Magzter is a new digital magazine newsstand. For A$9.99 a month you have unlimited access to digital editions of more than 2,500 magazine titles, their back issues, notifications of new content and access on all devices.
You can sign up for a year for A$99.99 and it only costs A$8.33 a month. There is a lite version costing A$4.99 a month for access to five issues.
It really does sound like the Netflix of magazines. Check out this from a recent article in the US PCMag:
For $9.99 per month, mobile, tablet, and Web users get unlimited access to a library of 2,500 digital periodicals. Gold Lite also offers unlimited access to any five available titles for $4.99 per month.
The this from Girish Ramdas, Magzter CEO:
“The ‘all-you-can-eat’ model is an increasingly popular format for all media, from movies to music, and magazine publishers can’t ignore the demand,” said company president Vijay Radhakrishnan. “With our user base, technology and content, we expect even more to join our newsstand in the coming weeks.”
Bloomberg wrote about Magzter in January offering a more tempered view.
Magazine publishers have said that digital editions will not cannibalise print. I tended to agree with them. Today, I am not so sure, especially in the special interest area. Sites like Magzter annoy me access to a vast library for A$9.99 a month. Those with a love of special interest topics but who do not want or need stacks of magazines at home will be drawn to the Magzter type of service.
I have spent the $9.99 to try Magzter out for a month. My initial reaction is wow! I am stunned at the number of titles covering topics I am interested in which I had not heard of. For example, Retailer – an indian magazine about retail and consumers. It offers a fascinating insight into retail from which I can learn.
There is a mix of Australian publishers with product on Magzter but some equally interesting omissions. It is a relatively new service – it is too early to assess long term potential impact for our Australian titles.
If I was a magazine publishers I’d want to be in this space. My justification is that it would be incremental to more print subscription and over the counter single copy sales. I’d also want to be in this space in case it becomes the new normal. That is a possibility. You only have to look at how we consume filmed entertainment now.
Where are newsagents in this world? The smart ones have diversified, attracting shopper traffic through new product categories, enhanced services and locally engaged marketing. This is what I am doing.
If I was a magazine owner I would not be wanting to join Magzter, the pay would be crap, it’s just another way of reducing artistic and trade mark wealth to nothing.