Print vs Digital
Jann Wenner – the man that launched Rolling Stone magazine in 1967 and still publishes it to this day with a global circulation of 1.4 million – made some interesting comments to Ad Age recently, regarding the future of print magazines and his th
oughts on “tablet editions”.
Wenner, a strong advocate of the value of print publishing, who has championed the “power of print“, believes the rush to migrate magazines to tablets is “premature”, stating that publishers are showing little faith in their real asset – “the magazine itself, which is still a great commodity”. He believes, for now, digital magazines are “a small additive; it’s not the new business”.
In fact, he believes the digital future that publishers dream of may be years – “possibly decades” – away. “You’re talking about a generation at least, maybe two generations, before the shift is decisive,” he says in the interview, which you can read here.
It’s recommended reading for anyone chewing over what publishing platform to reach their audience through, with some choice quotes on the enduring value of a physical magazine.
“There’s a real advantage to getting a print product and having something you can hold and that, of course, is portable and has a luxurious feeling and is comfortable and immersive and you can spend time with it and it’s organized for you,” says Wenner. “As long as people want the magazine product we’ll deliver it.
“I think that’s going to be for a long time to come.”
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