NEW HAMPSHIRE — Wasteland.com, which has been a popular destination for thousands of BDSM fans since the Internet took off, celebrates its 17th year online Sept. 5.
Its well-known online adult site founder, Colin Rowntree, said that the site got off the ground in 1994 "quite by accident, more as a lark than anything else."
“I threw some naughty photos up to see if they would stick," Rowntree said. "Little did I know that I was building one of the first Internet adult paysites on the web, much less one devoted to the kinkier arts."
Today, Rowntree and his wife Angie continue to personally run Wasteland's properties.
Its network of niche properties focus on hardcore BDSM, erotica by and for women, Japanese underground bondage, alternative Hentai, vintage 90s teen content, FemDom reality and BBW-focused BDSM site.
Other websites are AmishBondage.com and other viral sites, including InsideWasteland.com and KinkForKindle.com, as well as WastelandMobile.com, the first BDSM premium site for smart phones and mobile devices, and Wasteland’s EroticVision Channel on Roku IPTV.
Rowntree, proud of his EroticVision Channel, told XBIZ that he has at least 300 loyal subscribers to the service who pay $34.95 a month. "The recurring billing is phenomenal," he said.
Next month, Wasteland plans on moving over to cloud delivery, making movies stream faster in countries, such as England, Holland and Germany, where "they really enjoy their kink," Rowntree said. "The cloud will give us a lot more European exposure."
"We also are planning on more geo-targeted programming and making it easier for our customers to view our products by integrating web properties with mobile," he said.
The company also is in the midst of reinventing its content where it might have been 8-10 years ago, Rowntree said.
"The days where gonzo films led the field are coming to an end," he said. "We're looking for compelling BDSM with other components like psychodrama."
While Rowntree admits that while the "perverse pleasure remains," he also is addicted to coming up with new ideas and see if they stick.
"If they do, we'll be able to deliver sacks of new BDSM and fetish goodies to consumers around the world ... and bags of money to our affiliates," he said.