News website Quartz has created a new membership package, putting up a partial paywall and giving readers the chance to take part in weekly conference calls with reporters and editors.
Under the new premium content model, access to Quartz’s global economy coverage will cost $14.99 (£11.61) a month or $99.99 (£77.42) for the first year for “founding members” (normally $149.99).
Subscribers will also receive a series of “in-depth” daily articles on an industry, company, or phenomenon that’s “changing the state of play in business” as well as interviews with business leaders, Quartz said.
Members can submit questions and ideas for interviews ahead of time and can also ask questions of journalists and help “guide coverage” in conference calls with the news team, it has revealed.
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Quartz, which was sold by Atlantic Media to Japanese media firm Uzabase earlier this year, said it expected to be hosting events for members in 2019.
As part of its structural shake-up, Quartz has also launched a free app featuring aggregated news from Quartz and rival publications.
In a letter to readers on the changes, Quartz editor-in-chief Kevin Delaney and publisher Jay Lauf said: “Quartz was founded as a guide to the new global economy, determined to do things differently and bring bracingly intelligent journalism to the next generation of business leaders.
“These past six years have been even more amazing than we hoped, and we’re endlessly grateful for your support and readership.
“We’re now releasing the foundation for the years ahead, a platform that allows you to leave behind the shouting matches and echo chambers of social media to truly understand what’s happening with depth and clarity.
“It’s a way for business people to see what news other smart people are talking about, and engage in a civil discussion about it.”
The new Quartz app, sponsored by Deloitte and insurance firm Prudential, will offer posts by business leaders, such as Arianna Huffington, Richard Branson and World Bank chief executive Kristalina Georgieva.
App users will be able to chat with other users below posts, Quartz said. It takes inspiration from the Uzabase platform Newspicks, which is used by 3m people in Japan, according to the Financial Times.
Quartz is not the only publisher to offer readers a chance to interact with journalists as part of a membership model.
Ex-BBC News director James Harding’s “slow news” venture Tortoise Media, which sold founding memberships as part of a fundraiser for its 2019 launch, is set to run open news conferences that it dubs “thinkins”.
Quartz will still offer free email newsletters and content on its website.
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