"Premium" service won't work (was: Question for Clay and others)

[Clay Shirky]

>  > Do not be surprised to see magazines start offering aggregate
>  > subscription models in the next few years, _especially_ TW magazines
>  > offered to AOL subscribers.
> 
> It's one thing to say that payment channels are changing, and another
> to say (as you seemed to be implying with your comments about failing
> new magazines) that it's becoming less viable to offer content for pay.

But RT's original contention was *about* payment channels. He was
specifically asserting that per-site subscriptions created too much
overhead, and I am arguing that that thesis is born out by watching
the changes in the offline content industry.

Its becoming less viable to offer individual subscriptions for pay, in
other words, even for established players.

> In any case, subscription aggregators have been around for a while;
> Publishers' Clearing House, for instance.  (And in other types of
> publishing as well; book of the month clubs are moderately big
> business).

Yes, I know. My contention is that they are growing in popularity and
importance to the industry overall, and that this is similar to the
solution RT is advocating.

-clay