One of my favorite magazines, The New Yorker -- the culture weekly that piles up quickly but is still fresh months, even years later -- will be available on digital tablet technology as well as in print, and Editor David Remnick is holding steady on pricing and content, according to an Advertising Age article published online today:
Mr. Remnick also said The New Yorker won't bow to any dictates over its content from Apple, which has been blocking iPad and iPhone apps that it deems too racy. "We're going to publish what we're going to publish," Mr. Remnick said. "If the Pentagon isn't going to talk me out of a story, then Apple in Cupertino isn't going to either. If they throw me off, they throw me off."Mr. Remnick should be uncompromising on content, but he may want to reconsider charging customers of the print edition ($5.99 single copy, $39.95 for one year subscription) for digital access. According to the article, The New Yorker Kindle edition is $2.99 per week, and an iPad application may cost the same as the single copy print edition.
How will reader behavior be shaped by this? If I traveled a lot and wanted the convenience of a digital reader, would I abandon my print subscription altogether? How much do I really value having the paper product in my hand --enough to pay double for the product in two versions?
And will this pricing structure create a sustainable publishing model?
