The Campus Voice

Issue date: 2/2/10 Section: Opinion

Media Credit: TJ Sanchez

With the new unveiling of the iPad, many print media outlets remain optimistic that this new sure-to-be-revolutionary device will revamp print media, much like iTunes has helped shift the recording industry into the Internet era.

Many sources of print media have seen trouble over the last 10 years, as they've slowly watched their paying customer base dwindle as more and more news and text media becomes available for free over the World Wide Web. This could change soon, as Apple has unveiled its next innovation, the iPad.

Not only will the iPad most likely handle print media in a manner similar to Amazon's Kindle, proponents of print media are praying that Apple will introduce a system similar to or via the App Store and iTunes to properly charge consumers for accessing the content. The Wall Street Journal, as well as Esquire and GQ magazine, have already been releasing entire issues via iPhone app, usually for around $2.99 a publication.

With the advent of pay apps for periodical sites, there is also speculation that the corresponding websites for institutions such as the Wall Street Journal will be removing access to free news so people will digitally subscribe to their issues, just like getting a paper digitally delivered to your doorstep.

While many print outlets are jumping at the opportunity to once again rope in the pay customers that have figured out ways to get the content they want for free, other media outlets are reluctant to once again rethink their recently adjusted distribution strategies. They cite Steve Jobs' rigidity in setting pricing and distribution standards across the recording industry as they accepted iTunes as the only way to keep making money in the era of the MP3.

The Recording Industry Association of America or RIAA contends that while jobs at iTunes has had a boost in single sales, entire album sales have plummeted and many artists and labels have had to rethink their music marketing strategies to accommodate the single as opposed to the album. There is speculation about how this will affect print media. Perhaps the New York Times app will consider this and charge by the article rather than forcing subscribers to pay for the whole digital newspaper.

No matter what, it appears we're due for an overhaul of the internet news media we've recently become accustomed to. Soon, there may once again be no such thing as "free news."

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