”Outsell, a research and advisory firm that focuses on Internet content, expressed skepticism [about KeepMedia] in its weekly newsletter: “ Northern Light tried it and
didn’t make it, although founder David Seuss is attempting some sort
of resurrection.  eLibrary tried it, and now its new owner,
Alacritude, is in the process of repositioning eLibrary.  The
KeepMedia model is a monthly $4.95 subscription for access to
archives, but not the current edition of magazines.  KeepMedia is
pushing itself as a solution for media companies that have not yet
figured out a way to make much money off their archives and might
welcome a way to replace their own proprietary archives.  But that
orientation might be the Achilles heel of this project.  Successful
products focus on users’ needs, not suppliers’. The very idea of
taking the world’s content and putting it in a box sounds shockingly
pre-Web today. A solution that works for the consumer market will
more likely look like Google News and be ad-supported, or it will look
like the P2P music world with a micropayments scheme bolted onto it.
If KeepMedia succeeds it will defy almost 10 years of post-Web
experience.”

Also see: Older and wiser Webvan founder eases back into the fray with Web content venture