

Startups Attempting to Reinvent the Magazine Industry - erin_bury
http://betakit.com/2012/04/14/startups-attempting-to-reinvent-the-magazine-industry

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pikewood
Ever since pg put magazines out as a fund-worthy idea, I've kept an ear open
to see if anything innovative had been started, because it sounded like an
interesting challenge. But these ideas are a bit obvious and sound like
they've taken the TV playbook and tried to apply it to magazines: Add a cable
tv subscription model! Add an interactive tv model with a chat box and games!
Put TV on a different device!

So, here's an idea I'll throw out there: Someone create a magazine where the
content is controlled by the subscriber base. Basically, take the idea of a
sprint planning meeting into consumable media. Or, call it micro-commission
media.

This would probably be easiest to start with a review type magazine, like a
Consumer Reports. I often notice that the reviewed products aren't the ones
I'm interested in learning about. Instead, upfront, you can let each
subscriber allocate a set of points to review product X. Get enough points,
and the product is reviewed. If you get manufacturers buying up a bunch of
points to ensure their product is reviewed, so what--all that means is the
product is bought and reviewed fairly.

It takes away the hope that the article is something that someone will want to
read--the readers have already indicated this by putting their money down on
it. It takes care of a revenue model, and it melds a methodology that many
people are passionate about into a different world.

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rayhano
It's all about the advertising partners...

