Business Strategy

TheStreet, Inc. (TST) today announced that it has acquired The Deal, LLC  for $5.8 million. Both sites offer subscriptions to premium content, and will continue to do so after the acquisition. Founded in 1999 as The Daily Deal print newspaper, The Deal LLC transformed its business into a digital subscription platform that delivers coverage of "the deal economy" primarily through The Deal Pipeline, which provides transactional information and services. The acquisition will help TheStreet grow its subscription…

Apple appears to be looking to create its own subscription-based music service, according to the Wall Street Journal (paywalled article). For years, Apple founder Steve Jobs resisted the subscription, cloud-based music streaming model, saying consumers preferred to own their music. For a long time he was right, but the advent of subscription sites Pandora, Spotify and Rhapsody is changing consumer expectations. The move might also be a reaction to news that the actor Bruce Willis is reportedly…

By the end of this month, Backstage will launch a newly designed and more integrated print publication and website. But what's most interesting is where the two properties diverge. Backstage.com already has 29,000 paid online members. With subscription rates varying between $144/year and $19.95/month, the site is pulling in $4.1 million to $6.9 million a year. On top of that, the print publication has 60,000 subscribers who can choose between print + digital bundle subscription plans…

The real estate search and subscription site Trulia confidentially filed to go public last month, according to DealBook, The New York Times micro-site, which reported on the now-public information last Friday. (According to new SEC rules, companies with annual gross revenue of less than $1 billion can file registration statements that do not have to be disclosed until 21 days before "the company's roadshow to sell the new shares.") Trulia has 21,544 paying subscribers as of…

At any given moment, 50,000 subscribers are paying to access WritersMarket.com's robust database. Winter Thielen, Director of Online Product Development at WritersMarket.com and Robert Brewer, Senior Content Editor, spoke with us about how the site maintains its listings, succeeds with email marketing, and creates perceived value with limited-release compilations. Plus, get inspired by some great conversion tactics, including an unusual navigation bar and a well-designed site tour.

Through a powerful database and switching from a B2C to a B2B focus, Contact Any Celebrity is able to generate more than $1 million a year in revenues. Learn how Founder Jordan McAuley tested his prices to generate more revenue with fewer sign-ups, as well as why he decided to go with a $1 trial instead of a free one. Plus, learn a new tip for testing your market's receptivity to live events, and how you can make money from events without ever having to host one. This is a must-read, especially for other B2B sites that should be creating industry-specific databases of their own!

Good news for paywall and subscription site execs: audience resistance to paywalls seems to be decreasing! According to a recent study of digital media professionals by DigiCareers, 42% said that they would research pricing if they hit a paywall, while 52% said they would immediately leave the site. While that's not the most desirable number, it's definitely a sign that there's a growing acceptance of paywalls and paid content, especially since only 25% of respondents said…

Match.com, with 1.8 million paying subscribers globally, has decided to go retro and take dating offline.The company recently announced plans to host 2,000 to 3,000 offline events in 40 countries around the world for paying subscribers. The new service will be called "The Stir," and come in two varieties: Free events, like casual drinking evenings, and Paid events, like bowling or cooking lessons. …

Not satisfied with its 1.8 million paying subscribers and estimated online revenues somewhere between $300 million and $700 million, Ancestry.com has found a new way to capitalize on the exploding interest in genealogy and DNA testing.The site will begin an invitation-only offer to paying subscribers to get a DNA test for a one-time fee of $99. The information from that test will then be incorporated into their Ancestry.com account, allowing them to see if they're…

F+W Media recently launched it first eBook subscription site for enthusiasts -- Artist's Network eBooks Book Club.The idea combines several profitable revenue streams in the digital space -- niche marketing, subscription sales and eBooks that are platform neutral (i.e., available via a computer, iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch or Android mobile device -- no word yet on the Kindle or Nook versions). The first site offers beautiful, full-color eBooks for an annual subscription price of $199.The…