A bad business decision Australian creators disappointed by OnlyFans change

Queenslander Renee Gracie is one of many adult entertainment creators who was blindsided by subscription content service OnlyFans’s decision to pivot away from the very industry upon which it built its success.

From October 1, OnlyFans will limit sexually explicit content on its platform. Gracie, a former V8 supercar racer, is one of OnlyFans’s most popular Australian creators. And this isn’t the first time she’s felt let down by the business.

Australian OnlyFans star Renee Gracie was blindsided by its policy change. Credit:Jessica Hromas/Fairfax Media

“I have paid that company thousands and thousands of dollars over the last year and a half, and they’ve never promoted me or contacted me to say thank you,” she said.

Gracie doesn’t know what to make of OnlyFans’s latest decision. Despite reading about the new policy, she’s yet to be contacted by the company directly or find anything on OnlyFans’s website to explain the change.

The changes, which were widely discussed on social media on Friday, are being put in place because of mounting pressure from banking partners and payment providers, according to the company. They come as OnlyFans tries to raise money from outside investors at a valuation of more than $US1 billion ($1.4 billion).

Gracie says it’s a poor business decision. “You’d think we’d receive an email at least. Is that anyway to treat the people responsible for your success?”

Like many other OnlyFans creators, Gracie began using the platform because it was safe, risk-free and enabled her to control all elements of the business.

In her opinion, the platform should consider other revenue forms like cryptocurrency instead of kowtowing to banks, “while we pay OnlyFans a percentage, it’s us in control. To take that away from us for a banks’ approval seems like a misstep”, she said.

OnlyFans’ popularity has exploded during the COVID-19 pandemic as sex workers, musicians and online influencers used it to charge fans for exclusive access to photos, videos and other material. OnlyFans has attracted more than 130 million users.

Many Australians first heard about the social media platform when US model Kaylen Ward, colloquially known as the “naked philanthropist” announced she had raised more than $1 million for the bushfire relief effort after exchanging nude photos for donations in 2019.

But OnlyFans’ growing popularity has brought with it additional scrutiny. The platform is now positioning itself more as a forum for musicians, fitness instructors and chefs than sex workers. While many of its most-popular creators post videos of themselves engaging in sexual behaviour, several mainstream celebrities like Bella Thorne, Cardi B and Tyga have also set up OnlyFans accounts.

“In order to ensure the long-term sustainability of our platform, and continue to host an inclusive community of creators and fans, we must evolve our content guidelines,” OnlyFans said. The company is run by its founder, Tim Stokely, and owned by Leonid Radvinsky, an internet entrepreneur.

The company has been praised for giving sex workers a safer place to do their jobs. But sex work still has a stigma. The company handled more than $US2 billion in sales last year and is on pace to generate more than double that this year. It keeps 20 per cent of that figure.

OnlyFans said it will provide more guidance on its new policy at a later date.

With Bloomberg.

Amelia McGuire is a journalist at The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.

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