Home›Open Questions›In what specific year, and by which publisher, did the subscription business model for periodicals first take hold?Open QuestionsIn what specific year, and by which publisher, did the subscription business model for periodicals first take hold?Citation FormatsGeneral ReferenceGeneral Reference Citation TextBusiness Atlas. "In what specific year, and by which publisher, did the subscription business model for periodicals first take hold?." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://dev-business.interactiveatlas.org/open-questions-index/subscription-model-origin-year-question.Copy General ReferenceAPA StyleAPA Style Citation TextBusiness Atlas. (n.d.). In what specific year, and by which publisher, did the subscription business model for periodicals first take hold?. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://dev-business.interactiveatlas.org/open-questions-index/subscription-model-origin-year-questionCopy APA StyleBibTeXBibTeX Citation Text@misc{businessatlas-in-what-specific-year-and-by-which-publi, author = {Business Atlas}, title = {In what specific year, and by which publisher, did the subscription business model for periodicals first take hold?}, year = {2026}, url = {https://dev-business.interactiveatlas.org/open-questions-index/subscription-model-origin-year-question}, note = {Accessed August 30, 2026} }Copy BibTeXOpen QuestionCross-Tradition ConnectionsSourcesComments (0)Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)Open QuestionThe Wikipedia article on the subscription business model states only that it "was pioneered by publishers of books and periodicals in the 17th century," naming no specific year, publication or publisher. The claim is broad enough to cover a century-long span rather than a documentable origin point.What would resolve this A publishing-history source that names the first periodical or book publisher known to have charged a recurring subscription price, with a specific year, rather than a general encyclopedic reference to "the 17th century."OpenPublishing and Business HistoryWikipedia, Subscription Business ModelCross-Tradition ConnectionsQuestion OnSubscription Business Model, Business Models Well-attested Source Wikipedia, Subscription Business Modeltier 2SourcesWikipedia, Subscription Business Modeltier 2WikipediaLead sectionView the SourceWikipedia, Subscription Business Modeltier 2WikipediaQuestion On: Subscription Business Model, History sectionQuote, Question On: Subscription Business Model, History sectionThe model was pioneered by publishers of books and periodicals in the 17th century.View the SourceComments (0)No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.Sign in to join the discussion.Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.View At A Past YearThe atlas records no dated fact of its own for this entry, so there is no other year to choose.Show This Year