Steve Jobs Doesn?t Want to Kill Publishers, But Apple?s Subscription Strategy Will

Publishers have been struggling for years. Now local newspapers, magazines and even the New York Times, that Grey Lady, are being treated like old ladies by Apple, stealing their pocketbooks while they?re trying to stay on a fixed income. This week, Apple announced what the publishing industry has been clamoring for, subscriptions, in exchange for a whopping 30% cut. Clearly, paid subscriptions are a part of the future of all online media, whether tied to a print version or not. That?s what The Daily is all about and even AOL might one day go down that path (Tim Armstrong admitted as much on CNN). It?s part of the shift to the Subscription Economy that?s happening across not just media, but software, cloud computing, communications, consumer services, entertainment, you name it. This guest post is by Tien Tzuo, founder of Zuora, a subscription billing company. Previously, he was chief strategy officer and employee No. 11 at Salesforce.com.

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