Sharing Subscription Services

Background

A subscription service is a business model “where a customer must pay a subscription price to have access to the product/service.”

Examples

Companies may package access to their product (i.e. content) offline and online through a single subscription or through multiple subscriptions. Pricing may differ between offline vs. online access for the same content delivered differently.

Online

Websites of:

• News providers
  • Wall Street Journal
  • New York Times

• Directories
  • Angie's List

• Movie and Music providers
  • Netflix [www.netflix.com]
  • Rhapsody

Note: Subscribers do not have an equivalent level of ownership online vs. offline. A company may terminate their website or remove content or service elements of their website at any time. Subscribers do not have the power to make decisions about their subscription or establish ownership online; companies’ ownership reigns through the entire lifecycle of the subscription.

Offline

• Newspapers
  • Wall Street Journal
  • New York Times

• Magazines
  • Sports Illustrated
  • WIRED

• Directories

• Movie and Music providers
  • Netflix
  • Sirius XM Radio

• Gym Memberships

• Media Subscriptions
  • Internet
  • Cable television
  • Telephone

Note: Many, but not all, offline subscription services provide a subscriber with a physical good.

Information Policy

Test.

Ethics of Sharing Subscription Services

Those who believe issues of information ethics isolated from technology and connected to technology should be approached in the same manner are referred to as “traditionalists.” This approach is taken by subscribers who do not differentiate sharing subscription services online from sharing subscription service offline. These subscribers perceive technology simply as a tool which enables them to share their subscription in a contemporary fashion. From this perspective, technology does not introduce an opportunity to revisit the ethics of subscription sharing. The ethics are understood as already established policies which authorize subscribers to share freely.

Notes

Wikipedia. “Subscription business model,” Accessed September 22, 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subscription_service