AVN Issues Press Release for No Good Reason
Posted by migrantblogger on July 3, 2008
They say never to bite the hand that feeds you, but this is just too tempting. I’ve always thought the stratosphere exects at AVN (where I write the “Money Matters” column for AVN Online) were a bit nutty.
I just found a press release issued by AVN today: “Keep Your Eye on the Sexy Adult Industry for the Next Media Convergence Says Adult Video News Publisher.” The release goes on to say everything that common sense porn industry followers have known for years, such as the convergence of the cell phone, TV and personal computer. Hey, Paul Fishbein (President and Founder of AVN), ya don’t say? Convergence? Really?
He also says that adult has “been a good barometer of consumer technology.” Well, what’s the story with the iPod? When I went to Adult Entertainment Expo 2006, all the studios were talking about podcasting, but they were concerned about how to monetize. By Adult Entertainment Expo 2008, talk of the iPod had stopped. Why? Because nobody could figure out how to make money on it. So much for being a “good barometer” …
Fishbein also mentions something about “superb marketing, excellent production techniques and 
multiple mainstream distribution channels.” In the prior paragraph, he celebrates industry growth. “Looking back over the past quarter century Fishbein concluded, ‘Size does matter! That’s clearly one of the messages of the past 25 years of modern porn. When AVN started in 1983 we reviewed 15 new features each month, and today we review up to 8,000 titles a year out of the more than 12,000 that are produced. That’s an increase of more than thirteen thousand percent!’”
Okay, these statements show the fundamental problem of the adult entertainment industry. The fact that more than 12,000 titles have been released every year since 2004 (compared to around 200 back in 1983), indicates teh failures in marketing, production and distribution– and ultimately corporate strategy. The industry floods the market and has no idea how to turn a profit. The fact that sales are down and production is up indicates a fundamental strategic flaw.
But, I can’t piss all over Fishbein’s parade. His core message is that the adult industry has come a long way in 25 years, and a large part of the credit belong to him and the media machine, AVN, that he has created and grown. But, I still think his press release is still fucking nuts.
About the Photos:
The first, taken by Bam Bam, is a shot of me getting whipped by Ginger Lee. The second, is a shot of me with Bam Bam and Vivian West. I don’t remember who took the picture. I met Vivian while researching a story that could turn into my first book (I should find out soon if the book is getting picked up, fingers crossed!).
