With the ever-increasing popularity of adult websites, the industry has become more business-like and professional. Like the dot com industry, where many highly skilled web technology experts have moved into the lucrative adult industry, many professional and commercial photographers have also made similar career changes, from mainstream photography to adult and glamour photography. Accordingly, content providers have increased in number and have also become more specialized. There is no doubt that this phenomenon is good for adult Webmasters: the quality of the images is better and prices are dropping. Poorly lit pictures with questionable backgrounds (sets) that sold for $1.50 per image are no more. Today, a well-shot image usually commands a price range from $0.35 to $0.75 per image.I am frequently asked by adult Webmasters how they should decide which content provider to purchase from and how to distinguish one content provider from another. Here are some points to consider:

Legal Content:

I am surprised that some Webmasters do not have a clear understanding about the difference between a license to use content for their websites vs. purchasing the content and having the ownership rights. This is partially due to the commonly (and loosely) used term of “buying” content instead of “licensing” content. For instance, when you buy a car, you have the right to do whatever you want with the car as long as it’s legal. But this is not true in the content business. You have to carefully read the license agreement. Just because you purchase the content and you’re licensed to use the content, it doesn’t mean you can re-sell the content to a third party. This topic has been discussed in depth in other articles here and here at YNOTMasters, as well as various other adult resource sites.

One of the first things you should do is make sure that Section 18 U.S.C. 2257 and Custodian of Record information is clearly displayed on the provider’s site as required by U.S. law. Please note that I say “U.S. law” as these requirements are not global, so you have to make sure that any providers operating from outside of the country comply with U.S. laws. You should also consider the possibility of business disputes that may arise. What will be your recourse? If you had to sue for damages, would you really want to have to chase down a company that is located in the Bahamas? There is something to be said about things “Made in the USA” – you can reasonably assume that those products and services have to operate in accordance with U.S. standards.

Secondly, you must make sure that the provider has a legal copyright for the images. Will the provider indemnify the purchasers from all intellectual property and copyright problems? All of this should be clearly spelled out in the license agreement. I personally know of several content providers who have occasionally used images without a proper model release. This means that whomever purchases the content doesn’t have the proper permission from the model to use the images. A scary thought, huh?

Quality of Images:

The quality of images is a direct result of two key elements: the photo-takers and the photo equipment. All “Premium Content Providers” should have seasoned photographers and professional equipment. Professional gear such as a pro-grade camera, lenses, lighting and background sets all contribute to the quality of the images taken. Be sure to take a close look at the sample images provided in the photoset and make sure at the very least that they are properly focused and exposed. In addition, composition and creativity should also be considered.

Quantity of Images:

Most content providers sell their content at around 80-120 images per set. At Neb Content, our typical sets are much larger, ranging from 120-200+. They are larger because we have added anal scenes to nearly all of our sets (see Sexual Choreography below).

Non-Exclusive Content:

Some of the existing and established content providers have hundreds of thousands of images available for sale, which they have been selling for years. These are referred to as “Mega Content Providers.” Webmasters need to be aware that 85% of adult Webmasters purchase content and most of them purchase images from such “Mega Content Providers.” So there’s a good chance that a surfer may have already seen the exact same content on another site. Sometimes, you can purchase images from smaller content providers, especially one just starting up, that are almost exclusive or semi-exclusive, at a non-exclusive price. But remember, Webmasters must do their homework, so make sure that the company is legitimate and stable first.

Pricing:

I was surprised to find out that many Webmasters compare prices by dollars per set rather than dollars per image. Consider a set consisting of 100 images selling for $60 ($0.60/image) compared to one consisting of 200 images for $80 ($0.40/image). My math tells me the $0.40/image set is a better buy, provided that there are no unusable images thrown into the mix to increase the size of the set. When comparing pricing, make sure that you are comparing apples to apples, and not a basket of apples vs. a box of apples.

Content Brokers:

Many content providers are actually content brokers. Some of them just sell other producers’ images and do not actually produce any images themselves. This is not a necessarily bad arrangement – producers do what they do best, which is taking pictures and brokers do what they do best, which is the marketing and sale of images. However, at Neb Content, we see two drawbacks to this arrangement and have decided instead to market our products directly to Webmasters. The drawbacks we found are:

1. If a dispute arises, the Webmaster has to deal with the broker. There is a no direct communication between the producer and its customers. A vital part of Neb Content’s business philosophy is that we prefer to be hands-on when it comes to customer service and satisfaction issues. We prefer to obtain direct feedback from our customers.

2. If there is a “middle man” involved, obviously both entities (the producer and the broker) have to make a profit, so naturally, the product pricing ends up being higher. At Neb Content, we deal directly and pass on the savings to our customers.

Sexual Choreography:

You should purchase only content that closely matches whatever niche you have chosen for your website. View all thumbs and be sure you are satisfied with the sexual choreography of the set. After all, we all know that sex sells, but if you don’t provide adequate sexual scenes, your members may decide to leave you.

For example, when was the last time you watched a boy/girl video and there wasn’t any kind of anal play? Like it or not, anal sex is a big part of human sexuality. Many men proudly identify themselves as “ass men” – yet when purchasing single girl photosets you will be hard-pressed to find any that have anal play photos. At Neb Content, nearly every photoset (including single girl sets) have some sort of anal teasing, penetration or double penetration shots.

Presentation:

When purchasing a photoset, make sure you see all the pictures (or at least all the thumbs). I was surprised that there are content providers who will sell you a set consisting of 120 pictures, but will only show you a few samples and without the thumbs. You can’t get a good idea of the photoset’s “story line” unless you view all the thumbs. Just like a well-written novel, there should be a beginning, middle and ending. For example, a boy meets a girl at a picnic, the boy gets frisky, they do a little kissing and get touchy-feely, then he slowly undresses the girl, she undresses him. Then they do a little oral, they go into several sexual positions, she reaches ecstasy, and he explodes in her mouth – end of story. Be aware of photos that are out of sequence. For example, if she had already removed her bra in prior photos, it would completely break the flow of the story if all of a sudden the bra is back on her – and the surfer would be left wondering, what just happened?

In addition, try to get a good look at a substantial number of the thumbs in an enlarged view. Many content providers will only let you view three to four pictures in an enlarged view (around 600X400). I have found that this is not a sufficient representation of a set, which could consist of upwards of 120 images. At Neb Content, an enlarged image is available on every thumb page (20 thumbs). This way, a potential buyer can see that the quality of the images is consistent from the first image to the 200th image.

Finally, be sure that the photoset has consistent exposure and color profiling. When you view a contact sheet that consists of many thumbs, the skin tone and background color should be relatively consistent. This is one of your main clues to the image quality of the set.

Niches-Amateur vs. Porn Stars:

Every Webmaster should have a clear vision of his or her niche. This may include amateurs, legal teens, lesbians, Asians, midgets, BBW, gays, transsexuals and many more. In addition, the Webmaster needs to know whether amateur models or porn stars are best suited for the site. There are several major content providers that provide excellent porn star photosets, but at Neb Content, we specialize in providing all niches with amateur models – that’s why our motto is “Young, Fresh and Naughty!”

In summary, you need to consider quite a few factors before deciding which of several content providers you want to do business with. Well-established content providers will give you a high quality product but the models and images may be over-saturated on the web. The newer and less established content providers can give you seldom-seen images but often lack in diversity and quality. The trick is to find a legitimate company that will provide you with high-quality yet rarely seen models and images.