Cohousing-L Mailing List: Subscription Services [was Accessing New York Times article

[Sharon Villines (sharon]

> On Feb 14, 2022, at 12:26 PM, Fred H Olson <fholson [at] cohousing.org> wrote:

> I think there needs to be a system to collect to collect tiny amounts for
> millions or billions of reads of articles which I speculate might add up
> to more than newspapers collect now.  I once tried to estimate the average
> cost of an article to a subscriber.  I think it is pennies per article.
> Lots of people reading lots of articles could add up.

This model is now being used for software for the Mac. I pay $100 a year for 
access to a growing list of 230 apps in all categories. One, Clean My Mac, I 
use regularly but the individual subscription cost this much. So I not only 
saved money by subscribing to Setapp, I eliminated the automatic renewals of 
programs I no longer used, all the individual decisions about do I use this one 
enough to pay for, and paying for apps I forget I have. I can try apps to see 
if they work for me (many don’t) without signing up for a free trial and 
getting stuck with a subscription because I didn’t pay attention.

I have no idea what the name means but I highly recommend it: 

https://setapp.com

I don’t see the same thing happening with subscriptions to print and online 
newspapers because they are independent and yet so corporate. It would take a 
third party to handle memberships and monitor access. A software company is 
easier to deal with than publications with complex ownership problems.

Until then, obtaining a library card and learning your local library system is 
probably the best bet. Libraries can and do subscribe to databases that are 
much larger than you might expect in your small town.

Sharon
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Sharon Villines
Takoma Village Cohousing, Washington DC
http://www.takomavillage.org