Content that I pay for

May 4, 2019 (updated on March 15, 2022)

Recently, someone asked me how much I’m paying for content. I had to admit that I didn’t really know. So I compiled this list – turns out it’s between $2000 and $3000 per year.

Subscriptions

• The Atlantic – $50. Outstanding reporting and explanatory pieces on Covid19 that I just wanted to support with a subscription.
• Quartz — $50. One of the most inspiring media companies that keeps reinventing itself. Back in startup mode after a management buyout, one more reason to support it.
• Meduza – $100. One of the last independent Russian outlets, in dire need of money to keep going.
• Every — $200. A newsletter collective that is perfect for curious generalists (*cough*) who like deep dives into a broad range of topics.
• Lenny’s Newsletter — $150. Even while on the free tier, I gained so many valuable insights to product thinking that it’s only fair that I support the newsletter with a subscription.
• Dummy – $32. A German magazine, six monothematic issues per year, usually great at finding unconventional approaches to well-worn topics.
• The New York Times – $160. I pay for it because a) what they do is valuable and I want them to be able to continue to do so, and b) they produce so much outstanding visual journalism that I’d keep hitting their paywall.
• Washington Post – $19. I have actually no idea how I ended up with such a cheap subscription. The reasons for subscribing are pretty much the same as for the NYT, but if it were a lot more expensive, this is probably the one of those two I’d cancel.
• Republik – $240. 50% to support friends with their startup venture, 50% to support the great journalism they produce.
• Bergwelten – $72. Another print magazine, serves as inspiration for new hiking adventures.
• Audible – $132. I’ve never been into audiobooks — until I was. Since becoming a dad, I find myself in a lot of situations where reading is not an option, but listening is.
• Audm – $57. An app that lets me listen to longform content (from publications like The Atlantic, NYT, Atavist, Outside, etc.). Since I already read a lot of long articles, having some of them read by professional readers is nice for a change.
• Spotify – $156. I need music everywhere, Spotify lets me listen to more or less anything I want, whenever I want.
• Netflix – $240. Well…

Donations

• Wikipedia – $200-$500. For more than ten years now, I’ve donated to Wikipedia, amounts varying depending on how much spare money I have at the end of the year. I do so because it’s still by far the best entry point to knowledge of any sort and I want to support that — both for myself, but mainly for anyone else who might depend on a free source of information more than I do.
• Our World in Data – $200-$500. I’ve been using their work for a long time, both professionally and privately. Their research, data analysis and contextualisation on topics like climate change or Covid-19 is immensely valuable, all open source and free to use and reuse. It only feels right to support it with a donation.
• The Guardian – $55. I like how they remain committed to keeping their content free to everyone. So I pay not to gain access, but to allow them to produce high quality journalism for everyone. What’s more, The Guardian is (and has been for a while) more serious about covering the climate crisis than pretty much every other major news organisation.
• What Happened Last Week? – $48. Sham delivers a briefing on what’s happening in the parts of the world most others neglect. It’s obvious that a lot of work goes into this, so please take my money!
• Craig Mod – $100. I’ve been a fan of Craig’s work ever since I met him in Tokyo in 2009. Glad to pay a bit so he can do even more of it.

Plus: Books, tons of books.

Oh, and since you seem to be interested in paid content: Do you already know my newsletter Weekly Filet which you could also pay for? 🙂