The last couple of years there appears to have been a great deal of growth in the porn industry, at least on the gonzo side. It seems like there is just more and more product being put out there every day and I've been wondering lately if some sort of consolidation of all these companies will soon be forthcoming. Just off the top of my head, here are some of the companies:
RLD Anabolic/Diabolic West Coast Evil Angel Platinum X Zero Tolerance Mayhem (sin city) New Sensations/Digital Sin Evolution Erotica DVSX Sineplex Hustler Powerhouse Celestial Metro
I'm probably missing a few, but the point is that there are a lot of porn companies out there right now. The question on my mind is, if there isn't a consolidation coming, where are all the viewers for this stuff? I've heard 10,000 pieces shipped put out as a benchmark for a successful release, which I assume is over an extended period like six months or a year. With the majority of these companies putting out one or more gonzo titles per week, is 10,000 pieces a realistic target? It seems like 5,000 or less is more likely the norm for a typical gonzo title, which makes me wonder if the money is even there anymore. Or maybe, the market for porn is just getting bigger?
I don't think it's a question of too many companies, but one of too much product being put out. And at to quick a rate. When I was working part time at a adult video store we stop stocking some of titles or reduce the price of others just to make shelf space.
It's not about quantity but all about quality and that's why you should add West Coast Production and Justin Slayer Production to your list. They make some awesome movies!
Too many porn companies as opposed to what? There is no absolute number or quota of gonzo porn studios allowed, of course. It's whatever the market will bear.
This proliferation of gonzo porn studios makes it a buyer's market for sure. With so many movies to choose from, porn fans can be as picky and choosy as they want. We can insist on absolute quality, at the lowest price, and focus exclusively on exactly the type of porn that we most want to see, with companies falling all over themselves to satisfy our every need and whim.
This highly competitive climate quite naturally forces the porn studios to stay on their toes and keep constantly finding ways to improve their product and satisfy their customers. If they don't (or can't), then they can find themselves becoming passe relatively quickly (accompanied by steadily diminishing sales).
I love it!
Pontus
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Porn Scout Deactivated User
3735 Posts 10/02
Posted - Sep 8 2003 : 9:59PM
basically what I'm wondering about. What will the market bear?I agree completely. As a consumer, I love what's going on right now! I can pick and choose what I want. But what I'm after is some insight as to how things are working out from a business perspective for all of these different companies putting out all this product. They can't all be shipping 10,000+ pieces of every release. If consumers are now advantaged to the point where they can pick and choose, it stands to reason that somebody's porn is being picked and chosen more than others.
On the other hand, I'm very willing to believe that the extreme competition has grown the market for porn overall, especially with the development of DVD. But it still seems like there is an awful lot of porn that is being put out there every week. It's tough to imagine who's buying all this stuff, which again makes me wonder if there is a consolidation coming.
I think there's room for even more porn. I think bricks and mortar porn retail is weak, with many stores not even keeping up with all the new companies. When I say weak, I don't mean insignificant. I mean the way they merchandise and market are weak. I think the porn market is nowhere near saturated. There are lots of markets to penetrate.
porno is porno.... there is not such a thing as too much.. the more companies that exist.. the more choices there are for us porn hounds,,,, I for one do not mind seeing more companies produce movies... what I dont like is companies coming out with inferior movies.. just stay focused and rely on movies from studios that have proven themselves.. ie,, evil angel.. redlight anabolic and most recently platinum productions.. they are producing the bet porno keep whacking and stop nacking the cream always rises to the top .. if you dont like it dont buy it.. eventually your dollar will decide what stays and what goes away just my too sense...2 cents... to scents...two cents ..etc... ...."too much porn is never ...fill in the blank" oly
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Porn Scout Deactivated User
3735 Posts 10/02
Posted - Sep 9 2003 : 4:33AM
I agree that most brick and mortar porn shops are weak businesses. I think it has to do with the type of people that are attracted to that type of business in the first place. I think most of them go into it, not because they're interested in porn, but because they see an easy way to make money. Now that's fine of course, if you have some business sense along with the willingness and makeup to do your due diligence in learning the business and are willing to put in the work to make it a success. But I think, as a general rule, people with those characteristics tend to follow different career paths. What you are left with, of course, is an industry composed largely of very weak competitors that, like you mentioned, don't understand the basics of marketing and merchandising, and I would add inventory management and customer service to that as well. I've often wondered what a well-capitalized, knowledgeable competitor could do in that space. I've often thought about going into the business myself, but I think like many others, the stigma of the business keeps me away. Still, if the ole career doesn't start moving here in the next couple of years, that sort of thing will matter less and less.
