Rolling Stone magazine, the US bible of 1960s counterculture and music that went on to launch some big names in journalism, is to charge for its website. With a new site on Monday, the fortnightly publication, founded in 1967 by Jann Wenner, will become one of the best-known magazines to place a "pay wall" around its content, in an attempt to make money from the web. The move is sure to be closely watched by media industry observers who are divided between those who believe that charging for content is the only way to sustain expensive, high-quality journalism and those who fear that asking readers to pay for online content will drive them straight into the arms of free rivals. The Times will start charging for access to its website in June.
Under the plans, the magazine's home page, with celebrity news, photographs, blogs, concert footage music previews, and behind the scenes videos from photo shoots, will remain mostly free. But readers wanting full access to the magazine's latest issue, as well as its entire archive and 43-year's worth of its famous covers, will have to pay $3.95 (£2.56) for a monthly pass or $29.99 (£19.47). Online subscribers in the US only will automatically get a free print subscription.
"We're taking control of our digital destiny," Mr. Schwartz told the Associated Press. "This is not, let's rush to the Web because print isn't strong. This is our brand's ability to tap into a new medium," he added.
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/article7100328.ece
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