Publishers closer to 'iTunes for magazines'
updated 10:20 am EST, Tue November 24, 2009
Publishers' online mag store due in weeks
A coalition of magazine publishers is getting close to producing a digital storefront of its own that would produce a centralized portal for their titles, a leak hinted late Tuesday. Anonymous sources for the New York Observer claim Condé Nast, Hearst and Time are within weeks of a deal for a store that would offer both digital versions of their publications as well as physical copies. Time executive VP John Squires would leave his company to head up the new venture and is believed to be the originator.
The shop wouldn't strictly sell e-book versions and would optimize the largely unknown format for multiple platforms, including iPhones and other mobile devices. One contact likens it to iTunes, where multiple publishers come together into one single point of contact that makes more money for each of the outlets than they would with separate portals.
Taking action would at once help protect magazines against declines sparked by the web as well as prevent segmentation in the market created by the use of proprietary standards. Amazon's Kindle was the first e-book reader to fully support a subscription model but also prevents these titles from migrating to platforms that don't have specially-built software.
News of the strategy has appeared just as Wired, one of Condé Nast's key publications, has said it's developing for Apple's tablet in advance without knowing its specs. The format, which may need to be changed if or when the tablet appears, would enhance magazine content with detailed photos and graphs as well as online components. A video demonstrating Wired's tablet is viewable below.
at least somebody is trying to learn
11/24, 10:44am reply
from the awful example of the recording industry.
climacs
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Sep 2001
Newspapers and magazines....
11/24, 11:17am reply
... have been migrating to on-line delivery for a while. When that format becomes better accepted, school textbooks will soon follow and kids won't be lugging 40 pound backpacks - just a 10 ounce eReader or slightly heavier Mac device.
psdenno
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: May 2003
Good and Bad
11/24, 11:21am reply
Good because it will save newspapers. Bad, because one device means Apple has all the control. I hope the boards of newspapers are encouraging comeptition so that Apple doesn't have them by the balls a few years down the road.
dagamer34
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Apr 2007
digital mag's
11/24, 11:24am reply
are great. i get two from exacteditions and one from zinio. i prefer the exacteditions format, easier on a laptop to get around though zinio has more mag's.
i can see this as being a game changer if done right.
nat
Junior Member
Joined: Mar 2002
Magazines on Phones
11/24, 12:16pm reply
It's great that the concept of magazines on phones is being accepted and using apps and appstores to deliver then is a great way of packages the content and charging for it. Others have tried to; eyemags.com is one where anyone can create, publish and download to any phone (inclusing the iPhone) their own simple magazines. I know they are working on a professional options at the moment too so I think we'll see some of the professional publishers using this option too.
robin.jewsbury
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Joined: Nov 2009
Next step
11/24, 03:37pm reply
I think the next step is going to have to be to further mimic the iTunes model by letting people purchase particular articles or content rather than whole magazines or papers.
ADeweyan
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Mar 2004
Re: Next Step
11/24, 05:04pm reply
Nope, because the 'newstand price' of a magazine only goes part way to covering costs. The rest is made up from advertising. And if you just buy articles, there ain't no advertising, and you're just going to end up with the same c*** you get from bloggers.
testudo
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Joined: Aug 2001
Conde Who?
11/24, 08:18pm reply
Conde and its nasties are moving toward the last phase of their life. Would buy product from a body on life support?
michaele
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Apr 2007
Atleast
11/26, 01:47am reply
Someone is learning
thewebdrives
Administrator
Joined: Jun 2007