Erotic Audio 101: Sorta Like Porn, But Not Really

Erotic Audio—also known as audio erotica*—is on the rise as a form of entertainment. It has grown in popularity and audience during the COVID era just like social media and streaming platforms. Unlike traditional pornography, which is designed to appeal to the male gaze, the world of audio erotica contains an abundance of content that is crafted specifically to appeal to the desires and imaginations of women.

Formats

Audio erotica content is typically presented as a scene, either fictional or real. Scenes can be scripted or improvisational. They can also be presented from the point-of-view (POV) of the listener , or narrated in the 1st or 3rd person. Scene types include: Role Play - multiple VAs (voice actors) act out a scenario

POV Role Play - the listener is part of a scene that is being acted out Guided Fantasy or JOI (jack-off instruction - or jill-off, if you prefer) - the VA describes a scene directly to the listener and possibly specifies/encourages accompanying masturbation activity RambleFap - the VA engages in stream-of-consciousness discourse while masturbating

Categories and Platforms

I was tempted to write that Literotica and Reddit GWA (Gone Wild Audio) are the "seedy underbelly" to which erotic audio was relegated until some VAs ventured into monetization, creating an actual profession. As far as I can tell, though, Literotica and GWA are more like open mic: places where anyone can give it a shot and see if and how folks respond. YouTube seems to have started out as the "go-to" for monetization, but creators found it to be unwelcoming; cracking down mercilessly and (seemingly) capriciously on explicit material. It did allow creators to amass significant followings, though, and a number of them have found their way to Patreon, whose subscription scheme makes it possible for artists to actually make a living. Some have websites as their home base and monetize through sponsorships, merchandise, personalized audios (PAs), and more. Pretty much all creators utilize multiple platforms and social media apps. As I see it, the landscape roughly shakes out like this:

Individual Creators including established artists such as Gaelforce, Cardlin, In My Hands, AnEnglishGentleman, and Hank Miller, as well as relative newbies such as Orcus and Matthew Tower (British Filth and Michael_ASMR fit into this category, as well, but have been MIA for the past year)

Production Company is the only word I can come up with right now to describe Best Kept Secret, but the under this model they work with an array of VAs and produce scripted erotic audio stories. I'm not aware of other companies like this, but please let me know if you do. Portals such as Dipsea, Quinn, and Vanilla Audio. The latter two are vehicles for creators to monetize their work and include content for all genders. Dipsea and others including Ferly, &Jane, Rosy, and Emjoy emphasize women's sexual wellness . I will expand on all of this as we go along. In the meantime, I'd love to hear your thoughts, questions, suggestions. Please scroll down to the bottom and talk to me! NEXT TIME: On the About Me page I mentioned that I have very specific tastes when it comes to erotic audio. I will tell you about that and the strange road that led me to this art form. It involves Tom Hiddleston 💋 *I use the terms erotic audio and audio erotica interchangeably.

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