• by Masha Geller , May 29, 2001

When Salon.com decided to offer ad-free content to visitors for a price, some critics said it would never work – people would never pay for something they could get for free.

Au contraire! About 20 million U.S. Web users say that they have paid for online content, according to a Web study conducted by Lyra Research's Content Intelligence Group.

The study's respondents identified two key reasons that motivated their payment decisions: the paid site was the only place where they could get what they wanted (43%), or they paid because they were curious about the content (39%).

Yes, 90% of Web users who admitted paying for content were motivated by personal interest or entertainment desires, and yes, 45% of those who paid for Web content bought adult- related material.

But, the survey also points out that the next two most popular paid-for Web content categories were work-related subjects: industry-specific business sites (27%) and online database services (18%).

The probe found that premium music/video sites or specialized/premium news sites also drew about 10% of the paying audience.

Commenting on the findings, John Mc Intyre, managing editor of Content Intelligence, says the research shows that as the length of Web experience grows from one year to four, the likelihood of buying content more than doubles. "This is good news for the future of an industry that has endured a tidal wave of failed business models."

>