Heard about the latest craze sweeping the world of cryptocurrencies?
NFTs have really made the headlines over the last 12 months as an alternative way to buy, sell and invest in digital assets. These quirky little tokens contain unique data which makes them worth considerably more than their standard counterparts and are being used to trade in everything from sporting clips, memes and music to art, collectibles and, yes, even porn!
In this guide, we give you a little background into exactly what NFTs are and how you can use them to make money selling adult content.
What Are NFTs?
NFTs (also known as non-fungible tokens) are a kind of collectible digital asset which have value in the world of cryptocurrencies.
Just like in the ‘real’ world of financial trading, investors can choose from a range of ways to invest their money, the digital marketplace also has options available.
So, traders can decide to risk their cash on assets like stocks, shares, bonds and equities or purchase physical assets like artwork, fine wine or collectibles.
The value of all assets varies depending on the market but a single unit of one type of money is the same as any other unit.
But with collectibles like artwork, no two pieces are the same which makes them totally unique in value.
So, whilst cryptocurrencies mimic the exchange of physical money, NFTs are a way of digitizing unique assets.
NFTs are therefore a unit of data that are certified to be exclusive. In this way they hold their own value which makes them very different to standard cryptocurrencies. A single Bitcoin, for example, is worth the same as any other single Bitcoin, irrespective of the trading market at the time. Whereas a single NFT is not interchangeable with any other NFT as its value is relative to the data stored on it.
Following so far?
Not exactly a currency of their own, NFTs actually form part of the blockchain of other currencies including Ethereum, FLOW, Tezos and even Bitcoin Cash. An NFT is just a standard token but with extra information stored within them.
Though NFTs are typically being used for trading music, film, art and memes, they are becoming more widely adopted in a number of other industries too. From sports and fashion to academia and even government organisations, the NFT is one of the most talked about developments in the world of digital finance and investment.
Originating back in 2014, the market for NFTs was really only known to developers and traders. Over the next few years, the system caught the imagination of a few big names like Nike, Larva Labs and Dapper Labs but it wasn’t until 2020 when the NFT market really hit the headlines.
In the same year that the world experienced the COVID-19 pandemic, the NFT market tripled in value to $250 million and by the first quarter of 2021 sales in NFTs had surpassed $2 billion!
How Can Adult NFTs Make Me Money?
So, that’s a little bit of context and history about NFTs in general but what are adult NFTs?
Well, quite simply, they are unique digital files which contain NSFW content.
These could be an audio sex tape like the one created by the rapper Azealia Banks (sold for $17,000) or they could be an explicit video file.
And there are already plenty of pornstars getting in on the action.
Allie Eve Knox, Eva Elfie and Abella Danger have all started transacting content using the NFT marketplace.
There are already a couple of dedicated adult-orientated platforms which are utilizing NFTs; Nafty and Pornrocket being two of the more advanced ones.
Nafty itself has three different platforms:
- NaftyFans – Sort of like OnlyFans, a platform for adult content creators to monetize interactions with their followers.
- NaftyArt – A marketplace for selling erotic artwork.
- Nafty – An adult content subscription service where creators charge a fixed monthly/annual fee for exclusive access to NSFW files.
Nothing new here and there are plenty of existing solutions for adult content creators to do this including through Clips4Sale, JustFor.Fans and ManyVids.
Other NFT marketplaces where creators can buy sell their content include:
Most of these sites offer pretty traditional ways for adult content creators and entertainers to monetize themselves.
However, the beauty of using an NFT based platform instead means that you can benefit from some additional features and security.
NFT content has digital ownership built into its file creation and your content is safer than using other forms of digital watermarking. NFTs only hold their value because they are part of a blockchain and although users can save a copy of the original, it can’t be sold on in the same way. Think of it like a painting.
Yes, you can take a photograph of the real thing but that doesn’t make the reproduction worth anything. Only the genuine and verifiable file has value…..understand?
And possibly the best news for adult content creators is the fact that NFTs offer them a way to make money from residual sales. Yes, when your digital content changes hands and is resold to another investor or collector then you receive more money! FOREVER!
All you have to do is attach a commission to your NFT and the money will automatically make its way to your digital wallet.
But because your NFT is an exclusive investment, the value of it can go up and down, just like in a real market. Which means that if your brand becomes more saleable then your ‘artwork’ can go up in value making you’re a lot of extra income in commission each time it changes hands on the blockchain.
Other benefits include cheaper transaction fees, faster access to your money and more secure identity protection.
This last point is an important one within the adult industry as, for both buyers and sellers, it means your name and payment details and bills are all kept safe; vital when it comes to purchasing NSFW content!
