In the news: A major magazine brand is turning to commerce for an alternate revenue stream.

The launch of Marie Claire magazine's new e-commerce site, Marie Claire Edit, raises larger questions about blurred lines between editorial content and sales endeavors. Dan O'Shea of RetailDive.com asks a key question: "All of those [magazines experimenting with e-commerce] have become viable sales channels, so why can't magazine content become a more direct sales channel, too?" Lucinda Southern of Digiday.com sums up the relationship thusly: "These items [featured on Marie Claire Edit] are linked to retailers' sites and Marie Claire takes an affiliate cut of the sale, though the publisher wouldn't reveal the split." Read more about Marie Claire Edit here and here.

Also Notable

Other Publishers Profiting from Commerce

Marie Claire isn't the only media brand capitalizing on e-commerce to boost revenue. Wirecutter, the New York Times, Buzzfeed, and others are also putting commerce to work for their publications. "While commerce content is often produced by separate editorial teams and tucked on different corners of publishers' sites, more publishers are putting it front and center to start the shopping season," writes Max Willens of Digiday.com. Read more here.

New York Media Implements Paywall

New York Media, owner of New York magazine and a series of associated websites including Vulture and Grub Street, has announced plans to erect paywalls on its sites. Jaclyn Peiser of NYTimes.com reports, "Subscriptions for the New York Media sites will cost $5 a month or $50 annually. For $70 a year, the company will include a subscription to New York magazine, the onetime weekly that started publishing every other week in 2014." New York Media isn't the only publisher turning to paywalls for revenue; other publishers who have recently done the same include Bloomberg Media, The Atlantic, and several Condé titles, says Peiser. Read more here.

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