• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, October 4, 2012

The proliferation of digital platforms presents a challenge for magazine publishers when it comes to tracking sales, but that process is getting easier thanks to CDS Global, which has launched a new product, eEditions, to aggregate digital sales data from multiple sources.
 
According to CDS, eEditions currently gathers customer data across digital vendors, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Zinio; customer data from Apple will be available soon.
 
By providing aggregated sales reporting and data management for magazine publishers, eEditions aims to eliminate the need for publishers to manually retrieve and analyze raw customer data from individual newsstand vendors, allowing them to see sales, retention, audit and financial data across different newsstands.
 
The new service offers data reporting in a number of categories, including sales, measured by issue and orders; subscription retention and stick rates by issues. Data can be sorted by date, title, offer and format. It also offers financial reconciliation of sales and revenue recognition, and integration with ABC and BPA statement filing.
 
Forbes Launches BrandVoice Video Blog
 
Forbes.com bowed a new feature, the BrandVoice video blog, which allows brands to serve as prominent sponsors for business-related video content with a personal edge. The video content is a new element for BrandVoice, a hybrid editorial-advertising feature that launched two years ago (and was originally called AdVoice).

The first brand to appear in the BrandVoice video blog is Cartier, sponsoring “CartierEntrepreneurVoice: Make Your Move,” which consists of three videos highlighting successful entrepreneurs who share tips and anecdotes from their own careers. The first video features Jeremy Bloom, co-founder of advertising-technology company Integrate.com. He is a two-time Olympic moguls skier and a former NFL wide receiver, interviewed by Thrillist Media Group co-founder Ben Lerer.  In the second video, Lerer will interview chef David Chang, owner of Momofuku.
 
Consumer Reports Restructures
 
Consumer Reports, the iconic product guide, is undergoing a wide-ranging reorganization, according to Folio:. The shake-up is focused on centralizing control of the magazine’s editorial, testing, and survey groups, and will probably involve some layoffs, per execs cited by the trade mag. As part of the restructuring, vice-president and editorial director Kevin McKean has already departed the company.
 
Modern Luxury Buys Aspen Magazine
 
Modern Luxury, which targets affluent readers with tony regional and local magazines, has acquired Aspen Magazine for an undisclosed sum. Janet O’Grady, who previously owned the magazine, is staying on as editor. News of the deal comes just as Aspen Magazine appeared headed for closure, following the cancellation of its summer and fall issues. The deal means a reprieve for staffers, as no layoffs are currently anticipated.