Who Will Control The iPad Magazine Subscription Market?

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It’s been expected since the launch of The Daily, but now it seems that Apple’s plan to offer one-click magazine subscriptions may have hit an unexpected barrier: The magazine publishers themselves.

The problem is apparently where customers will be allowed to subscribe. Apple, obviously, is pushing iTunes, whereas publishers prefer their own portals, which would allow them to control both customer information and not have to share a percentage of the transaction with Apple. In a move similar to last week’s Apple/Sony Reader story, Apple is reported to have suggested a compromise where both options are available, allowing the customer to choose their preferred method of subscription.

Whether the compromise will be accepted by publishers already paranoid about the amount of control Apple has over their product or not remains to be seen. How important is Apple’s 30% cut to publishers – or, for that matter, all the customer information publishers wouldn’t have access to, should they subscribe through iTunes?

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