As it gets easier to broadcast from anywhere, this adult entertainment company says more people are interested in watching boring parts of people’s days.
If you tune into Charley Hart’s late night LifeStream channel, you’ll probably catch her sleeping.
Hart, who works in adult entertainment, does participate in raunchy private camera sessions with her clients. But when it comes to her LifeStream, she estimates 80 percent is safe for work. Besides snoozing, you can see her folding clothes or playing with her cats. Sometimes she acknowledges her watchers by talking directly to the camera, but most of the time she ignores the fact she’s being streamed.
“I’m an introverted extrovert, ” Hart said. “I like to be in my house, but I like to be with people. I get to not even go anywhere. I can literally stay in my bedroom, and I can have people around me and everything.”
LifeStream is a program by adult entertainment company CamSoda that pays people to stream their mundane activities with no requirements to get naked. The company pays LifeStreamers $200 a month, covers their internet bill, and gives them one to three web cams to broadcast their day. You can also earn extra “tips” or encourage others to go to your private room for extra cash, Hart notes — though how you want to motivate people is up to you. Currently, there are about 15 LifeStreams, and about one-third of the subjects don’t work in adult entertainment.
But even among the LifeStreamers who are adult industry professionals, the majority of their content is safe for work.
LifeStreamers can tag certain parts of their day like when they cook a meal or put on makeup, . Those segments are turned into mobile-friendly watchable clips or daily recaps. The company is also exploring adding virtual reality cameras, and hopes to roll out the content format in a few months.
CamSoda got the idea to allow non-porn livestreams after it noticed many of its customers on its voyeur cams were interested in watching the actresses and actors be everyday people. It also heard from customers who were open to being on camera, but didn’t want to be porn stars.
“If you go to Central Park, guaranteed people-watching is one of the top three activities, ” Press said. “There’s a feeling when you watch somebody else, watch their lives and the quirky things they do it makes you feel normal.”
To be a LifeStreamer, you’re expected to stream 24/7, with reasonable exceptions. Hart says she’s relatively open except for “some bathroom activities.” There’s only been one instance of a LifeStreamer’s account being shut down, Press noted — the company removed her cameras when they found out she pointed the camera at her closet all day to collect the paycheck.
The interest in watching life livestreams has gone up since Facebook and Twitter added the ability to broadcast on their platform, according to Hart.
Hart tried livestreaming her daily routine on Periscope, but was turned off when people kept asking her to flash her breasts. It makes more sense to put this kind of content on an adult entertainment platform like CamSoda where the livestreamers may be more open to these requests, she said.
“Stop bugging these girls who may not want to do it [on Periscope or Facebook Live] , ” said Hart. “These girls who aren’t even putting themselves out there are getting these requests.”
Hart, who majored in sociology and minored in psychology and women’s studies at Ball State, said for some viewers the draw may be the unexpected sexy moments that could occur on a livestream. However for the many, she thinks it’s all about simple enjoyment of watching others, only now you can do it online instead of in the real world.
“People can see their life is very similar to mine, ” CamSoda’s Press said. “I think there’s a comfort that comes from that.”
