Whenever an adult business journalist needs expert commentary on a legal or political development concerning our ever-evolving industry, Corey Silverstein is happy to oblige.
The Michigan-based industry lawyer brings decades of experience in the world of adult to helping performers, webmasters, studios, platforms, infrastructure providers and other folks seeking to do business in the sector, be they stateside or abroad. After all, Silverstein says, “I’m the only adult entertainment lawyer in the history of this business who has actually had experience as an affiliate, as a program manager, as a website manager and as a content buyer.”
I’m the only adult entertainment lawyer in the history of this business who has actually had experience as an affiliate, as a program manager, as a website manager and as a content buyer.
Known for his jovial personality, Silverstein is also a fixture at industry gatherings, where he offers relevant advice — and occasional branded swag — to anyone who may have questions about how to navigate the adult business.
“Nobody else has ever had the experience of being an actual business operator in adult, and then becoming a lawyer,” Silverstein emphasizes. “It’s never happened before, and it probably won’t ever happen again. It’s not something that I talk about every day, but I used to run 33 paysites and so my experience in terms of being able to provide legal services is unlike anybody else. I’m able to think not only like a lawyer, but also like an adult entertainment business operator.”
XBIZ: How did you get started as a webmaster?
SILVERSTEIN: I always considered myself a bit of a computer dork. I was always interested in computer technology and was learning about the internet back when we were using dial-up modems with only 9,600 bps speed. I started in the era where, if you wanted to see a picture of someone, the picture would slowly load up, and it would take four minutes just to load.
I also was always interested in the internet commerce world, so when I went to Purdue, a huge focus of my undergraduate studies was computer technology. I learned HTML and Java, and I was able to program my own sites. Then when I was going into law school, I knew that I was going to need to start making a living right away because law school was incredibly expensive.
At that time, I was working odd jobs, and it was then that a mutual acquaintance introduced me to someone who had some experience in the adult entertainment industry. I borrowed $15,000 or something like that and I bought from this guy an affiliate program and five paysites.
And you know what? He actually ended up ripping me off! It’s funny to me now because this makes me relatable: there’s so many people in this business whose first experience is getting fucked over. Go figure — here I am, this law student thinking I’m so smart and the first deal I do, I get completely ripped off. And I ended up having to sue the guy!
XBIZ: How did you get ripped off?
SILVERSTEIN: He sold me an affiliate program and five paysites, but he didn’t have anything that he had said he had. There was supposed to be all this content with it. And there was nothing! They were just shells. It was nothing more than a three-page layout. Ultimately, when it came time for him to provide all the content, he had no content.
And then Jeff Neis, who is now a dear friend, called me saying, “Hey, I think this guy’s ripping you off, because this guy is feeding you a bunch of BS.” And that’s how I found out I was getting screwed.
That’s also how I met Brad Mitchell. Brad, as you know, has a huge heart. And he felt bad for me, because I tried to get into the industry the right way, and I got completely screwed. Brad at the time owned a program called SinBucks, but he was trying to focus his efforts on his hosting business, MojoHost. Brad wanted out of the paysite business and made me an offer to sell me all of his sites, and I could run them and monetize them, and do whatever I wanted. And when I was done with them, I had to sell them back to him.
This was in 2004. So, I ran the sites successfully through law school, and I completed law school. And then, as I had given Brad my word, I sold the program back to him.
XBIZ: How did you learn the ins and outs of being a webmaster over time?
SILVERSTEIN: I was an affiliate like everyone else. One of my domains was dirtyfreeporn.com! I was getting my education from Brad and from the webmaster boards. Back then there was a board called NetPond. Basically, besides law school, I was being educated by the University of the Adult Entertainment Industry.
That was how I transitioned from free site owner/operator to affiliate to website owner. The irony is that it all actually started with me getting screwed on my first deal.
XBIZ: Was becoming an adult industry lawyer something you were already planning for in law school?
SILVERSTEIN: I focused on using the relationships that I had created, while I was working as a website operator and as an affiliate, to then start representing all those people. I grew up in a world where we all watched the O.J. Simpson trial on TV. I would skip school to stay at home and watch the O.J. trial. I thought I was going to be the next Johnnie Cochran, the next great criminal defense lawyer. The reality of the situation is very different, though. It’s a very difficult way to make a living.
But criminal defense and constitutional law are like stepbrothers to each other. And so, while I was in law school, I became very interested in constitutional law, especially the First Amendment.
At that time there was a lot of competition — there were a lot more lawyers in the adult entertainment space than there are now. It was a massive challenge to break in, but I worked my ass off and it all came together.
XBIZ: What are the most significant changes the industry has undergone between 2004 and now?
SILVERSTEIN: For one thing, the industry has consolidated considerably. If you look back to 2004-2005, the industry was made up of a lot more individuals and businesses. As time evolved, the tube sites and the cam sites exploded, and now the fan-style premium social media sites have taken over. The industry continued to consolidate, which means there were simply less people controlling the top 10% of revenue generators.
Some of the lawyers that used to be around then focused on conventional distribution models, like VHS tapes and eventually DVDs, but that died. The world of consumers looking for adult entertainment moved from storefronts and from catalogs to the internet.
I always believed that adult entertainment, and the laws regarding it, were heading in a direction where the internet was going to dominate. The internet was going to kill everything. And some people didn’t believe that and bet against it.
I knew the internet would win because, as a webmaster, when you were talking to customers who wanted adult entertainment, they wanted something instantly. It was so clear to me that the internet would provide an immediate gateway for people to get adult entertainment whenever they wanted it, without ever leaving the comfort of their home and without ever feeling the stigma associated with it. And without having to, you know, put on a baseball cap and funny dark sunglasses and walk to the back of a video rental place behind some beaded curtains. Keep in mind that in 2004 there weren’t any smartphones.
