Thread by @datatheism, There are lots of (great) articles from the past week or so [...]

There are lots of (great) articles from the past week or so riffing on the same themes - creators, passion economy, subscriptions, bundles. Is this the Great Rebundling? Let's find out...

It continues to be very good to be The New York Times. https://www.niemanlab.org/2020/08/it-continues-to-be-very-good-to-be-the-new-york-times/

It continues to be very good to be The New York Times

It now makes more revenue from digital than from print and continues to add new subscribers at a record pace. But its brutal COVID-driven drop in advertising will be echoed all across the industry.

https://www.niemanlab.org/2020/08/it-continues-to-be-very-good-to-be-the-new-york-times/

At the same time, it *is* possible to compete with the New York Times. Here’s how. https://www.cjr.org/analysis/nytimes-subscriptions-local-publishers-compete.php

It is possible to compete with the New York Times. Here’s how.

Meredith Kopit Levien, who was named the new CEO of the New York Times last week, has six million subscribers, almost $700 million in cash in the bank, and a singular insight that underpins the...

https://www.cjr.org/analysis/nytimes-subscriptions-local-publishers-compete.php

Meanwhile, Bloomberg and The Athletic are to bundle subscriptions. Makes a lot of sense. https://www.axios.com/bloomberg-athletic-bundle-subscriptions-58bf19ae-4662-479b-9cdd-12e8abadf8b9.html

Bloomberg and The Athletic to bundle subscriptions

Joint subscription packages may be the next big trend.

https://www.axios.com/bloomberg-athletic-bundle-subscriptions-58bf19ae-4662-479b-9cdd-12e8abadf8b9.html

After quitting Deadspin in protest, these journalists are starting a new site. The own the company and the IP. And it's built on a readily available stack of web tools. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/28/business/media/deadspin-staffers-start-defector.html

After Quitting Deadspin in Protest, They’re Starting a New Site

The journalists who took part in a staff rebellion last year are starting Defector Media, a company with a podcast and a website dedicated to sports and culture.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/28/business/media/deadspin-staffers-start-defector.html

Simultaneously, we are seeing the rise of the Renaissance Creator. How long till they bundle under the umbrella of media talent agencies? https://medium.com/@jarroddicker/media-2020-rise-of-the-renaissance-creator-459daec4bc6b

Media 2020: Rise of the Renaissance Creator

If media companies are record labels then creators are rock stars. And as rock stars, they’ll start to develop micro labels themselves.

https://medium.com/@jarroddicker/media-2020-rise-of-the-renaissance-creator-459daec4bc6b

It certainly feels like the Great Rebundling is here. The tech, attitude and market to make it possible certainly is. The foundational text for a lot of the thinking here (for me, anyway), was @stratechery's 2017 article. Interesting times. https://stratechery.com/2017/the-great-unbundling/

The Great Unbundling

It’s trivial to say that the Internet changed media; what is more interesting is unpacking how different types of media were affected, and why — and what might happen to TV.

https://stratechery.com/2017/the-great-unbundling/

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