Pistol Media and Raging Stallion Studios Merge With AEBN

[dzinerbear]

"Video-on-demand network AEBN/NakedSword has merged with Raging Stallion Studios/Pistol Media to form one of the industry's largest gay adult entertainment companies.

The merger was announced this afternoon, and encompasses production and distribution, as well cross-platform online content and delivery systems that stretch across several countries and continents.

"Raging Stallion will continue to operate the same way it always has," said AEBN principal Scott Coffman. "It's a valuable and profitable production house. But we hope they can also advise us in both the gay and straight markets to help us help our valued partners increase their own production capabilities and expand their reach."

NakedSword president Tim Valenti said the current woeful economic climate made the merger a necessity."

Read the http://www.xbiz.com/news/105005

Editor's Note: This post was merged into Brian's Gunzblazing post since they're pertaining to the same issue and were posted within a couple of hours of one another.

[Gunzblazing]

Hi Everyone,

We're proud to announce that Pistol Media/Gunzblazing has merged with the AEBN family of companies.

It’s a combination that joins one of the industries top, gay, paysite affiliate programs with the world’s leading provider of VOD services. Our sister company Raging Stallion Studios forms the other leg of the merger, which is the biggest to occur in the history of the gay adult industry.

It’s great news for our partners. We will soon be able to offer a true, one stop, traffic-leak-free shop to promote an ever-expanding range of top quality pay sites, VOD and DVD shopping sites. AEBN’s ever popular Nakedsword.com will be added to the Gunzblazing system in coming months.

And of course we’ll be offering a fabulous, wide range of cross-promotional opportunities with which to increase earnings.

Administratively checks and Epassporte payments will not change yet. Checks will still come from Pistol Media Inc and Epassporte payments from pistol1 for the next few payment periods. We will keep you informed of important administrative changes as they occur.

If you have any questions don’t hesitate to ask!

All the Best,

Brian Randall.

[gaydemon]

I guess congratulations is in order.

But I'm wondering if such a merger wont mean that the sites under Pistol Media will suffer. The bigger a company gets the less it has to offer in terms of originality. The sites under Pistol Media are very niche orientated and it wont take much to mess them up.

On another note, does this means we now will be faced by AEBNs somewhat lacking statistics? AEBN offers affiliates very little in terms of any statistics, its impossible to track anything.

[milivanili]

A merger is just another word for optimizing your profits, so I am not really sure why congratulate as it is no special achievement in general (you do not need special skills to take over another company, just right down dirty cash:)

Earning a lot of cash (for the one who sells out his company) and sucking out dry the company you took over... Not saying anything in this particulare case, just my toughts about mergers in general...

Also if you run mega huge corporation (or adult company in this case) you are less inclined to push for the originality, creativity, different approaches as you also have less to say than you had when you were the boss of your own...plus all the things that Bjorn raised... usually bigger does not mean better.

For me this has nothing to do with adult and all to do with Wall Street economy

But good luck anyway!
;)

[gaybucks_chip]

well, and if I'm not mistaken, Gunzblazing only posts when they're promoting something...

To call the joinder of *any* company in the industry with AEBN a "merger" is probably a misnomer because of the huge differences in the relative size of the companies.

I don't know if anyone else sees this, but it's a little scary how big AEBN is getting. They control a gigantic portion (probably a pretty big majority) of the VOD market, the fastest growing segment of the adult industry, they are buying up competitors, and now they're buying studios (I also heard they are in talks to buy Raging Stallion.)

Does anybody see the handwriting? If you own the studios and the content, control the delivery network, and have the customers... you can pretty much control the marketplace entirely.

Additionally, it's hard to expect that a VOD company that owns a bunch of studios is going to treat companies it doesn't own the same way as companies it does own.

I don't have anything in particular against AEBN, but this is a monopoly in development.

[gaydemon]

Thats one way to put it :) I think we mean more or less the same thing though.

Personally, I'm just worried about the rebills I've worked up on Gun Blazing and what will happen to them and to new sales.

Mergers are not normally a good thing and I will watch this one very carefully and reconsider how much I advertise the sites on gaydemon.


