Innovative alternatives to current creaky single copy distribution

The business and technology publisher Seybold explores the current single copy distribution and sales mess in the U.S. in its March issue and proposes a couple of thought-provoking solutions.

The article is a pretty good summary of the supply chain issues that the magazine industry is facing with an inefficient system where wholesalers lose money, whole forests of magazines are wasted and pulped and the sales of single copies are slowly declining. Essentially, the article says the existing business model is broken and suggests several solutions for a new business.

While I can already hear people in the business saying why these wouldn't work, they are at least thought-provoking:

• Print on demand, where at least in major metropolitan areas, production lines could meet overnight demand, thereby reducing inventories and allowing draws to be refreshed;
• An e-reader download, eliminating the retailer altogether, where by quick-response barcodes would be available to be easily readable by pointing a Kindle, iPhone or other device, taking the consumer to a web page with video of several current publications that could be downloaded by credit card.
• Pre-loaded e-book readers with dozens of current issues already dowloaded and available for temporary use in airport lounges, reception areas and hotel rooms, automatically receiving the current issues wirelessly and keeping content current.