The Stage, the 135-year old actors’ newspaper, is introducing a metered paywall for regular readers.
The paper, which is family-owned, is “flicking the switch” on 3 August in a move which will see it charge a £3 monthly “subscription” to what it calls “heavier users” of its website.
An email sent out to contributors by online editor Paddy Smith says that the “peppercorn” charge will be for users who click on five or more pages a month.
“Some areas of the site will remain free to access, and some routes to the site (such as social media) will also be excluded from payment,” adds Smith in his email.
He said that the decision to move from a free model has been considered “for some time” by the paper’s management and comes as its website “is now running more online editorial than ever before.”
As well as its news, features and comment content, The Stage prides itself on providing the most comprehensive listings and reviews guide for every professional production in the UK and for concentrating on areas such as clubland and cruise ship entertainment rarely covered in the mainstream media.
For most of its history has enjoyed pre-eminence as the dominant publishing force in the performing arts sector, partly on account of its prestige and the competitiveness of its advertising rates.
The move to an online subscription comes not long after the newspaper required all its online users to register with it. It is one of a number of commercial moves which have helped maintain profitability at the title such as casting venture The Stage Castings and the Showcall register of light-entertainment acts.
The newspaper, which publishes its print edition every Thursday, was founded in 1880 and is owned by the Comerford family. It is currently headquartered in Bermondsey.
The decision to introduce a paywall is understood to have been overseen by Smith, managing director Hugh Comerford and new editor Alistair Smith who took over from Brian Attwood in February last year. Attwood stood down after 20 years in the job.