A merger is just another word for optimizing your profits, so I am not really sure why congratulate as it is no special achievement in general (you do not need special skills to take over another company, just right down dirty cash:)

Earning a lot of cash (for the one who sells out his company) and sucking out dry the company you took over... Not saying anything in this particulare case, just my toughts about mergers in general...

Also if you run mega huge corporation (or adult company in this case) you are less inclined to push for the originality, creativity, different approaches as you also have less to say than you had when you were the boss of your own...plus all the things that Bjorn raised... usually bigger does not mean better.

For me this has nothing to do with adult and all to do with Wall Street economy

But good luck anyway!
;)

[Badpuppy Lisa]

I'm here to congratulate the companies at hand, which I feel will do a lot to compliment each other. Having known and worked with all of these companies for many years and still do, I don't feel that they will do anything other than combine what they each offer or can bring to the table, to deliver a far better and broader product.

Regarding the AEBN stats, maybe Brian and his team can play a big part in making the AEBN stats more webmaster friendly, giving more and specific information you might be lacking.

Until such time I see negative results from this merger, I'm going to congratulate and show support! I'm not a big believer in speculation, only facts!

With that said, Congrat's to AEBN/Nakedsword, Pistol Media and Raging Stallion!

[gaybucks_chip]

Until such time I see negative results from this merger, I'm going to congratulate and show support! I'm not a big believer in speculation, only facts!

With that said, Congrat's to AEBN/Nakedsword, Pistol Media and Raging Stallion!

Fair enough. In this changing economy, I think companies have to make tough decisions, and joining with other strong companies is certainly a sensible option from a business perspective. I do wish everyone involved in the endeavor the best, and just hope that, as we see more consolidation, the industry continues to maintain the diversity of options, as well as content that helps it thrive.

[Badpuppy Lisa]

Ditto Chip! Ditto! But we should all keep in mind that even in a good economy and without poor conversions and sales, sometimes merging and combining each companies qualities, can strengthen what may already be strong. I have no doubt that the bulk of our industry will survive and once again flourish.

[Gunzblazing]

Let me attempt to answer some of your questions and concerns:


But I'm wondering if such a merger wont mean that the sites under Pistol Media will suffer. The bigger a company gets the less it has to offer in terms of originality. The sites under Pistol Media are very niche orientated and it wont take much to mess them up.

Bjorn Gunzblazing isn't changing its structure as part of the merger. We're a niche player in the AEBN stable and that's exactly what we will continue to be. The objective of the merger is to increase the quality of what we do as well as doing more of it.


On another note, does this means we now will be faced by AEBNs somewhat lacking statistics? AEBN offers affiliates very little in terms of any statistics, its impossible to track anything.

Gunzblazing stats and systems will not be changing from the format they are currently in.


A merger is just another word for optimizing your profits

Milivanili I'm not going to dispute that it's about profit optimization however as an affiliate based business it's also all about increasing earnings for our affiliates. This merger means that will be able monetize traffic across multiple distribution platforms. It's going to make life more convenient and more profitable for our affiliates and production partners.


Also if you run mega huge corporation (or adult company in this case) you are less inclined to push for the originality, creativity, different approaches as you also have less to say than you had when you were the boss of your own...plus all the things that Bjorn raised... usually bigger does not mean better.


This could be correct if our people were going away and we were anonymously absorbed into AEBN however this is not happening. Enhancing Gunzblazing as a business is a key focus of the merger. Additionally the team at AEBN have developed some of the most innovative marketing tools in the adult biz and have you not seen www.realtouch.com? It's the most innovative product to hit the adult biz in a very long time. The organization is certainly not lacking in originality, creativity and entrepreneurialism.


{well, and if I'm not mistaken, Gunzblazing only posts when they're promoting something...

Sorry Chip - I'm uncertain of the point you are attempting to make here.


To call the joinder of *any* company in the industry with AEBN a "merger" is probably a misnomer because of the huge differences in the relative size of the companies.

This is entirely incorrect.


I don't know if anyone else sees this, but it's a little scary how big AEBN is getting.

Our objective is to create superior money making opportunities for our affiliates and production partners. It's tremendously exciting.

