Copyright Clearance Center Launches Open Access Solutions

Copyright Clearance Center, Inc. (CCC), a not-for-profit organization and provider of licensing solutions, announced the launch of Open Access Solutions. CCC helps publishers manage variable Open Access (OA) models through its RightsLink platform, which supports unique pricing rules, licenses and messaging for OA journals, encouraging compliance with funding agency requirements.

Posted Oct 11, 2012

Facebook Rolls Out Collections

Just in case your online shopping carts don't make buying easy enough for you, Facebook is combining the visual interest of Pinterest with the purchasing power of Amazon. The social network rolled out "Facebook Collections" to some users - though it hasn't said how many - on Monday, October 8.

Posted Oct 10, 2012

OwnZones Launches Beta Site

OwnZones, which gathers premium subscription multimedia content tailored to user interests into a convenient ad-free site, has launched beta of the service. OwnZones is now open to anyone and registration is free. Consumers and potential media partners are invited to check out the site and provide valuable feedback that will help shape OwnZones for a full launch.

Posted Oct 04, 2012

The Times Looks to Search Engines for Customer Leads

No on has taken a more hard line stance against search engine indexing of news content that Rupert Murdoch, but some two years after declaring that Google (and other search engines) would no longer be able to crawl News Corps' The Times, paidContent is reporting that the news site will now allow the first two sentences of its articles to be indexed.

Posted Sep 27, 2012

Digital Paymeter Debuts

Digital Technology International announced the launch of its new metered paywall, Digital Paymeter. DTI said that with Digital Paymeter, news media publishers will retain 100% of their paid content revenue without any requirements to share revenue or subscriber data. Digital Paymeter is cloud-based and customizable to a company's needs.

Posted Aug 20, 2012

Facebook Beats Q3 Expectations, Sees Stocks Soar

Facebook's post-IPO struggles can be baffling to the average person. How can a company with over a billion active users be experiencing so much trouble with its stock price--and revenue building in general? But those troubles may be behind the social network after a better than expected third quarter earnings report. And in a flurry of not-so-great earnings news from other companies, Facebook is reaping the benefits.

Posted Oct 23, 2012

Is Open Access Destroying Academic Publishers?

The digital age has given way to an open access renaissance - allowing for the free flow of information traditionally bound up in scholarly journals and academic publications. But when an influential analyst said that a European push toward open access could significantly hurt academic publisher Reed Elsevier's bottom line, many STM publishers took a second look at this model.

By Robert Springer - Posted Oct 12, 2012

Will More Paywalls Lead to Better Content?

We've all been there. You visit a website looking for information, movies, or other digital content and find a few freebies. Eventually, however, you run into a request for registration or, more substantially, a request to pay for additional content. DigiCareers, a website that provides job listings for those in the media industry, recently released survey results examining the impact of paywalls on current consumers. By sending emails to a random selection of its 30,000 members, DigiCareers received a 78% participation rate, using the feedback of 200 individuals. Some experts found the results surprising.

By Michelle L. Cramer - September 2012 Issue, Posted Sep 24, 2012

Seventeen.com's Social Commerce Clicks for Worthy Cause

Shrewd social commerce partnerships can do more than increase hits and generate online buzz. They can also employ technology to benefit worthy causes, as evidenced by a new initiative launched by Hearst Digital Media and mulu, an online social network platform that enables users to share product recommendations and designate a portion of the purchase proceeds to a chosen charity or nonprofit group.

By Erik J. Martin - Posted Sep 07, 2012

The DOJ Dismisses Commenters, Vows to Forge Ahead with Apple Anti-Trust Suit

Consumers may have been furious (and vocal) about an April settlement that allowed three publishers - HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, and Hachette - to settle out of court in regards to an antitrust lawsuit brought against several publishers and Apple for allegedly "price-fixing" ebooks, but that doesn't seem to bother the DOJ. Many people who filed comments with the U.S. District Court in New York have criticized the DOJ for essentially giving Amazon a leg up in the ebook market by taking on its competitors.

