Eroticism starts with our sight, quickening our pulse and causing our senses of taste/feel to become heightened. Our ears pick up the sensual sounds of pleasure coming off our lips, the sway of our bodies as they writhe with excitement and sway with the natural rhythm of our ecstasy. No one can deny that it is very easy to get swept up in these moments, and it is part of why the porn industry has such high sales for video, camming and clips. What if you were to learn, though, that it can be just as easy to get swept up in sexual audio soundtracks, in many cases moreso?
When most think of sexy audio, they think of phone sex, and while they are not incorrect, I personally have built a very lucrative business off of almost entirely audio content. I have been in the phone sex industry for 13 years now, and have been one of the top-selling accounts on Niteflirt.com during this time. The major pivot point for myself came one day when my voice was sore, and I did not want to talk to clients for hours on end that day. While I love my job, there are just days when it is not feasible to do so. It was at that time, about nine years ago, that I took a $10 baseline microphone and recorded my first mp3. It was rough, it was raw, it was low quality even by the standards of the time, but it sold like wildfire.
Since audio content is so often not thought about, it truly is an undersaturated market!
Why did I choose audio content over video? Being part of a military family, I could not use my face, or rather did not feel comfortable. So I licensed legal content and instead opted to use my voice over video. In the past, I have used my own images, and do so now, but I have grown to love the art of audio. I have no sets to change, no lingerie to buy or squeeze into and no longer worry about “bad hair days.” The extra factors that go into creating a quality video simply do not affect me, and I found I could create more content in the same time I spent creating a video. Creativity also became easier, as I could describe places that I may never be able to film in. It helped me get into character more and enjoy creating my content on levels I never thought possible.
But why would a customer choose audio over video? There are a multitude of reasons why many customers choose audio to video but, in reality, many customers enjoy both types of content. The most popular answer I hear from my clients is that audio makes for a more imaginative experience. Closing your eyes, you can listen to any video out there, but there are many things that a listener would miss out on. Very few video creators create their content with a listener’s take in mind, not describing certain aspects of the video, but rather going for a direct route to the kink being explored.
With audio, it is less of a roadmap and more of a guided visualization. One client of mine never used the face of the model that I used; rather, he would envision his crush from college. This was made easier by not having a face that was clearly not hers staring back at him. Erotic audio content being less of a roadmap also means that the listener can deviate far more easily to tailor the experience to them. Oftentimes, this makes the content seem more personal to them.
Since audio content is so often not thought about, it truly is an undersaturated market! Most of the major clip sites do not allow people to upload sound files, whereas a select few do permit voice clips to be sold. This is not due to them not selling well either. One of the XM radio hosts on iWantClips, Dr. Lovejoy, is almost strictly audio and makes a fortune off them (as do I). It is just that few have thought about how much audio sales can really bring in. If we look to podcasts, ASMR and livestreamers who use static images while they talk, we can see that audio-based content is truly on the rise. The same is true for erotic audio; it is an underserved market.
So, how can a video producer capitalize on this growing group of frustrated customers who are seeking more erotic audio creators? The first would be to save the audio files of all the videos you have now. For the price of one piece of content, you now have two sellable pieces! I would also create a second clip store (on sites that allow for it) to have as a strictly audio store. In my experience, this tends to do better than having one store that has both types of content mixed about in it. Make sure you also clearly label that the clip is audio only! Most sites that allow you to upload mp3s force you to do this anyways, but it is also just a professional courtesy to your customers. Someone looking for video content will be gravely disappointed when they download an erotic audio clip.
You may also want to build a separate site for promotion. While I did use just one site to promote myself, I also had over 5,000 audio clips to about 200 video clips. If you are going to be more of an even split, I would suggest having two sites to market to each of your different customer pools (though there is some overlap).
My final piece of advice is do not overthink! Just like with video clips, everyone prices differently, makes different length audio clips, and uses a variety of equipment. You can start today, as long as you have something that can record your voice and save the file. I would even urge you to do so! This subsect of the adult industry is growing and truly underserved. You are only doing yourself, the customers who seek it and your wallet a favor by opening this up as another pipeline in your content dissemination plan!