All the same, as the industry is structured now, I think it's highly saturated. There is just an awful lot of porn being made right now. The mass incompetence of the retail sector (not the online stores) does imply room for growth, but at the same time ensures that it won't happen, which again makes me wonder, where are all the viewers for this stuff?
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Porn Scout Deactivated User
3735 Posts 10/02
Posted - Sep 9 2003 : 4:47AM
That's really beside the point. I'm not complaining that there's too much porn. I'm posing a question about the state of the industry right now and the amount of product that's being produced and whether or not that's sustainable. I happen to think that it isn't sustainable. I think there's more porn being made right now than the market can absorb. So yes, in that sense I am saying there is too much porn, but I'm not complaining about it from a consumer perspective. I just think it's kind of an interesting trend.
Funny Scout...I've assumed the opposite about weak retailers. I've always figured them to be people who like porn (or some subset of adult entertainment) but had no care for the business side. Like one place I went into that had every Ginger Lynn video, but no RLD.
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Porn Scout Deactivated User
3735 Posts 10/02
Posted - Sep 10 2003 : 11:32PM
That's interesting because I've never seen an adult video store like that. In that particular instance, however, I would have to agree with you. But mostly what I see are stores run in an absolutely haphazard, almost random manner. Even the best stores, you can see a real lack of attention to detail. For instance, in my area there is one store that stands out that is actually run very well, at least compared to the competition. Parking is adequate, the retail floorspace is well lit and the stock is organized and displayed well enough so that you can usually find what you're looking for. Yet, inventory management is a problem. They have shit sitting on their shelves that just doesn't move at all, nobody rents it because it's old and wasn't that good to begin with and nobody buys it because they've priced it so high. Titles that they should be selling at bargain basement prices to clear out shelf space, instead they have priced at $29.95, so they just sit there. It's obvious to anyone with even a smidgen of retail management knowledge, that whoever's running the place either doesn't know what they're doing or just isn't paying attention to begin with. And then, when they have something that rents really well and sells out, even at their inflated prices, they don't replace it. Weapons of Ass Destruction 2, for instance, which they bought four DVD copies of, rented really well and then all four sold at $40.00 each. That was about six weeks ago and they haven't replaced them, which makes no sense at all from a business perspective. And the thing is, this is probably the best run store in this area.
So my point is, if this is typical of the level of competence among adult retailers, and remember I'm saying that these guys are among the best in this area, then you have a situation where the market for adult material is probably not being maximized the way it could be, which is a problem when you have an industry that is experiencing a lot of growth on the production end.
What I see in the brick and mortar stores I go to in Dallas is that they have so much new stuff coming in the door that, if it isn't moving, the "old" stuff's gone inside of two weeks.
Edited to add - to give you some perspective, ten years ago you were lucky to see new porn on the shelf every other week. Now it's arriving every other day, if not sooner. I can't help but think that the brick and mortars are going to drive the natural selection process simply by dropping the companies who's units aren't moving as fast, even if they're doing great by standards of five years ago.
Edited by - hardware on 9/10/2003 11:45:29 PM
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Porn Scout Deactivated User
3735 Posts 10/02
Posted - Sep 11 2003 : 12:04AM
That's interesting, because it sounds like the retailers in Dallas are a little more on the ball than the ones in my area. I agree totally with what you are saying about the natural selection process, because that's part of what I was thinking in the first place. With all this product coming out every week, it just seems like more than the market can absorb. It's great for consumers, but I wonder about the production companies. It seems like somebody is going to come up short.
Interview, The (All Her Luv) - review by Danielmayu33216
Posted - Sep 7 2003 : 10:39PM