By Theresa Cramer - Posted Jul 24, 2012

A Guide to Content Commerce: The Tools That Make You Money

As the publishing industry continues to evolve, publishers are experimenting with new online models. But to find the right commerce solution, you must think about your primary objectives. Are you building a branded content destination, or are you glad to attract followers around the edges of the digital world in social media outlets or around other properties that do not bear your brand name? Is video an enhancement to your message or a distraction? Is your content valuable to other brands? All of these things must be considered before you choose a commerce model.

By Carolina K. Reid - Posted Nov 19, 2012

Building a Sustainable Streaming Media Model

Consumers are demanding their entertainment on a variety of platforms, and everywhere you look it seems like everything is streaming. But is that sustainable? There is not only the issue of monetization, but there's bandwidth too. Can we all stream our favorite shows and music? And can companies make enough money to keep producing the content?

By Chris Seymour - Posted Nov 05, 2012

Publishers Get Into the E-Singles Scene

In publishing, small is the new big. An increasing number of publishers are releasing e-singles -- short works published digitally on a variety of platforms -- to generate ancillary revenue, build brand equity, and reach new audiences. Among those joining the e-singles market are Hearst, Rodale, Princeton University Press, and as recently as last week, Penguin.

By Michelle Manafy - Posted Nov 21, 2011

Circulation Building in the Digital Age

Few, if any, would argue that the internet has dramatically and permanently changed the publishing industry. As print publishers have scrambled to find ways to compete with and, ultimately, embrace the digital world, some are excelling through a combination of traditional and online options. Others, new to publishing, are operating in the online-only world, but everyone is dealing with the age-old problem of circulation building and audience development.

By Lin Grensing-Pophal - November 2011 Issue, Posted Nov 16, 2011

Intellectual Property in the YouTube Era: The Justin Bieber Problem

The recent proposal of the Commercial Felony Streaming Act, and the uproar over the potential it holds to send artists like Justin Bieber to jail for copyright violation, has put the subject of intellectual property and copyright on the front page. The following is an excerpt from a chapter in the book, Dancing with Digital Natives: Staying in Step with the Generation That's Transforming the Way Business is Done. The full chapter is titled: "Ethics, Technology, and the Net Generation: Rethinking Intellectual Property Law" and is written by Albert M. Erisman. The book is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other retailers in e-book and print format.

By Albert M. Erisman - Posted Oct 27, 2011

The Casual Vacancy: How Low Can EBook Prices Go?

Last month I wrote about some of the immediate effects of the DOJ ebook settlement, including the reduction of prices on many HarperCollins e-books within a few days of the court's acceptance of the settlement. This month Hachette -- a former settlement holdout -- released JK Rowling's first adult book The Casual Vacancy. However, a look at the Amazon Kindle page shows a note that reads, "This price was set by the publisher." When initially released it was listed at $17.99 (and had quite a few formatting errors.). It's been lowered to $14.99 this week, but it's still more than half the list price for the hardcover. Amazon is selling the hardcover below list, at $20.90 but the Kindle edition is still substantially less.

Column/Ebookworm - By Peggy Hageman - Posted Oct 18, 2012

The Post-IPO Facebook

If there is one thing we are used to from Facebook -- or, at least, are used to complaining about -- it is change. The company has a history of introducing new features at will and then abandoning them. Going forward, though, Facebook's willy-nilly changes may be frowned upon as investors from Friday's IPO start putting in their two cents. When the closing bell rang on Friday, Facebook raised about $16 billion, was valued at short of $105 billion. But investors are not the only ones taking on risk; marketers that think Facebook is the Holy Grail also gamble with company money.

Column/Social Pulse - By Steve Goldner - Posted May 22, 2012

Wherever You Are, That Is the Point of Sale

Within the next few years, the post-PC world of connected devices is going to have as profound an effect on the buying and selling of goods in this country as the internet has had in the last decade. The velocity with which people are embracing m-commerce and now t-commerce (tapping buy butto