We live in a golden age of free professionally created content. There will never be more flying at you on a daily basis than there is at this moment in time. The coming year and decade will see a slow down and a rethink around what it is actually practical to give away for free.
The current free-for-all simply isn’t sustainable in its current guise; it costs too much money to deliver that which cannot make a reasonable return. Arguments exist that the blogosphere will fill the gap left by the end of professionally created free content. I disagree.
The blogosphere feeds off the professional publishing industry for ideas, inspiration and most importantly access to information. The blogosphere as wonderful as it is can’t replace professional publishing. Of course professional journalism does also now feed off its own audience, as it always has done, for information and content. Seen to dramatic effect this year when a plane crashed into the Hudson, but the analysis of the exact event still needs to be carried out professionally. New technology hasn’t invented the fact that an audience that can contribute or be part of the production process, it has just made it infinitely easier.
Professional publishing has devalued itself by its undying willingness to give itself away. This has to change. As scathing as the criticism for Rupert Murdoch has been this year by some commentators I admire him for having the balls to confront the problem head on and try and find a solution for the rest of us. Let’s not forget this is the man who reinvented the way we access TV. Sky will this reach their target to have 10 million paying subscribers, an incredible achievement!
Audiences will migrate to alternative platforms to consume media in a subscription based environment. The professional publishing industry’s survival relies on it.