Subscriptions Are a Function of Reader Utility

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In the quest for stability and growth, media companies large and small have globbed onto subscriptions as their business model of choice. And for good reason: getting the reader to directly pay for the product is one of the most straightforward models on the planet.

But in the quest for subscriptions, publications forgot a cardinal rule—people typically only pay for something that they want or need. And those wants and needs evolve over time.