#47 — How small businesses can regain power via the internet
It feels like we say this every week… but it’s been a pretty exciting week in the publishing news. From big shifts in podcasting subscriptions the launch of Luminary, to more hot takes about how to utilise data to improve journalism, and a new paywall idea for Patron-funded subscriptions.
Hope you enjoy this weeks curation. Don’t forget, you can always revisit previous issues at here ✨
💯 Top picks
How small businesses can regain power via the internet
“If the last wave of the internet empowered big businesses over small ones, it is possible that the next wave of the internet could easily end up doing the opposite—flipping the relative balance of power back toward small proprietors.” 💪
💸 Business models
The Ken introduce a radical new paywall: Patron-funded pay-it-forward subscriptions
Indian business news publisher The Ken shared a passionate article about their latest paywall innovation, that allows business leaders, investors and companies to directly fund annual subscriptions in bulk for readers who may not yet be able to afford them.
Family-friendly Disney and the future of strategy on the internet [Podcast]
Ben Thompson and James Allworth discuss Disney’s recent announcements to release a streaming subscription service, and what this means for TV, the internet and strategy. Have a listen on Exponent.fm!
✍️ Modern journalism
Lifting journalism by knowing what readers are looking for
Claudio E. Cabrera shares the finer details of his role as a search engine optimisation specialist for the New York Times, including how they keep on top of search trends.
Why newsroom metrics should have an expiration date
A view on how journalists and publishers should be using metrics and what some of the pitfalls are, with an overarching option: We should be measuring changes in outcomes, rather than changes in process.
Months from launch, The Markup abruptly fired cofounder Julia Angwin, setting off an editorial exodus
“The majority of the site’s editorial staff resigned this morning, and the future of a much-anticipated watchdog for technology companies is very much in doubt.”
The media are complacent while the world burns
“Every single time we’ve covered [climate change] it’s been a palpable ratings killer. So the incentives are not great”
Columbia Journalism Review cut straight to the core of a worrying issue - why is the bulk of news media is completely ignoring climate change?
LinkedIn are producing original journalism!
LinkedIn editor-at-large Jessi Hempel shares why the Microsoft-owned business networking platform has a team of 50 editors. Hempel has been in journalism for 17 years (including working with Businessweek, Fortune, and Wired) and is now bringing her expertise to LinkedIn.
Local news is dying, but nonprofit reporters might just save it
“Some 200 nonprofit websites are hustling to keep state and city governments honest. Many are succeeding.”
👩💻 Technology
$100 million startup Luminary has a difficult launch
The anticipated subscription podcast startup Luminary launched on April 23rd without several popular shows that Spotify are withholding – dubbed as “the first shot fired in the inevitable premium podcast war”.
But it doesn’t stop there. Even more drama has unfolded since launch day, with high-profile podcasts asking to be removed, and allegations being made about redistributing content without permission and editing show notes!
Just a normal news week for a VC funded company ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
What the EU’s copyright overhaul means — and what might change for big tech
“The reform seeks to ensure publishers and other copyright holders are paid their fair share when their work appears online. But critics fear it could have broader implications.”
🤷 WTF?
How publishers are using TikTok, the latest hot app
As the new shortform video app TikTok gathers momentum, publishers are looking for ways to utilise it to reach young audiences.
