The apparently slow demise of print publications and the downward trend of online advertising revenue is making more publishers and content providers think seriously about introducing so-called ‘paywalls’ – where original content and information is available only to paying readers.
Picture credit: Aubrey Arenas
I have been watching this for some time now and wonder if this really is the way to go, or is it just a publisher’s pipedream?
Of course the paywall is not a new phenomenon, from the early days of the popular wave of web adoption, content providers have often sought [paid-for] subscription services.
But the vast majority of publishers succombed, sooner or later, to the free model.
future for valuable content – free, premium or freemium?
A smaller number have adopted the so-called ‘freemium’ model, whereby a certain amount of free information is displayed outside the paywall and the premium content is available, at a price, to subscribers – either on regular subscription or for a once-only payment.
Whether the future publishing business model is premium or freemium, the fundamental question remains: will people really pay for online content, in a world where free information has become the norm?
Irrespective of our chosen walk of life, most of us do need to make a living so I can understand the publishers’ dilemma: how to stay in business with falling advertising revenues and unsustainable (for the time being at least) print media?
gone to the great pulping grounds in the sky
For some long-established publications, the end has already arrived – for example the magazine Personal Computer World (established 1978) has recently gone to the great pulping grounds in the sky. Many moons ago, I bought this (and others) each month. Not a big deal for the publishers – their real revenue always came from advertising, not the purchasers.
I am part of the problem
But over the past five years I have almost completely stopped buying any magazines at all, the exception is Private Eye which I still buy because I want to support their work – and I enjoy the cartoons. So my own habits are part of the downfall for traditional publishing.
market forces
Nevertheless it is plain that the old print paradigm is evolving, a painful process for many – but a necessary process for all. The status quo ante is no longer an option, the worldwide web is a reality. And the semantic web is not that far away so publishers and content providers need to take a long-hard look at their future business models and decide how they are going to survive.
I believe that the market for information will resolve the issue for many players, the survivors will be those who are perceptive [and agile enough] to change. And still make a living in the process. But we are at the crossroads now.
at the turning point
To help me understand the prevailing winds, as an online publisher I have three questions to ask you as an information consumer:
- Do you already pay for online magazine content?
- If not, what would persuade you to pay for online magazine content?
- What’s a fair price for a subscription?
Please note that these are genuine questions, not a disguised marketing ploy – I don’t think anyone would ever pay for reading this blog 
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