I strongly agree with this take. The industry isn't facing one single problem it's facing several problems converging at the same time. The shift from piracy and free content to tube sites, then OnlyFans and an explosion of independent creators, has completely fragmented the consumer dollar. But what makes the current situation different is the broader macroeconomic pressure surrounding the industry: inflation, tighter consumer spending, payment-processing restrictions, regulatory pressure, rising operating costs, AI disruption, and an increasingly divided market.
The result is an industry where there may still be demand, but the ecosystem isn't operating as efficiently as it once did. Too many businesses are competing for the same limited pool of consumer spending while costs and barriers keep increasing. That affects studios, platforms, performers and even consumers.
I don't think this means the industry is disappearing. It means the old model is no longer functioning properly and the industry is being forced into another major adaptation cycle. Some companies will disappear, some will consolidate, some will find new revenue models, and AI will accelerate that restructuring.
The real question isn't whether the industry will survive-it's what the industry will look like after it finishes adapting to all these pressures.

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