Business Services Industry

PAY TO PLAY: WEB SITES THAT CHARGE A FEE ARE GROWING MORE COMMON, BUT SO FAR ONLY A FEW SPECIALIZED SERVICES HAVE SIGNED UP MANY SUBSCRIBERS.

Crain's New York Business, November, 1998 by Kamen, Robin

On the Internet, financial news has a lot in common with sex: People are willing to pay for it. Challenging the conventional wisdom that only porn sites can survive on paid subscriptions, a growing number of content providers are trying to sell their wares on the Web. While business news and personal finance sites are making the most headway, cyberspace is filling up with pay services, whose offerings include in-depth information about sports and politics and at least one rock 'n' roll star.

But their attempts to supplement advertising revenue could easily fall flat. Few subscription services of any kind are making it on the Web, because it is very difficult to bring paying customers to a medium that celebrates the free circulation of information. "A lot...

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