It seems like a big price increase. I'm currently paying $1.99/month for a Google Play Newstand subscription. (Even though I use the website; it seemed like the easiest way to give them some money.)
It seems like a big price increase. I'm currently paying $1.99/month for a Google Play Newstand subscription. (Even though I use the website; it seemed like the easiest way to give them some money.)
That is a large price difference for a single publisher. If enough publications follow suit then the content quality from the surviving ones may increase dramatically. My fear is ending up in...
That is a large price difference for a single publisher.
If enough publications follow suit then the content quality from the surviving ones may increase dramatically.
My fear is ending up in "news bundle subscriptions" like cable television. Maybe those types of subscriptions are better suited for publications though.
Blendle is trying to build that. First they were 'iTunes for news' (~10 cents per article, prepaid). Now they're going 'Spotify for news' (flat fee subscription, unlimited access). It's a Dutch...
Blendle is trying to build that. First they were 'iTunes for news' (~10 cents per article, prepaid). Now they're going 'Spotify for news' (flat fee subscription, unlimited access).
It's a Dutch startup. Here they have super coverage of publications. They're expanding to the US. I see a lot of big-name publications on the launch page.
I was hoping their "metered model" would be a pay-as-you-go option rather than just an article limit before you have to buy a subscription. I would love to pay per-article I read on many news...
I was hoping their "metered model" would be a pay-as-you-go option rather than just an article limit before you have to buy a subscription.
I would love to pay per-article I read on many news sites. I feel like having to subscribe to a site locks me in to just a few news sources, which I naturally results in me creating my own echo chamber.
The problem with the pay as you go model (in my mind) is how do you know when to charge someone? When they get 50% through the article? (What if it's a short article or they have a vertical 4k...
The problem with the pay as you go model (in my mind) is how do you know when to charge someone? When they get 50% through the article? (What if it's a short article or they have a vertical 4k monitor and don't have to scroll to view 50% of the article?) If an article is mostly fluff, can I request a refund? Also, if it's a really long article, can they charge more? (That would seem to create an incentive to add tons of fluff.)
Like with books, movies, or physical products: If you want to go beyond the cover/packaging. It's up to the publisher if they want to give you a picture for free, have the pay option be after 500...
how do you know when to charge someone?
Like with books, movies, or physical products: If you want to go beyond the cover/packaging.
It's up to the publisher if they want to give you a picture for free, have the pay option be after 500 characters, show you image captions, the lead or whatever.
The expectation that you can get news for free isn't sustainable. The only way to accomplish that is to have government funding, or a rich donor class. That's not a model all media outlets can adopt.
If we want good journalism, (I feel the fourth estate is important) then journalists need to be paid. We need good journalists and they need competitive pay so they don't end up doing other things instead.
It seems like a big price increase. I'm currently paying $1.99/month for a Google Play Newstand subscription. (Even though I use the website; it seemed like the easiest way to give them some money.)
That is a large price difference for a single publisher.
If enough publications follow suit then the content quality from the surviving ones may increase dramatically.
My fear is ending up in "news bundle subscriptions" like cable television. Maybe those types of subscriptions are better suited for publications though.
I would be happy to see something more like Spotify for news.
Blendle is trying to build that. First they were 'iTunes for news' (~10 cents per article, prepaid). Now they're going 'Spotify for news' (flat fee subscription, unlimited access).
It's a Dutch startup. Here they have super coverage of publications. They're expanding to the US. I see a lot of big-name publications on the launch page.
Isn’t that what Apple News+ is pushing for?
Maybe, but it is only available on Macs or iOS, so it's not very interesting.
Scroll is kinda that I guess. I certainly hope I won't have to pay for both Scroll and The Atlantic to get through the paywall.
I was hoping their "metered model" would be a pay-as-you-go option rather than just an article limit before you have to buy a subscription.
I would love to pay per-article I read on many news sites. I feel like having to subscribe to a site locks me in to just a few news sources, which I naturally results in me creating my own echo chamber.
The problem with the pay as you go model (in my mind) is how do you know when to charge someone? When they get 50% through the article? (What if it's a short article or they have a vertical 4k monitor and don't have to scroll to view 50% of the article?) If an article is mostly fluff, can I request a refund? Also, if it's a really long article, can they charge more? (That would seem to create an incentive to add tons of fluff.)
Like with books, movies, or physical products: If you want to go beyond the cover/packaging.
It's up to the publisher if they want to give you a picture for free, have the pay option be after 500 characters, show you image captions, the lead or whatever.
The expectation that you can get news for free isn't sustainable. The only way to accomplish that is to have government funding, or a rich donor class. That's not a model all media outlets can adopt.
If we want good journalism, (I feel the fourth estate is important) then journalists need to be paid. We need good journalists and they need competitive pay so they don't end up doing other things instead.
I'm a well known Atlantic fanboy so I'm already paying for this, but I don't know if many non-subscribers will join up because of it.