And regarding Chips other comments - the Adult Industry is massive beast with low barriers to entry, multiple niches and ever changing technical platforms with which to satisfy customer demand. Therefore I cannot ever imagine any organization being able to develop a monopoly or near monopoly position!

AND it's going to be a pleasure continuing to work with and serve Lisa and the fabulous Badpuppy team :)

[Gunzblazing]

Sorry I missed one Bjorn:


Personally, I'm just worried about the rebills I've worked up on Gun Blazing and what will happen to them and to new sales.

Nothing is changing with our affiliate payment calculations or systems at all. The only difference you will see in the next few months are wires, checks and Epassporte payments originating from AEBN rather than Pistol Media. Payments will clearly communicate "Gunzblazing" so you won't get them mixed up with other AEBN payments. These changes will be clearly (and loudly) communicated before they occur.

[Badpuppy Lisa]

Brian, thank you so much for coming in to respond and address everyone's concerns. I do understand where you are coming from and where you are going. I could not be happier for you, Raging Stallion, AEBN and Nakedsword. What a team you will all make and because of the efforts you've been known to make in the past, it only shows the direction you will follow. We are very happy for all of you and look forward to much more together in the future.

[desslock]

I guess congratulations is in order.

But I'm wondering if such a merger wont mean that the sites under Pistol Media will suffer. The bigger a company gets the less it has to offer in terms of originality. The sites under Pistol Media are very niche orientated and it wont take much to mess them up.

On another note, does this means we now will be faced by AEBNs somewhat lacking statistics? AEBN offers affiliates very little in terms of any statistics, its impossible to track anything.

Those are valid concerns, gaydemon.

Let me just take a moment to be the friendly contrarian here. I've done lots of business with all of these parties involved, and know many of these individuals. I'm just going to voice some concerns, many of which don't have answers beyond a long wait and see.

Raging Stallion Studios was one of the very first studios to send me screener DVDs when I began my movie review website. Over the years, I've promoted all of their movies from all of their DVD lines.

Raging Stallion was a studio started by former porn stars, who were able to build a first class company with real canny business skills and with a focused vision as to what the studio wanted to say and be.

Gunzblazing likewise has functioned as an excellent Internet access point for the studio's products, together making the Gunzblazing program certainly one of the most reliable out there.

Now here comes AEBN. These guys make a lot of money - almost as if they are there just printing it with a money machine there in North Carolina. And I've certainly richly benefited from that as an affiliate promoting their VOD.

However, as far as canny business skills, and branding.... AEBN to me has never seen porn as anything much beyond a commodity.
Just as one case in point - look at MovieMonster.com. Other then being an octopus slithering all over the internet, paying top dollar for top keyword Google Adword campaigns, and collecting revenue with its pennies per minute sales model.... it's not a long term branded product.

You guys know that I'm a pretty ardent free marketer when it comes to business... to say the least... so I can't complain about AEBN developing into a monopoly. However, I would observe that AEBN could be developing into an enterprise like Cerberus Capital Management, which would make it essentially a privately held investment company with lots of cash on hand that buys distressed companies, collecting them into an overall investment portfolio.

If we look at it that way then it raises some interesting questions. If AEBN is now that infamous multi-headed dog from mythology, then will it completely emphasize the business just in terms of a financial spreadsheet? How will this effect the risk taking for product development by Raging Stallion, and these other affiliated businesses?

I saw Naked Sword transform when it earlier merged with AEBN. GayDemon is correct to voice worry about that dreadful statistics reporting which NakedSword became a part of after its ultimate assimilation.

Raging Stallion certainly stood out because of its level of innovative risk taking, and I guess how that will be ultimately effected is one of my chief concerns.

Steve whistle

[gaybucks_chip]

However, I would observe that AEBN could be developing into an enterprise like Cerberus Capital Management, which would make it essentially a privately held investment company with lots of cash on hand that buys distressed companies, collecting them into an overall investment portfolio.

That's exactly the sort of thing I'm worried about as well.



I saw Naked Sword transform when it earlier merged with AEBN. GayDemon is correct to voice worry about that dreadful statistics reporting which NakedSword became a part of after its ultimate assimilation.

