Ed loves his magazines. (Recycling day usually sees Ed begging to keep ‘just one more’ back issue on the communal coffee table, and those gorgeous magazine racks at Barnes and Noble can induce euphoria.) But actual subscriptions? Ed’s allowed 5. After that, the mailbox starts to clog up, the piles overflow, and general chaos ensues. So Ed makes his picks and sucks it up. If one doesn’t work out, there’s always next year.
Then Time Inc. introduced Maghound (it officially debuts in September). Pay a flat fee each month, and pick the magazines you want. $3.95 gets you 3 titles a month, not including ‘premium’ titles. Ed’s thinking Backpacking in the summer, Ski in the winter, maybe checking out those smaller mags that catch his eye at the store. But there are some magazines he needs every month (or, ahem, every week). So maybe he’ll try a combo—subscribe regularly to some, and mix it up with 3 Maghound choices.
What do you think? Good for magazine lovers? Good for the magazine business? Good for the coffee table overload?
-Ed
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3 comments:
That is absolutely amazing. I'd subscribe in a heartbeat. I'm a mag fiend and I always feel bad about how much I spend.
Hmmm, why is everything the new Netflix? LOL. I wouldn't subscribe, but only bc I like to get my mags for free. If I didn't live in NYC this would be a great deal. It'd be even cooler if all the major publishers banded together and offered ALL the big titles for a low monthly fee :)
I'm actually not at all excited about this concept. Part of what keeps readers coming back for more is developing a relationship with writers, developing a bond that comes from having read the same writer's work month after month. Kill that relationship and you destroy part of the loyalty of readers.
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