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New Media News Every Morning

Magazines Going Subscription Only

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It’s been a long time since I visited my local Chapters bookstore. Chapters is the Canadian equivalent of large bookstore chains like Barnes and Noble. It seems that every time I go there, about every 3-6 months, there are fewer books in the sections I care about and more and candles, knick knacks and chocolate bars for sale. There are less staff. And it’s very likely that the Internet is having an impact on not just newspapers and magazines but on bookstores as well.

When I was there yesterday, at least 10 magazines that used to be displayed prominently on the racks for many years in that very store are now nowhere to be seen. I asked the cashier about two particular magazines, and after checking her printout, she said that they didn’t carry them. I asked about that, pointing out that they used to. Her answer was, “many magazines are going subscription only.”

I actually find this a surprising turn of events. As a former print publisher of a tiny fringe rag, I know how hard it is to make a magazine work. Subscription revenues have never paid the bills – only the ads have, if then. But if a magazine goes subs only, that reduces readership. Which means fewer advertisers and eventually bankruptcy. Unless, of course, a magazine has a successful online presence and the print edition becomes a loss leader.

The two magazines I was looking for are both British and have to do with digital music composition and creation. I was looking for them to revive my own composing bent, to add background music for my new tutorial series at Tubetorial. For years, these two magazines have each included a free CD with their monthly glossy pages. The CD contains audio samples, and demo and free audio software. Sometimes they have short videos as well. In their case, what better medium to switch to than the Internet? It’s ideal for the content that they are really trying to give their readers – and probably cheaper besides. With magazines such as this, print just cannot compete with the Internet.

Originally posted on April 17, 2007 @ 11:47 am

IAC launches online initiative for Black Community

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IAC announced that it will launch an online destination for the Black community featuring topical content, relevant services and a platform for community interaction. Johnny C. Taylor, Jr. has been appointed CEO of the initiative, which is scheduled to launch in January 2008 and will be based in Charlotte, NC. The yet-to-be-named site aims to bring the best the Web has to offer to the U.S. Black population, specifically catering to the community’s distinct needs and interests. It will be part of IAC Programming, created in 2006 to grow branded online content properties that engage passionate communities.

“There exists enormous opportunity in today’s online landscape to provide Blacks with an experience that engages their unique communities through a collective voice,” said Mr. Taylor. “There are 40 million African Americans in the U.S., and we estimate an additional 20 million Blacks from Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. IAC is poised to provide exceptional content and services for this growing and underserved population.”

Originally posted on April 18, 2007 @ 10:45 pm

Lonelygirl15 presents… KateModern

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lonelygirl15_bree.jpgThe creators of Lonelygirl15 and social network Bebo.com have teamed up for the launch of “Lonelygirl15 presents… KateModern,” the first spin-off from the world’s most popular interactive drama.

KateModern will expand from the original storyline to that of a teenage university student in London and her struggle to balance her complex social life with the dark forces that shadow her. Containing all of the best loved elements of Lonelygirl15, the new Internet drama will leverage the high involvement of its fan base, enabling them to post messages for the show’s characters, exchange plot ideas with each other and upload their own videos to the characters’ profile pages. “Lonelygirl15 presents… KateModern” will premiere in July 2007, airing multiple episodes per week exclusively on Bebo.

“Social networks are becoming the medium of choice for more and more young people. 16-24 year-olds are spending less time on TV and are gravitating to new forms of innovative programming like Lonelygirl15. By bringing together the most interactive online shows with the most engaging social network, we are creating a radically new way for programmers, brands and advertisers to build long-term relationships with the audience,” said Joanna Shields, President – International for Bebo.

Lonelygirl15 has been viewed over 50 million times while Bebo has over 31 million users worldwide.

Originally posted on April 16, 2007 @ 11:15 am

Vale Internet Radio

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Mark May 15 in your diary. It’s the day Internet Radio in the United States will cease to be.

In an outrageous move, the US Copyright Royalty Board has refused to consider complaints from industry representatives against it’s earlier decision to implement the RIAA supported new royalty structure for online radio. The new fee structure, that will commence May 15, sees internet radio stations having to pay a per song, per listener rating that worse still in being implemented retrospectively back to the beginning on 2006.Currently internet radio stations pay a portion of profit for each station paid in royalties. On top of this, there will also be a minimum fee of $500 per channel per year.

The move won’t drive all internet radio stations offline, after all, not all internet radio stations are located in the United States, but it is going to see a pile of US based stations either shut up shop, or move to other countries, with a fair bit of talk about the place of a number of operators looking at moving to Canada.

Sites such as Pandora are urging users to write to their Congressman, if you’re in the US I’d encourage you to do so.

Originally posted on April 17, 2007 @ 4:05 am

New Media Wire – Tues Apr 17, 2007

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Learn Animation, Be A Better Print Cartoonist?
Walt Handelsman of Newsday yesterday won a Pulitizer – his second – for editorial cartooning. To this he attributes his hundreds of hours of effort working on self-taught political animation, which he says helped him get the Pulitzer.

Tom Delay Blogs?
Does anyone care? America Blog says that this “leader of the Republican far-right” blogs at Townhall, a conservative website (no link given). This is the indicted former Republican House leader who recently called some female college basketball players “nappy-headed hos”. Sheesh. I guess they’ll let anyone blog. Maybe Delay can team up with Republican/ ultra-conservative cheerleader Ann Coulter and they can create their own audio hatecasts. Don Imus can be the comedic relief.

Jalipo: Pay-Per-View-Tube
Got video content of professional quality that you’d like to sell views to? Want to see professional content and you’re willing to pay for it? Jalipo [via Download Squad] might be for you.

The interface seems slick, and the content includes professionally produced videos. There’s also high-profile TV content from BBC World, Bloomberg Television, and others from various countries. While some content is free to watch, others require varying numbers of Jalipo credits, which are paid for by the minute. The more credits you shell out, the more of the content you get to watch. In other words, a sort of pay-per-view-tube. You can sign up free, and you’ll get 100 free Jalipo credits.

Originally posted on April 17, 2007 @ 10:49 am