Audio erotica gets the Hollywood effect as the sex-tech revolution heats up

It was only a matter of time before audiobooks got the Hollywood treatment, but not everyone anticipated its erotic edge. While Audible explores the viability of AI narrators, applications like Quinn are leveraging the currency of celebrity crushes.

If the reaction to Harris Dickinson’s casting in the new Pride and Prejudice audiobook was any indication, heartthrobs have strong marketability even in the audiobook world. Particularly those who have achieved gold-star crush status.

Quinn is meeting the appetites of unapologetically ravenous audiobook consumers by producing audio erotica. The company has built a roster of celebrity narrators the likes of Andrew Scott and Jesse Williams, drawing dedicated fanbases to the app with spicy marketing and strategic casting choices.

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Beyond simply featuring the voices of attractive male celebrities, Quinn is leveraging those who have played iconic, swoon-worthy character by casting them in similar narration roles. Christopher Briney, for instance, was cast in a Quinn production very akin to his iconic role in The Summer I Turned Pretty - a ‘summer by the ocean’ tale with a love triangle featuring two brothers.

What is Quinn?

Quinn is a mobile app and website where paying subscribers can listen to audio erotica. Branded “the app for spicy audios,” the company produces immersive, erotic audio content “designed to help you get there”.

The app hosts a variety of audio content, with a diverse selection of topics and voices for users to choose from. Categories can range from ‘Australian accent’ and ‘confession’ to more explicit preferences like ‘choking’ ‘whimpering’ and ‘BDSM’.

The voice actors on the app are called ‘creators’ and can develop impressive followings, with top creators raking in millions of plays.

Which celebrities are featured on Quinn?

There’s no denying Quinn is investing heavily in male celebs to drive its market appeal at the moment. Andrew Scott (Fleabag, Sherlock), Christopher Briney (The Summer I Turned Pretty), Jesse Williams (Grey’s Anatomy) and most recently, Tom Blyth (Billy the Kid, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes) have all narrated for the company and featured in social media shorts for the app as well.

Why is Quinn trending now?

Quinn’s popularity has skyrocketed since its launch in 2019. The app has over 500,000 downloads in the Google Play store and has garnered over 44 million likes on TikTok alone.

The company’s high-production social media content centres heavily on its A-list narrators and is designed to appeal directly to their hungry fanbases. Social media users have been revelling in the opportunity to hear their celebrity crushes read such steam scenes.

“ROMANTASY AND ANDREW SCOTT?? I’m not going to be okay after this…” one TikTok user wrote about Scott's narration of the Quinn Original Series, The Queen’s Guard. “More. More please. More of his voice. We NEED it,” wrote another.

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What does the popularity of Quinn mean?

While Quinn clearly meets the celebrity heartthrob fixation of many, audio erotica in general is having a moment. Sarah Maxwell, founder of Saucy Books, says audio engages the imagination in a way visual media can't and “blurs the line” between fiction and fantasy.

“The actor may be reading a character, but the listener’s brain is saying: ‘They’re speaking directly to me.' and that can be extremely satisfying,” says Sarah. She also says the audio erotica boom is indicative of a hunger for intimacy and imagination.

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“It’s not about explicitness so much as it is about being seen, heard, and desired in a safe space. This follows the same desires that reading romance fulfills.”

Sex and technology as well as the sex-tech revolution is well-documented already in the health and beauty space. Sarah predicts we’ll see more interactive experiences as the two verticals continue to overlap.

How do age restrictions factor into audio erotica?

Quinn is rated PEGI 16 on the Google Play store, applied to apps that depict violence or sexual activity at a level that would be expected in real life. That includes everything from bad language to use of illegal substances.

While Quinn is marketed to adults and the paid subscription may be a hindrance to teens, just like with physical erotica, it will be difficult to keep teens at bay when the app features some of their favourite celebrity crushes.

While Sarah acknowledges there is a risk that tech could flatten expectations of sex into scripted perfection for young people, she also says it presents an opportunity. “Tech can normalise talking about desire, consent, and boundaries in ways previous generations didn’t have access to before.”

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