Hyperallergic Implements Paywall, Charges $80 For Membership

(MENAFN- USA Art News) Brooklyn-based art publication Hyperallergic has begun paywalling a portion of its articles and requires readers to sign in to access most of its content, according to Urgent Matter. This change marks a shift from its longstanding mission of providing free access to readers. Subscribers received an email on September 16 informing them of the new policy.

Founded in 2009 by Hrag Vartanian and Veken Gueyikian as an independent blog, Hyperallergic had gained a reputation for its outspoken commentary and for highlighting inequities within the art world. By 2020, the publication was reaching one million readers a month. In the same year, it launched a membership program, at which time it explicitly stated that the publication would not be placed behind a paywall, emphasizing the importance of free content.

The publication now offers basic memberships for $80 a year, granting access to specific articles. The majority of the site's content remains free for those who sign in.

In the email announcing the changes, Gueyikian directly addressed the reasons for the shift. He wrote:“AI bots scrape our content daily to serve it up to users in flat language and no context, new readers from search and social are way down, and ad revenue is less and less dependable every year. Only 6% of our readers currently support us with a paid subscription, and that makes it difficult to continue the work you value.”

Hyperallergic's decision reflects broader challenges faced by art news publications and the media industry, particularly concerning the impact of AI. Publishers anticipate a 40 percent decline in search-engine-driven traffic over the next three years, Reuters reports.

Source: Artforum

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