XBIZ: As someone with experience identifying trends, are there any unique opportunities you believe are the next game changers?
SILVERSTEIN: I compare the rise of the internet then to the world of crypto now. There are so many people who don’t believe in crypto, and they don’t see the possibilities that come along with it. And they’re betting on it failing. I disagree. I think it’s another situation where there’s a massive evolution coming and 10 years from now people will be left on the outside looking in, like those who didn’t believe that the internet was ultimately going to dominate content distribution.
With cryptocurrency you have a way of being completely anonymous. And there is a massive percentage of adult entertainment viewers that want that. I think that we’re just barely touching the surface of how cryptocurrencies will be used in our industry. I don’t think it’s going to be instant. I don’t believe it’s going to happen tomorrow or the day after. We’re still probably five to 10 years away from really seeing what crypto can do.
True story: at first, I also thought crypto was ridiculous and passed on opportunities that would have had me retired and living in Monaco.
Back then people thought giving away anything more than a few teaser pictures was insane. Everything then was TGPs to induce a potential customer to subscribe to your paysite. If you ever told anyone that you were giving away anything more than three pictures, they would say you were crazy. Then TGPs turned into movie galleries and now people were giving away video trailers. And once again, people were screaming at the top of their lungs saying, “This is crazy! Why are we giving all this free content away?” Then, of course, came the next evolution, which was tube sites, and then the business basically changed completely.
No one would have been able to predict then what the industry was going to be like now in 2022. No way! And anyone who says that they saw it coming, they’re lying, because nobody saw that giving away this much free content was somehow going to be good for business.
XBIZ: As the adult business has become more international, what have been the legal ramifications?
SILVERSTEIN: Right. Back then, the great majority of content and adult entertainment businesses were based in the U.S. But now it is worldwide. You’ve got so many American businesses that have been purchased internationally. If you look at the expansion of adult entertainment internationally, it’s mind-boggling. It’s an explosion out there.
If an adult entertainment lawyer in 2004 had to be an amazing U.S. constitutional lawyer, now you have to be familiar with international law, various different content production laws and the legality of adult entertainment in countries all across the world. So, it’s quite literally a completely different world.
I learn something new every single day: a new law gets created or thrown out, or something changes, every day.
XBIZ: In that spirit of lifelong learning, tell us about your effort to share your wisdom with clients and the community at large through your legal advice websites, MyAdultAttorney.com and Adult.law.
SILVERSTEIN: Because my background was in website development, over the years I’ve created a lot of different website products. I started with just a law firm website, which, almost by accident, became my brand.
I was online looking for catchy names and I ended up with MyAdultAttorney.com. I would almost call it a stage name for me by now.
At first it was an informational site about my law firm, but as time evolved, MyAdultAttorney has changed to encompass the services I provide, what’s going on in the industry, the different trade shows that are going on, the different new laws and issues popping up. It’s turned into a platform where people can stay up to date on the biggest legal issues.
Much later, during the COVID isolation, I had a lot more time than I was used to because most of the courts came screeching to a grinding halt. I was talking to a lot of performers and they said, “Hey, a lot of us can’t afford big retainers and big hourly rates. We wish there was some service out there that would be more affordable for us.”
And so, I created Adult.law, a subscription-based platform where we offer numerous different subscription plans based on what your budget is. You can choose to only get access to our educational live video library, or to add a certain number of hours of legal consulting time per month, and it’s all at very affordable rates. It was really built for performers and that has been a really big success.
Most recently, we developed a series of legal seminars, where we do them live and XBIZ is the exclusive media sponsor for it. We’ve been getting a tremendous amount of people showing up live, and then the videos are archived on XBIZ.tv.
XBIZ: Talk about a few of your colleagues and friends in the adult community that have really influenced or inspired you.
SILVERSTEIN: I’ve been very fortunate that I’ve had people along the way that have acted as wonderful friends and mentors. I’m grateful to Brad Mitchell, Larry Walters, Hank Freeman, Jeff Neis and so many others. They have been tremendous influences in my life.
Brad’s been just — you couldn’t ask any more out of a friend. I wouldn’t have been as successful without him. Larry Walters has been a wonderful mentor to me — one of the greatest legal minds I’ve ever come across and I get to work with him every day.
XBIZ: On a more personal level, what is something that people might be surprised to discover about you?
SILVERSTEIN: I still play contact ice hockey every Thursday morning. I’m 40 years old and still think that my body can keep up with 18-year-olds. Also, although I do really love people, socializing and traveling, at the end of the day, I’m still very much a computer dork who loves to play video games. My idea of a vacation is to be away from everything and everybody and to cut myself off from all the noise of the world.
XBIZ: Where do you like to go for these getaways?
SILVERSTEIN: Anywhere where there’s warm weather, water and I can be out of range of technology. I really enjoy going to offshore areas just to be away.
I get buried every day with information, things, politics, laws, clients … you name it. In my world there isn’t five minutes during the day where I can shut the door to my office and just be left alone.
When I have the opportunity to do it, one of my favorite activities is just drifting. You get into a boat, and you go way offshore, and just drift.
I’m sure a lot of people won’t believe that because they see me being social at trade shows and online, but when I have time off, I get on a boat, I get away from land and just anchor and do nothing. It’s then that I believe you do some of your biggest growing as a person, because during that time you can actually hear yourself, without all of the distractions.
