Telegraph Blogs: Apple announces App Store subscription service

Shane Richmond: "To put [Apple's subscriptions policy] into perspective, here’s what a newspaper pays to a newsagent to sell its papers: about 28 per cent. You can argue all you like about whether or not it’s fair that Apple takes a similar cut – and American papers, who traditionally rely a lot more on subscriptions might be more concerned. What does it mean for a service like Spotify, however? They will now have to offer the ability to subscribe within the app at the same price as – or less than – the £9.99 that its subscribers currently pay. Will they raise prices or take the hit themselves?"

Nieman Journalism Lab: What Apple’s new subscription policy means for news: new rules, new incentives, new complaints

"At first glance, this is exactly what a lot of publishers were fearing: Apple setting itself up as a toll-taker on news orgs’ road to a new business model. ... For publishers who had been counting on a new rush of tablet revenue to support a lagging print model, it’s disappointing to learn that, in exchange for the convenience of a “Buy” button in their iPad app, they’ll have to give up 30 percent of the revenue it generates."

WSJ: Apple Courts Publishers to Let It Sell Subscriptions for iPad

"Apple Inc. in recent weeks has accelerated its efforts to persuade publishers to join the company's first foray into selling newspaper and magazine subscriptions for the iPad tablet computer, according to people familiar with the matter. ... The subscription service Apple has discussed wouldn't allow publishers easy access to customer names or other personal information, a major sticking point for many magazine and newspaper executives, according to people familiar with the matter. Publishers also worry about letting Apple take its typical 30% sales cut on the media it sells. "

psmith, journalist: It’s not about selling news, it’s about keeping customers

"Forget worrying about journalism and who’s going to fund your Baghdad bureau for just a minute and ponder this: news does not sell itself. Newspapers like The Times are learning now what digital B2B titles have known for years – that making a paid-for news product work online needs a great deal of specialised marketing, promotion, management and practical know-how."

psmith, journalist: It’s not about selling news, it’s about keeping customers

"Forget worrying about journalism and who’s going to fund your Baghdad bureau for just a minute and ponder this: news does not sell itself. Newspapers like The Times are learning now what digital B2B titles have known for years – that making a paid-for news product work online needs a great deal of specialised marketing, promotion, management and practical know-how."

New York Times: Atlantic Blogger Andrew Sullivan Makes Pitch for Supporting Print

"[Prominent] political blogger Andrew Sullivan used his forum on TheAtlantic.com to tell readers to subscribe to the print edition of the magazine. It worked. Within two days after last Monday’s post, Mr. Sullivan’s appeal pulled in 75 percent of the subscriptions that the Web site draws in a typical month...."