I gotta admit, I love me some magazines. Lots of ’em. And I really dig this idea:
Magazine buying may get an Internet-era makeover in September when Time Inc. launches Maghound, a service that promises to blend the convenience of subscriptions with the flexibility of newsstand sales.
Customers will pay a monthly fee for home delivery of the publications they want. But unlike with subscriptions, which typically run for fixed terms, users can go online and swap one title for another whenever they want.
Users will pay about $5 a month for three magazines, $8 for five, $10 for seven and $1 for each additional. About 10% of titles, including some weeklies, will cost more.
I’m not sure it saves money in the long run considering that many magazine subscriptions are pretty cheap, but still, this could juice up the magazine biz.
A broad range of titles will likely be available. Would you sign up for this?
About Dan Goldgeier
