NFTs and Adult Entertainment
Nowadays, it is impossible to avoid NFTs. Non-fungible tokens, or NFTs as they are colloquially known, are one of the blockchain industry's newest offerings and are being used in almost every aspect of pop culture and entertainment. Initially, NFTs were primarily used by artists to sell their work, often for large sums of money. Now, the market has demonstrated that there is a potential NFT for almost everything.
So far, we've seen NFTs for tweets, memes, and NFL moments, among other things. It should come as no surprise, then, that NFTs appear to be making inroads into one of the most popular but contentious sub-industries in entertainment: porn.
NFTs Make Their Way into Porn
So, how would a porn NFT look? In many ways, it would appear to be the same as any other NFT. An adult performer or anyone else with the rights to a piece of content or a physical item could create and sell an NFT of it online. Specific adult content can be minted and sold in the same way that memes or specific moments in sports history can be.
This has already been accomplished, with a company called RarePorn selling the first porn NFT this year and raising approximately $10,000 for it. The NFT in question was sold with a specific piece of video content as well as underwear worn by one of the video's actresses.
NFTs are inextricably linked to the collectibles industry, and while most of us associate collectibles with trading cards, art, and so on, digital content, including porn, can very well fall into the same category. As the previous sale demonstrates, there is a market for NFTs in the adult entertainment industry, and as the market for NFTs grows, so will the market for NFTs related to porn.
Where Do We Go From Here?
The effects of NFTs on the porn industry will most likely be similar to those seen in other industries such as art. This means that creators will have another way to earn money from their work and will be able to connect with fans more directly, cutting out many of the traditional middlemen. This also means that those who enjoy their content will be able to own significant rights to previously-generated content and feel more connected to the creators they admire.
Artists are more likely than performers and adult entertainment studios to create NFTs of their work as it is being created or to create work specifically for the purpose of generating NFTs. Companies such as RarePorn are also working to develop platforms that will allow performers to earn a consistent income from subscriptions or tipping from consumers, which will change the way the adult industry operates in the same way that Onlyfans did previously.
For years, the adult film industry has been plagued by accusations of exploitation and unfair business practices, but with creators at the helm of the NFTs process, a lot of this may be changing.
NFTs have altered the way we interact with a wide range of content and collectibles, demonstrating that even previously unconsidered items have a monetary value. After all, who would have thought of paying half a million dollars for a meme before the owner of an NFT of the iconic smiling girl meme sold it earlier this year?
For an industry that has been shown to be very popular but frequently faces a lot of stigma, the emergence of NFTs can be a way to legitimize the industry, ensure better compensation for performers, and more access for fans, resulting in a better ecosystem overall.
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In the decentralised world of NFTs, sex workers still report feeling marginalised and say many people judge their art as less worthy than NFTs by non-SW artists/performers.
The SWs I know are shrewd business women. With NSFW NFTs, SWs are now empowered to control the content and price of their products without the exploitation of someone demanding a large cut of their profits.
Sex work is just ‘work.’ It’s the oldest profession and arguably we all ‘prostitute ourselves’ to our bosses in exchange for money, whatever our chosen profession.
There’s art for all tastes and it’s OK if NSFW NFTs are not your cup of tea… just remember, they are still art.
NFTs and porn actually makes a lot of sense to me. In fact it makes more sense to me then NFTs and any physical sport. And that’s because they both primarily exist online in the digital world.