Internet service to give magazine subscribers freedom

USA TODAY, July, 2008 by David Lieberman

NEW YORK -- Magazine buying may get an Internet-era makeover in September when Time Inc. launches Maghound, a service that promises to blend the convenience of subscriptions with the flexibility of newsstand sales.

Customers will pay a monthly fee for home delivery of the publications they want. But unlike with subscriptions, which typically run for fixed terms, users can go online and swap one title for another whenever they want.

"The magazine industry is a little challenged now" in circulation and ad sales, says Maghound Enterprises President Dave Ventresca. "It needs some innovation. And this is our best swing at it."

He will begin with 300 consumer magazines. They'll include Time's most popular titles, including People, Sports Illustrated and Fortune. Although he won't name others, he expects to have deals with Hearst, Hachette, Rodale, Conde Nast, Meredith, Source Interlink, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Reader's Digest Association and Wenner Media. ...