The Media Industry’s Biggest Fear: How Do We Know Next Year Apple Won’t Be Taking 50%?

At the risk of going on and on about Apple's controversial new subscription billing rules , let me just add one more thing. Yes, these new rules may affect music streaming apps and movie streaming apps, but first and foremost they are aimed at print publishers who were hoping to port their existing subscription business models over to the iPad. The big publishers and other media companies with substantial subscription businesses don't like the prospect of handing over 30 percent of their revenues in perpetuity to Apple. What they like even less is losing the direct relationship with their customers, and all the data that comes along with that. (Whoever owns the billing relationship owns the customer, after all). But the one thing they fear most of all is Apple's pricing power. The refrain I've heard from a couple of publishing industry insiders is: "How do we know next year Apple won't be taking 50%?"