Audio porn isn’t new – but at the moment it’s definitely having a moment! Dirty talk and sexy stories have always been hot, but in 2022 they’re more accessible than ever with new platforms popping up to provide for the insatiable desire for audio porn. Audio porn is (as you might have guessed) porn that focuses on the audio not the visual. So, it is porn you listen to rather than watch.

It usually tells a story, though that’s not always the case. Sometimes it’s just sexy sounds or the sound of a really good vibe! While conventional porn usually comes with graphic photos or videos, audio erotica does away with visual stimulation completely. Instead, sultry voices lure users into a sensual aural experience where they’re free to fill in visual gaps with their own fantasies.

But is audio porn putting female pleasure at the forefront, and can you hear the applause?

In the past mainstream erotic content has traditionally been designed with one key consumer in mind, men. And, although women obviously enjoy pornography too, stats suggest they do so at a far lower rate. You could assume this means women are generally less sexual than men. But you – would – be – wrong! Studies have shown that enjoyment of porn has no link to biological sex.

So anyone can enjoy audio porn but it is especially popular among women for its focus on foreplay and female sexuality. Listening to exciting or evocative sounds become the perfect tool to stimulate female sexuality, which in most cases is much more mental than physical. In female masturbation, in fact, it is often the fantasies that allow to reach a higher level of arousal: it is no coincidence that erotic literature has a strong success among the female audience.

Caroline Spiegel, founder of audio erotica website Quinn, told that there are far more female users on the platform than male users. “It could be for a lot of different reasons,” she said, suggesting that audio erotica may be “better aligned with female desire and fantasy.” It hits the spot for many women that conventional types of porn just can’t quite reach.

The audio porn market is heating up, and it’s no coincidence that it’s all made by women with women’s pleasure and safety in mind.

These are the female-founded startups disrupting the audio porn and sexual wellness category.

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Quinn

Caroline Spiegel founded Quinn with cofounder Jaclyn Hanley. Like YouTube, Quinn is populated by user-generated content.  The quality of content can vary wildly, both creatively and technically. Some of the audio clips are made by amateur audio porn enthusiasts; others by people who record erotic audio for a living. Anyone and everyone can upload erotic audio so long as it doesn’t violate the community guidelines. 

Dipsea

Dipsea includes categories for hetero, queer, and group situations, as well as different “heat” levels. The founding team is very intentional about offering personalized options for all tastes and have built their library with psychological safety and exploration at the center of their core values. The attention to detail stands out: Dipsea stories are plagued with Millennial cultural references, like yoga classes turned spicy, trips to Tulum and Uber rides that spark an erotic scenario.

Ferly

Billie Quinlan and Anna Hushlak launched Ferly after speaking with around 400 women about their preferences, fears and concerns around sexual wellness. Most women stated that they lacked the language to assert what they wanted, or had not explored enough on their own due to shame, or had many doubts around their desire being normal. Together they created an app that offers women guided practices combining body and mind, journaling and reflection exercises, contents and affirmation practices. Ferly approaches sexual wellness as a system, instead of isolating the different parts.

The contents in Ferly are curated following this bio-psycho-social model applied to generate behavioral change. The contents are aimed at affirming good behavior, rewiring negative beliefs, etc., using an interdisciplinary approach and work with Tantra experts, therapists, sexologists, and consent educators, among others, to create the best experience.

Emjoy

Andrea Oliver García, Founder and CEO of Emjoy, started her career in the world of venture capital, both in London as well as in Barcelona, where the company is headquartered. The femtech startup believes it has lit on a major opportunity to target women with sex-positive subscription audio content that’s focused on sexual empowerment, intimate education and sensuous entertainment — all wrapped in unapologetically direct digital marketing.

All of the content is proprietary and mostly audio-based, and it includes some animated video for educational purposes, like genital anatomy. The app offers guided practices from experts in psychology, sex therapy, education and mindfulness and covers topics like how to boost one’s libido, getting to know your body, increasing pleasure and improving sexual communication.