I don’t understand some US magazine publishers. At magazines.com there is a SALE running at the moment offering a bunch of magazine titles for $1 per issue or less. Time magazine, for example, is available for $16 for 28 issues, Good Housekeeping has 12 issues for $7.97. These are US only offers for US published titles.
Yes, the US model is different to Australia. But that different that they have to devalue their product this much? I’d want people to buy my title because of the value they see through reading the title rather than some cheap-ass deal.
Crazy.
desperate ! – is the US Postal Service going to be viable in 12 months? UPS would be charging too much to deliver……
Mark,
My understanding of the US is that it’s been that way for a long time so I wouldn’t conclude they undervalue their product.
The factors driving this are:
Advertising is sold on a guaranteed circ which is aligned to the subscription base (as opposed to the variable retail sales)
A much more cost effective postal system A costly retail distribution channel.
Customers expect more for less these days and if the retailers can’t make money out of it, tuff luck. Look at the iTunes store, software applications sell for a couple of dollars. That was unheard of 10 years ago. It is a product of a bigger market and more competition. How many newsagents consider their market to be more than their local community, but all of Australia, or more?