xbiz world
xbiz premiere
opinion

Sharks, Jets, and Geeks?

Okay, back to ranting a bit. Not as bad as the movie "Network", but right up there......

This economy is taking its toll on our industry and I am seeing it every day as far as people's level of panic.

Every day, folks that have worked together for a decade are ripping each other's throats out to make an extra dollar. This obviously sucks.

Some feedback I got from several long-time big players with over 10 years in the industry over the phone today:

Content Distributor: It's like the wild west! You go and stake your claim on a gold mine, go into town to have dinner, come back, and somebody built a saloon on your claim and 5 miners are digging your dirt! Only answer is litigation. Sigh.....

Traffic and Affiliate Programs: Since the economy went South, it is like the old school industry has turned into opposing Urban gangs shooting each other in the neck in drive by shootings, with the colorful added features of all of the non-adult guys showing up at the scene, like a bus load of prep school dudes that just walked into a gunfight.

I am personally seeing these acts of desperation every day, with people and vendors I have worked with for 12 years trying to screw every dime they can out of me just to stay in business.

Where does it end? I have no idea. Wasteland has a good infrastructure and has thus far been weathering the storm. But, I am seeing chaos around the industry..

Take care...... The knives are out in full..... Beware of Brutus.......

Colin at wasteland.com

Copyright © 2026 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More Articles

profile

Efren Méndez Leads LoveStore Mexico With a Community-First Approach

Fifteen years ago, Efren Méndez and a friend walked into a sex shop. They were looking for nothing more than a few items for a party. Instead, the moment altered the direction of his career, and ultimately his life.

Jackie Backman ·
profile

Kisscat on American Dreams and Creating Content That Connects

The year was 2019. Kisscat was drying her hair when her husband, Alex, walked in and told her about a couple who had become popular on Pornhub just shooting videos at home.

Jackie Backman ·
opinion

Guiding Shoppers With Clear Pleasure Education

One of the most valuable skills in pleasure retail isn’t persuasion — it’s translation. Customers often arrive curious but cautious, unsure of terminology, functions or even what questions to ask. The goal isn’t to overwhelm them with specs or explicit details, but to describe product features in a way that feels approachable, relatable and easy to imagine.

Sara Gaffoor ·
profile

Stripchat's Jessica on Building Creator Success, One Step at a Time

At most industry events, the spotlight naturally falls on the creators whose personalities light up screens and social feeds. Behind the booths, parties and perfectly timed photo ops, however, there is someone else shaping the experience.

Jackie Backman ·
opinion

High-ROI Marketing Tactics for Online Retail

In adult ecommerce, the marketing landscape never stops shifting. What succeeded brilliantly in March may seem outdated by September. When you look at the bigger picture, however patterns emerge: clear, repeatable paths to strong ROI that remain consistent even as algorithms, platforms and buyer behavior keep changing.

Hail Groo ·
opinion

Inside the OCC's Debanking Review and Its Impact on the Adult Industry

For years, adult performers, creators, producers and adjacent businesses have routinely had their access to basic financial services curtailed — not because they are inherently higher-risk customers, but because a whole category of lawful work has long been treated as unacceptable.

Corey Silverstein ·
opinion

A Hands-On Review of AI Camera Monitoring for Retail

Last month, I outlined the main AI-powered loss prevention options available to businesses: DIY solutions, hosted services and enterprise platforms. This time, I decided to test one out myself. I contacted a cloud video platform that integrates with Lightspeed POS and scheduled a demo.

Zondre Watson ·
opinion

How to Build Operational Resilience Into Your Payment Ecosystem

Over the past year, we’ve watched adult merchants weather a variety of disruptions and speedbumps. Some even lost entire revenue streams overnight — simply because they relied too heavily on a single cloud provider that suffered an outage, lacked sufficient redundancy and failover, or otherwise fell short when it came to making sure their business was protected in case of unwelcome surprises.

Cathy Beardsley ·
opinion

Turning Fantasy Fans Into New Creature Play Shoppers

Adult “creature play” is no longer just a niche novelty. There’s even a term for this kink: teratophilia, meaning sexual attraction to monsters. A heady mix of sensory novelty, curiosity about unfamiliar bodies and potential power dynamics has made lusting after and role-playing mythological creatures more widely accepted. The erotically captivating allure of otherworldly beings has even become prevalent across pop culture, from “True Blood” and “The Shape of Water” to Guillermo Del Toro’s “Frankenstein” and “monster boyfriend” romantasy literature trending on TikTok.

Naima Karp ·
opinion

Building a Stronger Strategy Against Card-Testing Bots

It’s a scenario every high-risk merchant dreads. You wake up one morning, check your dashboard and see a massive spike in transaction volume. For a fleeting moment, you’re excited at the premise that something went viral — but then reality sets in. You find thousands of transactions, all for $0.50 and all declined.

Jonathan Corona ·
Show More