The Long Tail Will Rise If the Media Charge for Online Content

According to Reuters, a Dow Jones & Co. Inc. executive predicted yesterday that more U.S. publishers likely will try to wean readers off free Internet versions of their newspapers by starting to charge online subscription fees. If this happens, then you can be sure that more consumers will gravitate down the Long Tail of Content to blogs for free, unfiltered content. Newspapers who go down this arrogant path may not be able to return to prominence online ever again. New media brands will emerge in their wake as leaders. Just look at how MarketingVOX and AdRants are already eroding the walled gardens of AdAge.com and AdWeek.com

Comments

I think soon it will be impossible for one content provider to try and charge for their own particular content. The internet is allowing people to create their own personalised news 'dump' from a number of services and providers need to wise up fast.

Connected

http://www.connectedinternet.co.uk

[Trevor Cook]

I can't see how its 'arrogant' to charge for the work you do - I hope my clients never get onto that idea. Maybe I'll just refer them to that guy in NYC who works for free. The long tail is just that a tail - it ain't driving the bus its just feeding for free. I think media have to charge users or get more from advertising. Someone has to pay for the work, somehow or there will be no journalism one day soon