBIZ WoRLD September 2014

} ETOLOGY.COM

||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| EXOCLICk.COm

ExoClick is the No. 1 ad network in the entertainment market and is ranked the 5th largest ad network in the world by W3Techs. ExoClick serves 125-plus billion geo-targeted ad impressions a month via multiple ad formats across web, mobile, tablet and smart TV with precise targeting and behavioral retargeting via its proprietary software. } ExoClick.com

JuICYADS Advertising marketplace for publishers JuicyAds is an advertising marketplace for publishers to sell ads and earn money, as well as for advertisers looking to buy traffic } JUICYADS.COM

VIDEO-ON-DEMAND

AEBN Promote top selling movies and interactive technology The Adult Entertainment Broadcast Network provides affiliates with a range of branded video-on-demand sites in every popular niche to promote, with both straight and gay theaters providing exclusive, high definition content unavailable elsewhere; along with the RealTouch haptic device, which brings virtual sex to a whole new level. } AEBN.NET

ADuLTDVDEmpIRE.COm Porn videos instantly, rent adult DVD movies and buy sex toys for men, women and couples. Great service and secure, discreet shopping at Adult DVD Empire. } ADULTDVDEMPIRE.COM

WEB HOSTING

mOJOHOST A one-stop solution for hosting content Hosting company MojoHost offer solutions that vary in size from as small as 1U of rack space to mutiple racks, cabinets or cage space. The company offers managed dedicated hosting, managed virtual hosting, corporate email solutions, colocation, domain registration and more. MojoHost is privately owned and operated. } MOJOHOST.COM

JULY 2014 XBIZ WORLD 9 3

On the Scene Mr. Skinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 15-Year Anniversary Party Photos by FUBAR Webmasters

9 4 XBIZ WORLD September 2014

September 2014 XBIZ WORLD 9 5

9 6 XBIZ WORLD September 2014

Qwebec Expo 2014 Photos by FUBAR Webmasters

September 2014 XBIZ WORLD 9 7

9 8 XBIZ WORLD September 2014

Camming Con Photos by FUBAR Webmasters

September 2014 XBIZ WORLD 9 9

1 0 0 XBIZ WORLD September 2014

This month, Surfer Feedback focuses on the previous month’s best and most-active sites, as well as the most-active adult niches plus the all-time high-def, porn stars and swingers websites. We also examine the best way to judge new sites before joining and browsing new sites that are new to you.

REVIEWED SItES fOR AUGUSt 2014 RANK sITe

Courtesy of PornUsers.com & Vegas Ken

What is the best way to judge new sites before joining

50%

25%

17%

Go for both reviews

Previews (video and photos)

Other

Go for PU-reviews

Select user comments

pat362

In my case it has to be all of the above. I think PU and TBP reviews are a great resource but I still have to check out the site myself because the info in the review may be accurate but it won’t change the fact that I would not join that site because I already have those videos/photos or I don’t want them.

Capn

New sites in my niche are rare. I have to make my own decision, as it is very unlikely that they would be reviewed quickly.

scORe

Girlfriends.xxx HardX.com DigitalDesire.com LatinSandra.com Tiny4K.com MomPOV.com WowGirls.com Explicite-Art.com SouthernBukkake.com ChristyMarks.com

92.0 90.0 88.0 85.0 85.0 85.0 84.0 80.0 80.0 76.0

ACtIVE SItES fOR AUGUSt 2014 RANK sITe

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

Brazzers.com DDFNetwork.com RealityKings.com Blacked.com TeenMegaWorld.net MyFreeCams.com EvilAngel.com FEMJOY.com HardX.com JustTeensPorn.com

ACtIVE NICHES fOR AUGUSt 2014 RANK sITe

Pretty much all of the above for me. But since I found TBP/PU my purchases have been a lot less risky.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

jberryl69

REVIEWED HIGH DEf SItES— All-tImE

Jay G

The best option, of course, is both reviews and previews. It still amazes me how many websites have poor quality or broken previews. No matter how great the reviews, a poor preview still deters me from buying. If they can’t get the preview right, how can they possibly have a good working website?

rearadmiral

When joining a site that’s new to you, do you browse it by ... ?

