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Trends in Tech & Media:

• ✉️Newsletters as patronage. Another day, another long magazine piece about the future of journalism/media/writing/culture as we know it. New York Magazine's The Cut published a sweeping review of the newsletter landscape this week, interviewing several prominent writers. It's mostly a rehashing about what we already know, but the idea of patronage for personality, regardless of quality, stood out as interesting to me: "This is part of the appeal of paying to subscribe in the first place: the chance to consume conscientiously and, in so doing, to become part of a like-minded community." Paid subscriptions, rather than an endorsement of well-created craft, may just be another iteration of digital tribalism. 
   
• 🏃‍♀️ Outside Media's smart bundle. Morning Brew's Jacob Donnelly analyzed the new $99/per year bundle at Outside Media, an outdoor adventure brand built around verticles like hiking, running, and camping. The bundle includes subscriptions to magazines, but also access to a mapping app and discounts for athletic events. Donnelly compared the bundle to offerings at TechCrunch: Extra Crunch members get discounts on Zoom, AWS, and Brex credit cards. A bundle of perks is a smart strategy, according to Donnelly: "As more media pivots to subscriptions and memberships, it’ll become harder to get people to sign up. The content may be the core offering, but it may be the secondary features that push the conversion over the finish line."
   
• 🥳 Mel Magazine is back. Dollar Shave Club's Mel Magazine was one of the most interesting recombinations of content + commerce: an editorial magazine built to entertain a specific audience that may, someday, be interested in buying razors. Then, it closed. Dollar Shave Club severed its financial relationship with the magazine in March, leaving many staff writers without jobs. This week, the magazine announced new backing by Recurrent Ventures, along with new plans for advertising and affiliate revenue. Subscriptions aren't on the roadmap, for now. Other than that, the magazine's personality-driven reporting will remain the same, according to execs: "The key difference is that it will now be monetized."

Resources:

• Check out this list of 23 newsletters to read. 
• Revue launched a feature to import existing posts. 
• Edwin Dorsey and Polina Marinova Pompliano rounded up their favorite newsletters. 

Inside Newsletter Crew's Community

Newsletters to read:

• Numlock News. Numlock highlights the fascinating numbers that are buried in the news. Subscribe.
   
• Raisin Bread. Raisin Bread is a weekly marketing newsletter. Every week, we interview the world's best marketers, then share their insights — along with news, trends, and tips — to give marketers an edge in their careers. Subscribe.
   
• The Profile. The Profile studies the most successful and interesting people and companies in business, entertainment, tech, sports, and more. Everyone has a story, and we can all learn a lesson or two from the world's most successful. Subscribe.
   
• The Publish Press. Get the 3 biggest stories from the creator economy delivered free to your inbox every Tuesday and Friday. Subscribe.
   
• Medialyte. A pseudo-serious newsletter that explores the innovators, innovations, and reasons for optimism in the media industry. Subscribe.
   
• Reboot. Reboot is a publication and community for technologists charting a more conscious role in the world. Every week, we share a book review or an essay by a Reboot community member, plus a few links that sparked joy and thought. Subscribe.
   
• Chips + Dip. Chips + Dips is a newsletter living at the intersection of ecomm, tech, and branding. Chips are small news bites. Dips are deeper dives. Subscribe. 
   
• (Un)real. (un)real is an exploration of the future and what’s possible when real and digital life converge … IRL + URL = ? Subscribe.
   
• The Half Marathoner. The Half Marathoner is a newsletter written by Terrell Johnson, the founder and editor-in-chief of Half Marathon Guide, plus Carissa Liebowitz and Hollie Sick, a pair of highly experienced runners who share everything they know about how to become a better runner. Subscribe.
   
• Fintech Today. Fintech Today is a newsletter on what's newsworthy and noteworthy in the fintech space, written by Ian Kar and Julie Verhage. Subscribe.