Schwartz: iPad Complements Rolling Stone as 'Great Discovery Platform'
Top 500 Songs of All Time Showcased on New Interactive App
August 20, 2010 By James Sturdivant
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On the heels of Rolling Stone's website revamp, which puts most of the monthly magazine and its archives behind a paywall while offering robust social media and pop culture news and commentary for free, the top songs app represents another facet of the company's successful digital media strategy. Publishing Executive Inbox asked Steven Schwartz, chief digital officer at Wenner Media, for his take on the iPad's advantages, what the app means for readers and future possibilities for interactive products.
INBOX: Why do you feel the iPad offers a particularly good platform for this sort of interactive product? (I.e., why is "one swipe" a more compelling interaction than "one click"?)
STEVEN SCHWARTZ: This product is great on the iPad because it is a great read with the added interactive capability to preview and purchase the music that is featured. Generally, the iPad is a great device for a more "lean-back" entertainment experience. The Internet is different and it lends itself to quick bites and a lot more clicking, exploration and discovery. This is precisely why most of the content we produce for the Web is Web original—because the different mediums call for different content types and deliver different experiences for the consumer. The iPad is well suited to using the traditional magazine content and enhancing it from there.
INBOX: Is mobility really key to its success—the idea that, unlike a computer, when you've downloaded the song, it's instantly where you want it—your iPad, iTouch or smartphone?
SCHWARTZ: It is as much the utility of it as the mobility. Rolling Stone is a great discovery platform for learning about new music or what's the best of the best. When a consumer is reading about a great song or a great playlist, they want to be able to act immediately. Consumers are increasingly impatient so we want to enable them to take action from the quality content we deliver. It's a win/win scenario for the consumer. Once music is purchased, consumers want to be able to listen to it immediately as well as carry it with them so they can have it whenever they want it.
INBOX: What does this type of interactivity say about Rolling Stone's digital direction? Do you plan to offer more such features in your regular monthly digital editions?
SCHWARTZ: We are active in the space and, yes, we are now constantly evaluating what the value-add can be to complement the great content experience we provide.
INBOX: Any more special editions of this type in the works—best albums, greatest guitarists, etc.? I can see the latter working well with video.
SCHWARTZ: More to come, but premature to announce just yet.
INBOX: The ability to listen to and download music while reading a magazine is clearly a "value add." With the introduction of such multimedia offerings in publications like Sports Illustrated and Wired, there's been much discussion lately about whether digital editions of magazines should/can be priced higher than print editions. What's the feedback been so far from RS's readers about your digital editions as an independent value proposition?
SCHWARTZ: The feedback has been great—and the initiative has exceeded our expectations. I believe the consumer will be open to paying more for an experience that offers more.
INBOX: Are readers more likely to share digital editions on blogs and social media sites when multimedia is offered?
SCHWARTZ: Perhaps. I think readers will share what they love about the content when we inspire them and they feel the desire to share it. Multimedia can do this well as can a great article or review.
INBOX: Did you publicize the issue through social media, and if so, see significant traffic coming from those channels?
SCHWARTZ: We have seen a lot of activity about this product via Twitter and other social platforms. Although it is not tracked through to the purchase, it has certainly been a great marketing vehicle for the product.
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