Atlanta’s Magic City cam site crashed immediately at launch due to demand

Atlanta’s Magic City strip club is undoubtedly one of the most important places in the world for exotic dancing, rising hip-hop artists, and the sanctity of wings. Needless to say, when it shuttered its doors to enforce social distancing (the kitchen is still open for takeout, Atlantans), there was a void left in the cultural landscape.

Making good on a longstanding idea, Magic City launched a website yesterday with the first virtual Magic City Monday. Within one minute, the site folded due to demand. Magic City is in the process of an update that can handle the volume of traffic and expects to relaunch on Friday.

Bringing the magic to your quarantine — Last week, an assistant at Magic City suggested selling $20 daily subscriptions for Close Friends access on Instagram. Within a day, Instagram asked them to stop because Instagram really doesn’t want to be OnlyFans and generally disdains all forms of sex work. The idea for a live site had been tossed around for a couple of years, but the current climate set the gears in motion.

Once up and running, the main page will feature a directory of dancers clients can scroll through. When you click on one, you’re prompted to signup for monthly access for $20 or an annual subscription for $80. These rates grant access to several photos and possibly a video from the dancer.

From here, clients can request a one-way webcam session where each woman sets her own rate and receives all of the proceeds. Though nudity is part of the Magic City experience, none of the dancers are required to be naked on the internet, but it’s also not prohibited.

“When we went live last night, it crashed in one minute because 10,000 people tried to make payments all at one time,” said Katrina Smith-Fuqua, Magic City’s brand manager. “The demand was unreal, I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

Both the dancers and the clients were ready to go on Monday night, but they’ll now have to wait until Friday to try again. Other Atlanta strip clubs have closed down to protect dancers and patrons alike, but Magic City is the only one to offer a virtual alternative. In times of crisis, sex workers and their income are often disproportionately affected as well as dismissed. Magic City, however, is making sure its dancers are taken care of during this pandemic and long after its over.