Daily Variety: We're Putting In A Paywall So We Don't Have To Write About Gossip
from the pay-us-so-we-can-hire-a-proofreader dept
Andy Marx writes in to share a letter Daily Variety magazine sent to its subscribers, letting them know that it will soon be putting up a paywall, or as it prefers to call it, a "velvet rope".The reason for the switch is simple: There has been a boom in showbiz coverage, but much of it is hearsay and spin, making it hard for readers to separate rumors from truth. A lot of the "reporting" has become more sensational as many of our online peers have been lured by the notion of bringing in more consumer eyeballs (and, they hope, more ad money). At Variety, we are apologetically focused on people in the industry. Think of the paywall as a velvet rope, allowing you access to stories that have been confirmed by impartial sources and stories that will better inform you about the world you're working in. Denied access behind the rope are items based on gossip, half-truths and anonymous rants.So it would appear that publications face a choice: put up paywalls, or write about "gossip, half-truths and anonymous rants". It's really not clear what one has to do with the other; after all, Variety can write about whatever it wants, how it tries to charge for it is a completely separate matter. What's really amusing though, is that Variety is basically trying to dress up its paywall as some guarantee of quality for readers. In essence, it's saying "since we are charging for this, you know it must be good." But when its full letter to subscribers contains seven typos, it looks like Variety is more interested in having the appearance of quality and authority than actually having quality content.
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Filed Under: paywall
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Some people will pay for that and if they follow through it might be worth it to pay. What would be nice is if they debunked rumors and half truths too, that would be worth it I think.
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I can see that poor old Big Mike is having QC issues.
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connects and reasons
Connecting by trying to establish a link that that audience and publication are both tired of the rumour mill and then offering a better cleaner experience for a few $£€?
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I have doubts, given that their press release reads like a load of B.S., but at least they're trying something different than the usual paywall excuses.
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The people on Long Island have alot of money, and News Day only had 35 pay subscribers.
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Sleazy tabloids
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Decline in journalism
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Even if they did have visible standards of corroboration, they're still pushing ho-hos to diabetics.
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http://www.deadline.com/hollywood/
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Uh...fail
Then you really dont understand cwf+rtb or the principle behind it. a paywall is NOT A REASON TO BUY. There is no "reason" in that for the person paying for it. Its just a misguided attempt at a money-grab and control. This is NOT a rtb.
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Re: Uh...fail
...if the audience believes it.
Doesn't matter if it's true or not.
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Glass houses?
Because any typos/omissions/grammatical mistakes are an obvious sign of a lack of quality, right Mike?
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Re: Glass houses?
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You don't think so?
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Actually...
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Fox News!!!!
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Don't Agree With Mike Entirely
I would argue that that might be enough. What they are trying to do is just manage perception in the marketplace. If they can get their audience to believe that the velvet rope section is higher quality content - THAT CAN'T BE FOUND thus written arranged and edited in other rags, then that is a Reason to Buy.
And by also offering the open section, they still capture the eyeballs and readership that unlocked content attracts.
And it doesn't even matter if it's true or not, so long as they create the perception of quality, some people will pay to get in. Just like Monster cable can charge more for the same copper.
Mike's arguments against paywalls usually rely on the fact that the content can be found for free, elsewhere - and everyone knows it. Well, what if they create the perception that it cannot?
I'm not saying they will succeed, but Monster cable sure has. As have most other luxury brands that sell occasionally better goods at vastly inflated prices.
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