Now, this baffles me. Not too long after it's inception, glossy Caribbean Lifestyle magazine, Ocean Style, started offering the full issues of their publication online.
And I thought, "Strange... I'm supposed to buy the paper-based issue at the cover price - which is a whopping $40-$50.00 TT dollars - but people can read the full thing for free online?" So I quickly switched to the web version, which has its drawbacks, but is generally reader-friendly.
I also thought that, no matter how nice it was to get the issues for free online, it would be tough for the Ocean Style folk to then secure and build a revenue from a paper-based following; truth be told, their publication schedule is spastic at best, and I've only seen the actual magazine once, on a newsstand in SoHo.
From a production-model standpoint, it's way cheaper to produce a virtual magazine, and the circulation/distribution possibilities are endless, once marketed & promoted right. So now, they're trying to turn things around, by teaming up with the E-Magazine newsstand, Zinio, to offer subscriptions of the digital version of Ocean Style at $9.95 USD for 6 issues!
Thus, I ask: "Why should I buy the Ocean Style 'Cow' when the Magazine's 'Milk' is already free?"
L.M.N. Harris.
N.B. Image courtesy Ocean Style.
i like some of the online mags although they take away from the excitement of getting your fav copy of mag and also takes away from the true relaxation element that paper mags offer. But i guess in times like these and keeping with a growing trend, now is probably d best time for them but "once marketed & promoted right"