Yesterday, I was chatting with a young Streamate model from Belarus (small country bordering Poland, Ukraine and Russia). We started chatting because I'm fluent in Russian and she was surprised that I wasn't speaking English to her. She and I wound up chatting for over an hour and I happened to have $20 free credits on my member account so I gave it to her as Gold when we were chatting.
She told me that she only gets 17% of everything she makes, but I'm not sure if that means 17% of the 100% guys pay OR 17% of the 35% Streamate pays out...I really really hope it's the former one. She was pretty open with me about the studio, because I was upfront with her about also being a Streamate model and even gave her my name on there. I asked her how she found this job and she said she answered an ad in the newspaper which was looking for girls who have at least a basic knowledge of English. When she showed up, she was told what the job was and being desperate, she took it. In her words - "imagine my shock when they told me what I had to do"
The studio makes them earn at least $600 a week or else they have to pay the studio! She is 19, working to support her mother and also to try and live on her own, but she can't do that yet so she is splitting an apartment with another girl.
I was born in Belarus myself, so I really connected with her and it really felt like chatting with a friend. She was very sweet and genuine with me....like she broke all of the barriers she puts up every time she logs on. She told me this was her first time back on cam in 3 weeks, as she's been really sick, but now she's running out of money and needs to make it back quickly. I didn't believe she was in any sort of physical danger, so I asked her if she knew that she could be doing this independently from a studio. SHE SAID THAT THERE WAS A LAW IN THE COMMONWEALTH OF INDEPENDENT STATES (CIS - OLD SOVIET COUNTRIES) THAT MODELS CANNOT CAM ON THEIR OWN AND HAVE TO GO THROUGH A STUDIO.
Now, I know for a fact that is not true (as I've seen girls in Russia camming on their own) and also I highly doubt that a union of countries would get together to legislate webcam work. While talking to this girl, I was also chatting with Streamate support and asked them if there are any girls from Belarus, Ukraine or Russia that cam on their own, without studios.
SM: There should be, I guess...Why?
Me: A model from Belarus (country where I was born) is saying that there is some law that says that she can't cam on her own. That sounds super suspicious to me and also sounds like something a cam studio would just make up to pay her less. Just wanted to know truth
SM: there's no law about that in Belarus as far as I know. Now if she signed a contract w a studio I don't know
Me: If they lied to her about it, can't she be released from her agreement w/ them?
SM: u r probably right sounds like a trick from the studio. Nothing we can do though, the girl is employed by the studio. we verified that the studio is legit and everything's good nothing about the honesty unfortunately. legally I guess she could. She needs to read her contract and get help to see if it's legal. I never understand how a girl can go w a studio, it's not that we are hard to find right?
Me: In Belarus, they don't even know what Streamate or camming is. Most of them don't have cams. She said she answered a newspaper ad that basically said you can earn money fast, and when she showed up, they told her what it was.
SM: and they don't read their contract?
Me: In Belarus, a lot of the girls are naive and they are desperate for money
SM: and it's true they can make a lot compared to what they make there. but like any job u have to read the contract.
Me: It's a really poor country and they usually have no other way to get by. It's just sad that studios take advantage of them.
SM: if it's an exclusive contract and a non compete or whatever they she can leave but won't be able to work again w us. I know it's sad. Lots of people take advantage of the weakest and I wish I could help them all. I don't like that.
Me: Me neither. I am going back to Belarus in 1 1/2 years to live there for 2 years and I just want to chat w/ the girls that live there now to see what the situation is like. I almost want to start my own service to hook them up w/ cams so they can do it themselves & keep it all
SM: or u can start your own studio and recruit them. u can take a tiny % like 2%-3% what serious studios do usually. don't get me wrong thee's lots of serious studios that real provide help and do paperwork and support...and that deserve %
Me: I would if you guys paid out a bigger percentage, but you know how that goes... I'd rather help them make their own $. I'd have a way to make my own money there, so why can't they, you know?
That's where Streamate stopped responding (struck a nerve?) but they do have a point. Cams here are much cheaper than they are over there. I had an idea of helping the girls over there in some way, which would include bringing a few relatively cheap cams over there and using an apartment I own over there to make a studio with fast internet and I would be literally training them in how to do it. I wouldn't make them sign any super complicated contract, but would be going on good faith because these girls are very nice and very trusting, and I feel like if I put them on a site with a higher payout (like SkinVideo or another site w/ a high payout), they'd be earning a lot more money than they are w/ the studio - FOR LESS WORK.
I'd probably only charge them a maximum of 5% (since, unlike those studio sleazeballs, I'd have a way to make $ camming on my own and won't be milking the models), and they'd get to keep the rest. I wouldn't even want to profit from this service, just cover my costs. I love the country where I was born and want to put these girls in a better financial position.
Just my 2 cents.



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I can't wait to get this started!

You'd be surprised how much people fear Americans over there.

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