Questions for producers

[Algenon5]

Has the NicheClips access restriction impacted your sales?

Do you consider Clips4Sale.com to be a viable alternative to NicheClips?

Al

[Bluestone]

I agree with Evangeline's assessment. Niche sales have gone down and Clips4Sale.com is not a viable option for our community. There are other clips stores, other than TPAP, but they come and go so fast that it's not really worth opening a store and uploading clips.

Since we are talking about clip stores, how are producers' finding TPAP these days? They were up and down like a yoyo for a while there. I don't have a store there anymore, but other producers seem to have stayed. Any feedback regarding that option for producers?

Blue

[Pennpaul]

Tried once and was rejected for indirect male nudity. TPAP don't like adult toys either.

However, I am willing to offer more tame content as HORROR VARIETY THEATER offers more than necro.

Clips4sale doesn't allow blood, nudity and sex (necro or not). Thus shootings, strangulations, etc are prohibited. Bondage, SM and sex are A-OK ???

4P

[JohnM]

I have not noticed a difference. August/Sept is normally a drop.
I hope things pick up, but I feel that keeping the site as member only is a benefit to overall community safety. It is always best that we fly under the radar. There have been past producers (no one that is here today), that overly flaunted their wares to try to get sales---and they did this buy going outside of our small community. Unfortunately, it tend to bring problems to all of use as evidenced by the epic failure known as 4uclips. I did not buy into the scam--but several other producers did---and when they tanked, they took some folks money. That was an attempt by someone trying to make a buck off this community without understanding it's dynamic.

It's always going to be a struggle. Mail order, for our content--even the tame stuff, is ultimately the safest bet.

JohnM

[smudger]

Safe but impractical for anyone living overseas John.. and if you order as DVDs they probably won't survive the UK Customs.. Certainly didn't when I ordered something from WAVE before he started doing downloads.

I fail to see what difference Niche's policy ought to have. You have to be a member to buy anything, so at some point you have to sign in... and the browser should remember your username and password for you so it takes 3 seconds max.

What I think is potentially dangerous is the stuff produced by some,- including you John! - which contains hard-core porn. That might be ammunition for the busybodies, far more so than the stuff which is just a more explicit and fetish-orientated version of what you might see in mainstream.

[JohnM]

What I think is potentially dangerous is the stuff produced by some,- including you John! - which contains hard-core porn. That might be ammunition for the busybodies, far more so than the stuff which is just a more explicit and fetish-orientated version of what you might see in mainstream.

That is true. But, when we were doing non-hardcore as Ruemorgue, the same concerns were in effect. Why does introducing porn change things? And, compared to most, my company does very little actual porn. Mainstream porn companies have far more issues---well compared to us and our safety records, they have 100% of the issues. Because we are making movie, the artistic merit and safety is well over standard porn companies.

What people fail to realized sometimes is that what they are seeing on the screen is fake. For some reason, people seem to think the fake scenarios somehow reflect what the producers are like. It could not be farther from the truth. It's like thinking Any Belflar from True Blood series is actually like that when in real life he is a soft-spoken intellect.

When I start worrying about how people react to my fantasy videos in our own tiny community, then I need to serious question the freedoms we have to express our art in any way we can that does not harm anyone, but instead puts money right back into this struggling economy.

Currently, I am one of a few adult businesses in my area that is actually providing jobs. If we take any of the sexual content out, the pay will drop to 1/2 to 1/4th of current rates. The money will drop to significantly as to not be able to afford the studio space and there would be 2 staffers with families that would have to be let go. All this while 80 or so other companies in and outside this fetish thrive because they will continue to do what I have stopped doing for the sake of letting big brother censor and control us. Oh, and likely my home would be foreclosed on.

But, after 16 years, I cannot imagine why fantasy violence in any format won't continued to be targeted unless you are a mainstream company. If you have money and backers, the violence and sexual content becomes art and fodder for Sundance and IFC runs.

Ultimately, it comes down to your peers. If you can convince them to change what they are willing to purchase, then convince all my competitors to go that route as well, I will obviously have an incentive that does not require laying off employees are harming my family financially subsequently the emotional strain of not being able to pay debt.

And, just so you think I have not tried, over 50% of what I produce has NO REAL SEXUAL CONTENT. And I continue to produce it. If even this content was actually deemed illegal and our constitution was shredded, then I would have lots of non hardcore things to release, plus could re-edit many of my hardcore things, since the hardcore is usually only a small actual portion of the content. But, I suspect of that happened, it will only be the tip of the iceberg. WIth the religious right wanting all porn gone--and the definition of porn is quite broad, soon we will only be watching Barney re-runs or perhapes in the UK, Pipkins. :-)

JohnM

[smudger]

I didn't intend any criticism, John, although I personally dislike porn in the clips, you obviously have a market for it.

More intended as a word of caution.... if Niche is worried enough to close its front doors, maybe it has wind of something... it is more that I see it as possibly handing ammunition to the ban-it brigade if the two "evils" of snuff and porn come in one package... it was precisely this combination that sparked the half-wit U.K. legislation... how safe is the U.S.A. from similar crusading old women of all genders and ages?

[JohnM]

I didn't intend any criticism, John, although I personally dislike porn in the clips, you obviously have a market for it.

More intended as a word of caution.... if Niche is worried enough to close its front doors, maybe it has wind of something... it is more that I see it as possibly handing ammunition to the ban-it brigade if the two "evils" of snuff and porn come in one package... it was precisely this combination that sparked the half-wit U.K. legislation... how safe is the U.S.A. from similar crusading old women of all genders and ages?

I was not taking it that way. I just type fast and punch out thoughts as they flow.

The reason Niche went to login only is varied, but not for what you are indicating above. If you want details, you can always email me.

The porn issue is simply that--an issue.

But there are many issues people can take offense to if they want to find it. Just violence alone or they can take issue with terminology or storyline. But take all of that out, be super careful and they will still find a way to take issue. I am certain that every time you add some element, it is more to stand out. There is risk in this business. But, in my 16 years, I have only received one hateful email and that was back with Ruemorgue. So, I suspect, we keep to ourselves enough, not to end up bugging those who would not want to see it.

That is the key, mind you--with any fetish. If I don't know about a fetish that I am not interested in, that is a good thing. It means that community is sticking to itself and letting folks seek out what they want rather then advertising outside the fetish to net in some newbies. That is the biggest problem.

Low profile. Low.

JohnM