22%

Niche Video updates (hardcore, etc.)

17%

11%

Models’ photos

Photo updates

Other

Models’ videos

Select user comments

Cybertoad

Models photo’s. Sometimes that is not the best option as in some cases the site uses the models 2007 picture and they end up not being near the same. Id say second is niche, but still would look at the photos. In I actually do a quick review of a site when I join to see what is the easiest way to find out about the model and what they offer. Videos are often snippets which is fine but depending on the angles are not reliable, or less reliable then the models pic. I have seen some nice video preview only to watch the movie sucks or was not what it looked like in the preview.

pat362

I’m a primarily video only guy so pics is something I only look at to make a review.

snickelb

I check what kind of content it has. If it’s all-girl, softcore, clothed, then it’s a no-go. If it has the niches I like and models I’ve heard of then I’ll consider it, depending on how many other sites I’m currently in and the price and the site’s reputation here.

Marcus

Hardcore Glamour Photography Porn Stars Amateur Young Adults Videos European Interracial Solo Models

RANK sITe

All of the above.

33%

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

Videos, normally. If it’s a network site, then by model videos

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

scORe

Babelicious.com InTheCrack.com Nubiles.net SapphicErotica.com 1By-Day.com FEMJOY.com FTVGirls.com TeenMegaWorld.net ZTOD.com AssholeFever.com

90.4 90.0 89.2 88.9 88.5 87.2 86.7 85.9 85.5 85.2

REVIEWED PORNStAR SItES — All-tImE RANK sITe

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

scORe

Babelicious.com ClubSandy.com Brazzers.com Twistys.com NaughtyAmerica.com DevilsFilm.com Danni.com.com RealityKings.com BrainPass.com

90.4 90.0 87.6 87.6 86.6 86.3 85.6 84.1 83.4

REVIEWED SWINGERS SItES — All-tImE RANK sITe

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

PornFidelity.com LustCouple.com NaughtyAllie.com CathysCraving.com 4 RealSwingers.com CarolCox.com Dixie’sTrailerPark.com ElliNude.com RealTampaSwingers.com ChickPass.com

scORe

89.6 86.5 86.0 80.6 80.3 80.0 77.0 73.5 72.5 69.9

September 2014 XBIZ WORLD 1 0 1

THE LAST WORD BY STEPHEN YAGIELOWICZ

Piercing the Veil of Privacy

he adult entertainment industry has always valued its privacy, with the majority of owners, operators, talent and more, all choosing to obscure their identity and location through the use of false identities — a trend that carries on today, with porn performers, producers and studios seeking secrecy, while adult message board and social media posters continue to use “fake nicks” as their primary online identifiers. For those of us using our real identities, some of these issues can be disconcerting — such as when I visit a site for the first time, but there’s my smiling face on an avatar image in an article’s comments section, asking for my opinion — and an invitation to log in using my Facebook account to do so. Shattering any illusions of privacy, today’s online experience — and business in general — is far less anonymous than it once was perceived to be. One example of this is in the banking world, where the repercussions of “know your customer” (KYC) laws have made illicit transactions, money laundering and tax evasion, much harder for average thugs — and for more than a few adult webmasters. This crackdown on cash flow has no doubt helped to fuel the increasing popularity of cryptocurrency among less law abiding operators, but it is not the only example of how the veil of privacy is being pierced online today. While this next example is at the nexus of privacy and piracy, it is also troubling to many in the online marketing space: the emphasis that search giant Google has come to place on whois transparency, which seeks to identify the true owner of a website through its official “who is [domain]?” registration. This is personally identifying information that more than a few adult website owners have falsified in an attempt to cover their tracks — either to avoid social stigma if it was known they own a porn company, or because they may have nefarious plans to defraud their affiliates, consumers and service providers. Although fraudulent whois info for adult websites may be less common today as it was in the past due to the corporatization of porn, Google’s advocacy of accountability continues beyond this playing field into another area that can help authorized content providers while hurting pirates and unauthorized posters of this material: establishing the authorship and copyright of online content. This is made easier through technology, including special meta tags and HTML 5 coding that identify web documents as the original source of the content — a claim that’s backed up through whois analysis and other techniques. By establishing authorship, search engines can properly credit the original source of a particular piece of content, whether it is audio, textual or visual. For example, this article may be translated into multiple languages and appear in whole or in part on other websites, with or without my knowledge. Authorship allows search engines to know that this is an original article that I wrote for XBIZ — and reflect this fact when it comes time to deliver search results on this topic. This way the source of content is rewarded, while piracy and other non-source duplication is suppressed in the search results.

