An anonymous tip just received by the Fleshbot staff indicates that things might not be so rosy—at least not for one company:

I just got off the phone with [a Naughty America staff member], who was telling me the story of how the entire Los Angeles production crew was laid off yesterday (Wednesday) afternoon. As they were wrapping up their final shoot of the day, all of the employees who were at the studio—roughly 15 of them—were asked to sit down for a conference. Out of nowhere, Laura D. (executive producer) and Michelle (head of HR) appeared and informed everyone that they were going to be laid off. They were offered two options: two weeks severance pay in addition to the two weeks of vacation pay they were about to get paid—apparently the production crew were all about to go on a two-week paid hiatus, OR, two weeks paid vacation after which they would return to assist in the tear-down of the studio, which would probably take two weeks, and two weeks severance pay. Basically, four weeks of pay or six weeks of pay. It sounds like everyone was stunned and a lot of tears were shed, including many from Laura D.

Also from the phone conversation I learned that NA is sitting on about three weeks worth of unedited footage that will hold them afloat for roughly a few more months, but there isn't any word what the company is going to do after that. I would imagine that those employees working in NA's San Diego office who haven't yet been laid off are wondering what kind of job security they have at this point. I've heard of at least three layoffs from within the San Diego office over the past two months. The economy is truly affecting us all.

If this is true, we're both shocked and saddened—Naughty America has long been a Fleshbot fave, and to see them taken down by economic woes would be truly tragic. We hope this email isn't a sign of things to come across the entire industry—it's so much better when people are getting laid, rather than laid off.

· Thumbnail illustrates happier times at the Naughty Office (naughtyofficegallery.com, via Ask Jolene)

We can only assume that that was (more or less) the idea behind "Ask A Stripper Anything?", a web video series produced by Rick's Cabaret. The series, which has been going strong(ish) since mid-August, features Heather—the stripper in question—asking, and answering, questions about anything (though mostly about sex).

Well, if the adult industry wants to survive, it has to embrace new technology, right?

(And no, we don't know why the title ends in a question mark, either.)

· Ask A Stripper Videos (ricks.com)
· Rick's Cabaret (ricks.com)

We don't think there's an easy answer. Obviously, sexual urges will trump any financial hardship. But whether people will continue to shell out their ever dwindling dollars, especially in an environment glutted with free and easy access to pirated porn—well, that remains to be seen.

Despite our hesitation, however, there's someone who seems fairly certain that the adult industry (or at least one adult publication) is completely indestructible: Jossip has legendary big boobie rag Juggs on their list of "indestructible" magazines. What makes Juggs so rock solid?

"How do porno magazines still exist," you ask, "with such a proliferation of free pornography on the Internet?" Wake up, snob: The great majority of people in the world don't own computers, and even some people who do own computers don't have Internet access. What everyone in the world does have is a desire to reach orgasm. So while you sit in front of the computer, trying to stay aroused while battling relentless pop-ups, Joe Sixpack is going to the bodega, picking up Juggs and getting his rocks off the old-fashioned way. Also working in Juggs' favor is that, despite its tremendously cheap production, it can still fetch around eight to 10 dollars—less if you buy it in three-packs (not that we've price-checked it or anything).

And, we might add, none other than Kelly Madison is on the cover of the December 2008 issue. Indestructible, indeed.

· 5 Indestructible Magazines (jossip.com)
· Thumbnail star: Indestructible Kelly Madison (kellyfind.com)

• "Adult Entertainment Capital Launches Investment Vehicle for Industry" (Xbiz)
• Adult Entertainment Capital (company info @ adultcapitalcorp.com)
• Thumbnail: Accountants gone wild @ FullyClothedSex.com (galleries.orgymax.com, via Ask Jolene)

· "Mortgage Lender Shutters Business, Launches Adult Website" (xbiz.com)
· The Net Girls (thenetgirls.com)

Except ... DVD sales have been trending downward for years now, way ahead of the rest of the economy's troubles; it's more about the changing options for porn buyers than a general lack of consumer confidence. Bart also claims that guys can't find "gonzo" DVDs, even though in the next paragraph he points out that online porn (where all the money is going) is driven by short clips devoid of any story or frills. Hmmm. (Also, "Deep Throat" was somehow to blame for the '70s energy crisis.)

Maybe there's something to the fact that when porn does bad, we all do bad. But it's a pretty flimsy link if you ask us. After all, what else are people supposed to turn to when they don't have anything else to spend their money on? Just because you didn't want to spend $34.95 for another Jenna Jameson compliation disk and decided to jerkoff to something you found on RedTube instead didn't force you to buy that bad mortgage too, did it?

· "Hard times ahead as porn goes soft?" (variety.com)
· Thumb via TeraPatrick.com via sxx.com, via askjolene.com

. . .

· Tabitha Stevens California Cocksuckers (Megarotic, and we apologize for the soundtrack)

· Tabitha Stevens Trash Talking Coeds (Megarotic)

· "Tabitha Stevens Returns for $5K BJ" (xbiz.com)
· Tabitha Stevens Collection (gallery @ freeones.com, via Ask Jolene)
· Tabitha Stevens Photo Gallery + Clips (tabithastevens.com)

According to insidery Valley blog Techcrunch, the site will remain in "private beta" mode until at least 2009, but has already secured $8 million in private financing. When it does eventually go public, it will pay the models and photographers who generate the most interest based on user votes ... but not with that $8 mil. That money will come from user subscription fees, since you will have to pay to look at and vote on content.

However, as we've wondered in the past with other pay-per-view ventures, with so much free content available on the web who will open their wallets for it, especially for non-hardcore work? (Zivity's motto is "tasteful" art and beauty shots). Nude photography in particular has oversaturated the web with dozens (hundreds, really) of artistic model and photo sites giving away thousands of free pictures, so it's hard to imagine an abundance of people lining up to hand over their credit card numbers. At least, not at the level that justifies an $8 million investment.

Obviously subscription models can work. They are working for many sites that actually turn a profit. But investors aren't willing to fund those companies, because they deal in hardcore porn, not art. Which is the better business investment?

On the other hand, we don't pretend to know anything about business or the details of this particular deal—we just know porn and how much we're willing to pay for it—so maybe we'll be the ones looking foolish in the end. Perhaps we should just trust in Zivity Co-Founder Cyan Banister. After all, she's not just the Chief Strategy Officer ... she's also one of the site's first nude models. (That's her up above, courtesy of old friend Merkley.)

· No Longer Under Age: Zivity Takes $7 Million In Venture Financing For Adult Content Social Network + As Promised, Zivity Founder Does The Full Monty (techcrunch.com)
· Cyan - SkyCam (Flickr)
· Zivity : Promoting Beauty 2.0 (zivity.com)

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Previously: Porn 2.0: Haven't We Been Here Before?, The New Porn.com: When Bad Things Happen To Good Domains