LZ Sunday Paper Newsletter: The "Subscription Model Is The New All-You-Can-Eat" Edition
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Hello, Readers,
And a warm welcome to the month of May.
This week brought another uptick in the number of new subscribers to this newsletter. A special welcome to you!
Also this week, due to an inordinate number of work events here in New York City during what is called "The New Fronts," I ran into lots of businesspeople I know and like. Chatting with many of these folks, an alarming percentage said some version of:
"Hey, what happened to your newsletter? I loved getting it, I told lots of people about it, but I haven't gotten it for a while." Hence the message at the top of the Masthead:
Help ensure delivery of our emails!!!
Add LZSundayPaper@gmail.com to your address book and/or add to safe senders list.
Even if you are receiving it right now, please take a moment to follow that instruction. The vagaries of this email delivery system, Mailchimp, sometimes decides to kick me and my newsletter out of your inbox, sometimes permanently. In fact, it may or may not ever even reach your spam filter subsequently. It might just disappear into thin (cyber)air.
Mailchimp is an email newsletter program for which consumers pay a monthly subscription -- and it is not cheap. I add it to the growing list of credit card charges for many other subscriptions. Most of them are for "media:" TV, radio, music, magazines, newspapers, telephone, internet, and other services that I receive every month. Each one is marketed as some version of 'everything I need' for one low, low price. And each one, at various times, can be deeply fulfilling. But definitely not all together and definitely not every month. And some of them are, sometimes, flawed or inconsistent. But for that there is no discount.
The marketing message of "everything you want, whenever you want it" is now pervasive. It's no longer a consumer demand, it's an expectation. It seems to be moving beyond that into "God-given right" territory. And once consumers believe that, they actually become more willing to pay for things that were once free. The right to pay for something has now morphed into a perceived value called the "subscription model," which basically means you have the right to pay for something whether you use it or not.
I'm not sure the subscription model works in every industry. An "all you can eat" buffet or salad bar is all right, once in a while, but a subscription Never Ending Pasta Pass from Olive Garden? Endless Shrimp from Red Lobster? I maintain that few to none need that.
In media, as well, it may turn out that "everything I need" may actually be close to nothing. In a previous universe that I sort of dream-of-slash-long-for, I could stick a wire coat hanger on my roof and if I cared to "watch TV" I could choose from an array of fine networks (over 4 to choose from!). I could choose programs such as dramas or comedies or sports or news. If I got bored, I could turn on the radio at home or in my car. There are lots of stations! All kinds of music but also news and sports. Plus, tons of people call up and share their opinions-- freely and for free! For both TV and radio, they thoughtfully included breaks, at least 30 seconds in length, so that you could go to the refrigerator to get something to eat, or even go to the bathroom!
Another rite of yesteryear was when people would go to the "library" to read periodicals that they didn't care to pay to subscribe to. I respect that times have changed, so as an homage to that, I could go to today's modern library, the "coffee place with free internet," and browse any publication or social media feed I wanted. So I guess when I am feeling media-overwhelmed and can't figure out how in the world I'm supposed to keep up, my fantasy boils down to: 1979 + Starbucks.
Anyhooo. The good news is that I think the Government can re-brand "taxes" as an annual "subscription fee" for being a citizen of the United States. Maybe our market cap will go way, way up, like Netfli
The LZ Sunday Paper is free. Every week, we compile almost all the news and topical information you can consume about women in business, politics, entrepreneurship, film, tv, music, literature, sports, and pop culture--roughly in that order. It's no Endless Shrimp type of deal, but you can read as much as you want, all for the low, low price of skimming this introduction and maybe having a laugh.
You can find the most recent copy of the paper and the Archive at LZSundayPaper.com.
You can send me a note or an item you think I should see here.
Sometimes there's so much interesting stuff out there I can't wait 'til Sunday so I tweet it during the week. By the way almost zero of my subscribers seem to be on Twitter but if you are, Follow me @LZSundayPaper.
See you next week…and get ready: order your flowers, make your brunch reservations, and/or lick those envelopes containing your cards for Mother's Day!
LZ
THE PIC(K) OF THE WEEK:
Traumatized By Boko Haram, Kidnapped Girls Fire On Rescuers via The Washington Post
NEWS & INSIGHTS:
Ruth Bader-Ginsburg Eviscerates Same-Sex Marriage Opponents In Court via The Guardian
Why The Retirement Savings Crisis Is Also A Women's Crisis via The Washington Post
What Google Is Doing To Solve Its Gender Problem via NPR
Ben Horowitz Talks About Why His VC Firm Has No Female Partners via Silicon Valley Business Journal
A Woman-Led Law Firm That Lets Partners Be Parents via The New York Times
Laura Wasser: Celebrity Divorce Attorney via A Lawyer's Life.com
Gloria Steinem On Why She's Going To North Korea via The Washington Post
How Women Discover And Share Videos via Adweek
Peggy Was Not Alone: These Famous Ads Were All Created By Women Of The Mad Men Era via Business Insider
'Sexist' Academic Peer Review Causes Storm Online via Times Higher Education
Film Review: "The Falling:" 'Faint' Praise via The Economist
Maria Bello: I'm A Sexual 'Whatever' via The Daily Beast
Gabfest Podcast: The 'Inside Amy Schumer' Edition via Slate
Lesbian Desire, A Father's Suicide, and 12 Tony Noms: Alison Bechdel On 'Fun Home' via The Daily Beast
Jamies Winston Just Trolled America By Eating Crab Legs After Getting Drafted No. 1 In The NFL via The Washington Post
Cannes Film Festival To Open With Emmanuelle Bercote's "La Tete Haute" via Deadline Hollywood
17-Year Old Woman Makes First Ever Charge From An Orthodox Yeshiva To West Point via The New York Times
A Man Offered To Buy My Tampons For Me. Should I Have Let Him? via XO Jane
Jean Nidetch, 91, Dies; Pounds Came Off And Weight Watchers Was Born via The New York Times
AND WHAT'S NOT TO LOVE ABOUT:
This Artist Is Re-Creating Defaced Subway Ads With Makeup via Buzzfeed
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The LZ Sunday Paperâ„¢ (soon to be registered trademarked and copyrighted) launched at the dawn of 2014. We expose and recirculate interesting content that is about, and frequently by, women in business, with a dose of ultra-relevant culture. We think that culture comes in size high, medium, and low. Our audience for this content is vast and not gender-driven. Every week we expect at least one good laugh. Send suggestions, clips, or names of people you think might enjoy this to LZSundayPaper@gmail.com.
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