And you remember at the time of the merger, people asked if NS would stay "safe-only" and their own FAQ said it definitely would... well, we see what happened to that. I think Tim and NS's opinion on it was pretty clear, and obviously AEBN didn't share that opinion. Regardless of one's opinion on bareback, the bigger issue is whether there's any autonomy.

I have heard not-good things about the way AEBN interprets agreements and contracts (always in their favor, regardless of what the language says.) However, we've never had any issue with AEBN, and frankly, I've always found them to be responsive and pretty easy to work with. But I'd have the same concerns with ANY gigantic company in a strong position.

As I said earlier, I don't have a problem with companies coming together to better function and grow, but I do worry when a behemoth company that controls so much of the fastest-growing market is also suddenly acquiring content.

This industry is incredibly resilient and creative, and I'm sure that if too much power starts collecting into one company, the most entrepreneurial companies will find a way to carve out niches and keep the cash flowing... the main point I'm making is, everyone should be keeping a very close eye on this and any other situations where a gigantic company is suddenly buying up other companies.

[gaydemon]

Thanks for all the answers, its nice to see you take the time to try and make it more clear.

I do hope you are right, Gunz Blazing and its products have always in my view been great and would be a shame to see it get lost.

I don't have anything against AEBN, the guys there have always been very friendly and helpful and I do sell the VOD site.

My issue - which still remains - is how big AEBN is getting. Dess's very good post puts it far better than I ever could. But we all know that the bigger a company gets the worse it is for competition and quality always suffer. We all seen that so many times before. I just hope GunzBlazing can remain individual and survive the merger with its identity intact.


Let me attempt to answer some of your questions and concerns:
Bjorn Gunzblazing isn't changing its structure as part of the merger. We're a niche player in the AEBN stable and that's exactly what we will continue to be. The objective of the merger is to increase the quality of what we do as well as doing more of it....

[LavenderLounge]

A hundred years ago, there were dozens of American car companies. The last Depression forced many to merge into the giant corporations we now know, or get out of the business all together. Any day now, you'll see an announcement that one or more US car company will merge with each other, merge with a foreign car company, or merge with some company in another business. Or they'll just disappear.

I think a lot of us are feeling like the Studebaker of porn.

A better analogy is TV networks. Three networks were fine until a new technology opened up cable and satellite TV. New cable networks sprung up initially, but eventually they all got bought up by the big networks. Bravo sucked till NBC bought it.

There's still room for mavericks like Ted Turner to build up a cable powerhouse separate from The Big Three. The playing field is still big enough in porn that you can be modestly successful without going corporate. (The key word is "modestly".)

I questioned why entrepreneurs like the owners of Raging Stallion would trade autonomy for being corporate employees. For me, it's an ego thing to be independent. As soon as you incorporate your own company, by definition, you no longer ARE the company. You are an employee of a corporation. (That's the rationale for protecting your personal assets from lawsuits.)

I'm sure the owners of RS and GB got a chunk of money up front from the merger that goes in their own pocket. That's hard to pass up, so it makes it easier to switch from "owner" to "employee".

Would you turn down a big chink of money to do the same job for someone else?

[Gunzblazing]

However, I would observe that AEBN could be developing into an enterprise like Cerberus Capital Management, which would make it essentially a privately held investment company with lots of cash on hand that buys distressed companies, collecting them into an overall investment portfolio.

Steve - this is far from the case with Raging Stallion and Gunzblazing. We've worked hard, expanded aggressively and ALWAYS remained profitable. Even at this point in the current economy. To the point where we have been able to continue to re-invest and expand constantly.

There are some competencies that we were lacking in - VOD, mobile, IPTV etc. Alternative distribution platforms to our DVD, Feed/Plug-In and Paysite platforms. This is something that we did not want to invest into, own or specifically produce content for WITHOUT owning.

As a result of this merger we will (soon) now be able to offer turn-key, multiplatform opportunities to our partners. We merged to accelerate our growth and the opportunities that growth presents to our partners.

There are very, very positive reasons to merge - and positive results from merging. For all stakeholders involved.