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Dana E. Neuts

Dana Neuts is Subscription Insider's Editorial Director, covering our daily subscription news as well as member features, case studies, premium content, and reports. Dana is also a writer, editor, marketer and communications professional. Her work has appeared in AARP Bulletin, The Seattle Times, Seattle Business, 425 Business, 425 Magazine, South Sound Magazine, Northwest Travel and more. Her specialties include business writing, community news, senior issues, travel and, of course, subscriptions!

Dana E. Neuts

EDGENorth Takes Down Paywall but Isn’t Giving Refunds to Subscribers

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On Tuesday, EDGENorth.ca, a hyperlocal, bimonthly magazine based in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada, announced that it was dropping its paywall and making all of its stories, including archives, free to readers. They are also reducing their publication schedule to refocus their attention to their free, newly-redesigned print magazine which is distributed to racks and homes around Yellowknife. What went wrong? Did EDGE give the subscription model a chance?

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Hulu Drops Monthly Subscription Price to $6 for New Subscribers

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Making yet another adjustment to its business model, Hulu is dropping its monthly subscription price from $7.99 to $5.99 as Hulu tries to figure out how to compete with Netflix and other over-the-top TV subscription services, reports Money. The lower price applies to new subscribers only, and is only available for the first year or a user’s subscription. After year 1, the monthly price jumps back up to $7.99. This subscription plan includes limited commercials. This is just the latest in a series of changes for Hulu.Will this bring free viewers who left Hulu this summer?

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SiriusXM Promotes 6-Month Streaming Music Subscription for $30

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Satellite radio service SiriusXM (NASDAQ: SIRI) will start reaching a whole new audience with the launch of a six-month, standalone streaming music subscription service priced at $5 a month, reports Tech Times. The new streaming music service, which boasts 30 million paid subscribers, will allow SiriusXM to compete directly with services like Pandora, Spotify, Tidal, Apple Music and others. No satellite radio device is required.

SiriusXM Promotes 6-Month Streaming Music Subscription for $30 Read More »

Amazon Enhances Prime Membership with Twitch Prime for Gamers

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Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) is at it again – enhancing Amazon Prime membership with new features from live game-streaming site Twitch, reports The Verge. Twitch, the world’s leading social video platform and gaming community, was acquired by Amazon in 2014 in a $970-million-cash deal. Following a 30-day free trial, Twitch Prime will be available to new or existing Prime members for $99 a year or $10.99 a month. It won’t be available as a standalone service,…

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Mental Floss to Terminate Print Edition after November-December Issue

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Last Friday Dennis Publishing announced that Mental Floss magazine would publish its final print publication with the November-December issue. Instead of focusing on both print and digital products, the company will shift direction to focus solely on digital and video content as well as long-form pieces. While the magazine only had circulation of 100,000, it draws 20 million unique visitors to its website every month. Find out what will change.

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This Week’s Subscription Headlines: Apple, Ambitions & Acquisitions

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it was another busy week for the subscription industry with challenges for the New York Times as it works toward global acquisition, Verizon considers acquiring video startup Vessel, and The Times of London announces it is shuttering its international paid weekly app. We’ve got those headlines and other news about SaaS, involuntary churn, electric car subscriptions and much more!

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Salesforce Voices Antitrust Concerns in EU over Microsoft-LinkedIn Deal

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The business world was abuzz yesterday with rumors that Salesforce (NYSE: CRM) has gone to antitrust authorities in the European Union with concerns about Microsoft’s (NASDAQ: MSFT) $26.2 billion acquisition of LinkedIn, reports the New York Times. No official announcement has been made, but three people with inside information about the matter have spoken on condition of anonymity. Will these antitrust concerns slow down the completion of the merger?

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Wenner Media Sells 49 Percent Stake in Rolling Stone to BandLab

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This weekend Wenner Media, the parent company of Rolling Stone magazine, announced it would sell a 49 percent stake in the publication to BandLab, a cloud-based platform for musicians, owned by Kuok Meng Ru, son of Chinese billionaire Kuok Khoon Hong, reports Forbes. Already publishing four international editions, the magazine will publish a fourth, based out of Singapore. It will also expand the Rolling Stone brand through live events, merchandising and hospitality. Get all the details at Subscription Insider.

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LinkedIn Launches Subscription-Only Online Skills Training Platform

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Last week LinkedIn announced the launch of LinkedIn Learning, a subscription-only online skills training platform, its latest offering to connect and engage its 450 million members. According to LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner, this platform and other initiatives announced last week will help the company accelerate its vision to “create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce.” This vision, of course, is important to Microsoft who is in the process of acquiring LinkedIn for $26.2 billion.

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Business Insider Tests Metered Paywall, Hopes to Convert Ad Blockers

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This week digital news outlet Business Insider, owned by European publisher Axel Springer, will begin testing a metered paywall with a small, random group of readers. At the same time, Business Insider will also test some techniques to fight ad blocking. Readers will be asked to whitelist the site or subscribe for an experience free of display ads. We’ve got all the details for you at Subscription Insider.

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