The Rise of NFTs in the Adult Industry
With twice as many buyers as sellers and experiencing rapid growth, the NFT market has been proving to be an exciting place to make money.
A fact no more obvious than when the digital artist ‘Beeple’ sold a collage at Christies for $69 million back in March 2021.
The media at the time were confused and incensed by the fact someone had paid so much for what is (ostensibly) a glorified jpeg. And, for most of us, the whopping price paid may still seem a little crazy but what most people agree on is that NFT content does have a value which differs from standard cryptocurrencies.
Anyone who has ever paid for exclusive content on a clip sales site will know this to be true.
And the Adult NFT market is proving to be just as buoyant a place to deliver custom and unique clips to an eager audience.
Seen as a safe and more robust way for adult entertainers, content creators and sex workers to sell their digital files, NFTs could offer an alternative solution to the age-old problem faced on traditional platforms, payment processors and subscription services.
Discrimination against sex workers and the adult industry as a whole across popular services is widespread and de-platforming is common.
In August 2021 for instance, the popular content hosting service OnlyFans announced a new Acceptable Use Policy which effectively limits the kind of images which can be posted, displayed or published.
So, in a digital world that severely limits the options available for adult content creators to trade their goods, NFTs could be the answer.
NFTs: Putting Value on Porn
In a age where adult content is abundantly available (most of it for free) there is a huge benefit to the industry from NFTs simply by treating NSFW content as valuable.
By viewing adult content as a subjective investment with an inherent value, the market is shifting the importance to exclusivity, quality and individualism. And although this won’t put an end to the availability of free porn, it does go some small way to overturning the cultural conception that adult content is all just, well, cheap and expendable.
We think this is a great development.
Creating and Selling Adult NFTs
Technically speaking, anyone can create an NFT on the blockchain using a process called ‘minting’.
All you have to do is choose a marketplace, connect your blockchain wallet and then upload the digital files you want to turn into NFTs.
You then need to pay a minting fee which can include ‘gas’ charges (equivalent to the energy costs required to produce an NFT) plus any other transaction fees. These do vary by platform so it does pay to shop around.
Once uploaded and minted you can set a price for your content and attach any commissions (Smart Contract) you want to benefit from off future trading.
Next, you just need to promote the hell out of your content in the same way as you would if you were selling it on a traditional platform. This includes using your own social media accounts, camming platforms and other digital content sales sites.
Once someone buys your NFT then you will automatically get paid and the money is stored online in your digital wallet.
Minting your own NFTs can be done through any of the blockchains which support this kind of token and include:
- Ethereum
- Tezos
- WAX
- Polkadot
- Binance Smart Chain
- Flow by Dapper Labs
- Cosmos
- Tron
- EOS
Adult NFTs: Look Before You Jump
Before you launch into a full campaign to transfer all your content creation to NFTs, a word of caution.
Despite being around since 2014, the current incarnation of NFTs is still pretty new which makes them pretty volatile. All crypto markets are subject to an initial surge of demand as traders and investors jump onto the bandwagon of the ‘next big thing’. There is certainly some evidence to suggest that interest in NFTs has already begun to wane a little and the market is far less ‘vibrant’ than it was at the start of 2021.
So, the first caveat about NFTs is not to get your hopes up too high for easy money. Selling explicit content isn’t a get rich quick scheme nor does it get any less competitive in this market than it does on a traditional platform.
There is also the added complexity in the adult industry that the market of people to sell explicit content to aren’t the same as ‘art-collectors’. They tend to only really be interested in something NSFW to get a quick jerk off to.
By and large, porn viewers aren’t that focused on adult content for financial investments.
Other concerns over the use of NFTs cover similar considerations for other crypto platforms and how future-proof these will be for the adult industry. Yes, for now there are plenty of platforms who have no problems with content creators minting tokens with pornographic material embedded within them but who’s to say whether this will always be the case.
As an industry, adult entertainers and content creators are all too aware of how quickly the tide can turn when it comes to how welcome they are.
Another concern for many early adopters is the lack of age verification protocols embedded into this system. It’s all too easy for minors to transact NFTs and until there are robust measures in place to protect creators and buyers then there will be some big question marks over this aspect.
And finally, both the cost of minting your own NFTs along with the technical know-how required to create NFTs is proving to be a barrier for a lot of people but they shouldn’t be. There are enough platforms around offering competitive fees to mint your content and many that can help guide you through the process.
So, if you’re interested in creating digital content which pays your royalties for life and helps you insure your brand then you should be looking into NFTs. For more information on getting started then we can recommend hitting the NFT Reddit community.
Alternatively, check out some of the adult NFT platforms listed above for details of how to become a seller.
Further reading: the best porn sites accepting bitcoin.
Featured image via Marco Verch under Creative Commons License 2.0.
