“OnlyFans is an internet content subscription service based in London, United Kingdom,” says Wikipedia. OK. So far, so good. “The service is used primarily by sex workers who produce pornography,” – oh my! – “but it also hosts the work of other content creators, such as physical fitness experts and musicians.” [Phew!]
Just be thankful Tipper Gore’s Parents Music Resource Center isn’t around any more because they would have a field day with what British rapper Shygirl is doing on OnlyFans. (The PMRC were the ones putting all those “Parental Advisory” stickers on albums in the 1980s and 1990s that, before The Streisand Effect was even coined, arguably made them even more popular among young listeners.)
We need to make clear that Shygirl is NOT “producing pornography”; rather she is using a platform where some people do undertake such specific content production.
She has, however, created two different versions of the video for her track ‘Shlut’, the more explicit version being the one that is released on OnlyFans. This is, according to OnlyFans, “the first time a music video has debuted on the platform in this way”.
(There is a more, let’s say, “polite” version of the video on YouTube that is heavy on moody lighting and tasteful black and white cinematography. This is one parents need not be too concerned about.)
“It’s somewhere where I can give better context to my work, the motivations behind it, and a more in-depth look at the things that inspire me,” is how Shygirl sold it on her OnlyFans profile. “I want to be able to create and share my imagery in all aspects, and this platform allows me full visual freedom without censorship.”
It is also, let’s be frank, a monetisation play as well. She is charging $15.99 a month (or offering a 50% discount for six months that will cost you $47.97) for subscriptions, so she will need to create regular content to justify the entrance fee.
The launch of the more “adult” video here is obviously a way to try and get casual fans to become direct subscribers, but there is as much risk as there is benefit when embracing a platform like OnlyFans. It brings in money and regular subscribers, but acts might have to bifurcate their content creation, making stuff for general consumers and then recalibrating it for the OnlyFans audience.
Each audience will come with very different expectations which means the artist has a tricky job in appealing equally to both without compromising their vision or leaving one audience behind as they increasingly cater for the other.
