Time Inc. has launched a new subsidiary, Maghound Enterprises, to operate an online-based magazine membership service of the same name carrying magazines from Rodale, Hachette, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Alpha Media, Meredith and Bonnier--as well as Time Inc.

Maghound promises to update the circulation model for consumer magazines by letting members choose up to 15 titles they want to receive for one set monthly fee. The service allows them to switch titles whenever they like, meaning that a consumer could theoretically receive 180 different magazines in the course of a year.

There are three basic subscription tiers: three magazines titles for $4.95 per month, five magazine titles for $7.95 per month and seven magazines for $9.95 per month. Magazine addicts can add up to eight more titles to the third-tier subscription for $1.00 per title.

Dave Ventresca, the president of Maghound, compared the service to a la carte subscription plans and on-demand features that have mushroomed in digital media in recent years. "We've witnessed consumer-friendly purchasing models develop in several other media categories," he says. "Maghound is our attempt to bring magazines more on par with music, DVD's, cable TV and satellite radio."

On the digital magazine front, Texterity has created a new online service, Coverleaf.com, that allows readers to browse magazines by category, look at their table of contents and see free previews.

Then they can buy a single digital issue of a magazine, sign up for a digital subscription, search magazine archives and purchase back issues of the magazine. Once they have purchased the digital edition of a magazine, they can clip pages to share with friends, and store the clips in online folders. The site is also optimized for mobile interaction via Apple iPods and iPhones.

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