Google isn’t satisfied with simply knowing what you’re doing online; it continues to grab enormous amounts of data from the real world to add to its ever expanding (and intrusive) database.

102 XBIZ WORLD SEPTEMBER 2014

If potential purchasers only find genuine content, then the monetary motivation to copy and distribute non-unique content is diminished. Google has continued this process of authorship and transparency of ownership further into the website realm with its recent announcement that sites with an SSL security certificate would receive preferential treatment in its search engine listings. Such a move was anticipated by some observers after Google’s search engine itself was switched from standard HTTP to the more secure (and identifiable) HTTPS space — (also known as HTTP over TLS, or transport layer security) for its own use. Individually, these measures do not seem like a big deal, but collectively they represent a piercing of the perceived veil of anonymity provided by the Internet and site owners will fall into line, because Google’s love is a key factor in content discovery — you can have the world’s best content, offer or site, but if consumers don’t know about it, it won’t make money. Between KYC on the financial side and limited opportunities on the content discovery side through penalized search rankings (due to Google’s determination that you are not who you say you are), hiding is not as easy as it once was. Google isn’t satisfied with simply knowing what you’re doing online; it continues to grab enormous amounts of data from the real world to add to its ever expanding (and intrusive) database. One example comes from Google’s highly controversial “Street View” project that seeks to photograph basically everything — including your home and place of business — serving up photos from every angle in response to requests by anonymous users of Google’s market-leading search engine. If you think that staying away from cities will protect you from Google’s prying eyes, note that in addition to its specially equipped automobiles, the company reportedly also uses a fleet of boats, tricycles and other vehicles to access, analyze and record areas that are unreachable by car.

hile Google Earth has long provided a bird’s-eye view of the planet from space, the launch last month of a new satellite that more than doubles the resolution of existing commercial satellites, allows service provider DigitalGlobe to deliver photos of unprecedented quality from 363 miles up in space, to its clients down here on earth — including information mongers and search engine operators, Google and Microsoft. Able to identify objects as small as 10-inches across, the high resolution of the Worldview-3 satellite may provide enough detail to identify faces from orbit — and if not, the next generation of satellites certainly will. With the sophistication of current commercial facial recognition systems (such as the one used by Facebook to scan user-uploaded images) approaching near perfection, and having countless images to rely upon for comparison, forget the fears of Big Brother watching you — anyone using the social media service or search engines may be able to find you and monitor your activities in near real-time. It is one more piece in the puzzle of developing a comprehensive behavior matrix of individual people: including who you are, who you know, what you like and dislike, and what you buy, where and when — information that is not only useful to any government agency trying to locate you, but to any merchant seeking a targeted audience — with your own personal privacy not being a consideration in the process. Information has always meant money and power, but in the past, you usually had to volunteer that data — and espionage, I mean, “data collection,” was something that only corporations and governments did amongst themselves — a situation that has changed dramatically as the proliferation of online consumer data that is ready to be mined, puts you in the bullseye of a pierced veil of perceived privacy. a