OnlyFans

OnlyFans is a content subscription service based in London.[3] Content creators can earn money from users who subscribe to their content—the "fans".[4] It is popular in the adult entertainment industry,[5] but also hosts content creators from other genres such as physical fitness experts[6] and other creators who post regularly online. It allows content creators to receive funding directly from their fans on a monthly basis as well as on tips and the pay-per-view (PPV) feature.[7]

OnlyFans
Available inEnglish
Headquarters
London
,
United Kingdom
Country of originUnited Kingdom
OwnerLeonid Radvinsky[1]
Founder(s)
  • Tim Stokely
CEO
  • Tim Stokely
URLonlyfans.com
Alexa rank 711 (Global, July 2020)[2]
Current statusActive

Business model

A subscriber to (i.e., fan of) a content creator can view his/her content in exchange for a monthly membership fee.[8] The company pays 80% of the fees collected to the content creator, with the remaining 20% retained by OnlyFans.[9] After merchant and processing fees, the company's share is around 12%.[5] Only YouTube there is many scams promising the premium content for free.[10]

History

OnlyFans was launched in 2016[11] as a website for social media performers to allow their followers to subscribe for a monthly fee to see clips and photos. Little is known about the parent company, Fenix International Limited.[5]

In October 2018, Leonid Radvinsky, owner of MyFreeCams, became a person of significant control with over 75% ownership of parent company, Fenix International Limited. He became a director in November 2018.[12][13]

In late May 2019, OnlyFans introduced an extra safeguard into the account verification process so that a creator now has to provide a selfie headshot with their ID in the image in order to prove that the ID provided belongs to the account holder.[14]

In April 2020, BBC Three published a documentary and found that on a single day, a third of Twitter profiles globally advertising 'nudes4sale' (or similar) appeared to belong to underage individuals on various platforms, and many of those used OnlyFans to share their content.[15][14]

As of May 2020, the site has 24 million registered users and claims to have paid out $725 million to its 450,000 content creators.[16]

In May 2020, CEO Tim Stokely told BuzzFeed News "the site is seeing about 200,000 new users every 24 hours and 7,000 to 8,000 new creators joining every day."[17]

Mid-2020 saw OnlyFans announce a partnership with Demon Time social media show to create a monetized virtual night club using the site's dual-screen live feature.[18]

In January 2020, twenty-year-old American Kaylen Ward raised more than $1 million in contributions to charity during the wild bushfires in Australia. OnlyFans teamed with her for their first partnership for a charitable cause.[19] This started a trend with some OnlyFans creators who have been raising money through their accounts.[20]

July 2020, Sky News published information that OnlyFans has not paid VAT in the last 3 years, and would likely be heavily penalized by tax authorities. Not paying VAT is a criminal offense in the EU.[21]

Usage

Pornography is allowed. In fact, the website is mainly used by pornographic models,[5][22] both amateur and professional, but it also has a market with chefs, fitness enthusiasts, and musicians.[23]

References
  1. "FENIX INTERNATIONAL LIMITED - Filing history (free information from Companies House)". beta.companieshouse.gov.uk. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  2. "onlyfans.com Competitive Analysis, Marketing Mix and Traffic". Alexa Internet. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  3. "FENIX INTERNATIONAL LIMITED - company report". Dun & Bradstreet.
  4. Arceneaux, Michael (2020). I Don't Want to Die Poor: Essays. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-9821-2930-9. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  5. Bernstein, Jacob (9 February 2019). "How OnlyFans Changed Sex Work Forever". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  6. "Former Chef Becomes Millionaire By Sharing Fitness Photos On Instagram". LAD Bible. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  7. Jankowicz, Mia. "We spoke to a woman earning more than $100,000 a year selling explicit content on OnlyFans — this is exactly how she makes her money". Business Insider. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  8. "How to Make Money on OnlyFans: The Complete Guide". HomeGrown Income. 2 March 2020. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  9. "Help & Support -Earnings". OnlyFans. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  10. Cole, Samantha (28 May 2020). "YouTube Is Full Of Scams Promising Free OnlyFans Content". Motherboard. Vice. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
  11. Ryan, Paul (2019). Male Sex Work in the Digital Age: Curated Lives. Springer. ISBN 978-3-030-11797-9. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  12. "FENIX INTERNATIONAL LIMITED - Filing history (free information from Companies House)". beta.companieshouse.gov.uk. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  13. Bernstein, Jacob (9 February 2019). "How OnlyFans Changed Sex Work Forever". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  14. Gallier, Thea de (7 April 2020). "'I make over £20k a month selling nudes online'". BBC Three. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  15. Morgan, Jessica. "This Documentary Reveals The Dark Side Of OnlyFans". www.refinery29.com. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  16. "English: OnlyFans brand deck". 8 November 2019.
  17. "Everyone Is Making Porn At Home Now. Will The Porn Industry Survive?". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  18. "Demon Time and OnlyFans Launch New Virtual Night Club". Complex. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
  19. "Nude photos raised over $1 million for the Australia fires". VOX. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  20. "Donate $10 to Australia, Get a Nude Photo". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  21. "OnlyFans could be hit with bill for more than three years' worth of unpaid taxes". Sky News. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  22. "OnlyFans is the site where porn is more intimate than ever". Dazed. 19 January 2018. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  23. "Porn app OnlyFans and platform JustFor.Fans stars share personal stories, paid sexual content creation, and the online adult entertainment marketplace". Esquire SG. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
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