LOS ANGELES — Ciné Sinclaire has announced its embrace of a unique new business model for adult with the shift of all of its original content on CineSinclaire.com to a pay-what-you-can (PWYC) fee structure.
Ciné Sinclaire is a production company and paysite based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and the winner of the Toronto International Porn Awards’ 2017 “Honored Website” designation.
According to the studio, its bold move acknowledges that not all fans have the means to afford porn that represents their bodies and sexualities — something that is especially true for the marginalized groups represented in the queer and feminist work that Ciné Sinclaire is known for.
“We’ve come to realize that we if we actually want to support, uplift, and represent our community, we need to be accessible to more of the people in it,” says Ciné Sinclaire owner Kate Sinclaire. “Our customers have historically paid a posted price for our films, which we’ll continue to encourage for those that can afford it, but we’re really excited to provide an option for lower-income folks.”
Ciné Sinclaire’s PWYC structure starts at one dollar based on a requirement by the credit card processor, but the payment can be adjusted up to an unlimited amount.
Sinclaire notes that all of the studio’s films now list a suggested price, which corresponds to production costs, performer pay, and value of the film itself, as well as a custom amount field, with emphasis on the why paying for porn from trusted companies can create safer working conditions.
It is a move that is proving popular with the studio’s performers and a unique twist on the “pay for your art” approach of services such as the now adult non-friendly Patreon, where the payer’s perception of value is more important than any notion of price point.
“What I wish people understood when they talk about how porn is ‘dangerous’ is that it can be really positive for lots of people,” says a Ciné Sinclaire performer. “The problem is the free, stolen content on big websites means that companies that pay their performers fairly can’t produce as much because they don’t see any money from that stolen content. That paves the way for less positive working conditions.”
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