Can Subscription Work on the Web?

Apparently the New York Times is giving up on a dual revenue stream and no longer charging for access to special features on their site, N.Y. Times Select. Lost fees will be made up, hopefully, by more eyeballs and thus more advertising revenue. So with the Times caving in, does this lead to more sites doing the same. I was not a subscriber to their website, although we have been getting the print edition home delivered for years. I always felt that I could get the information I needed without paying extra for it. obviously others felt the same.

And yet, I am a subscriber to the Zagat subscription site, receiving both a book and full web access to their reviews. Am I in the minority; do most people find adequate info to their search without paying extra for membership. And will that type of open access lead to fundamental change in behavior. Will people stop buying the print edition of the Times or the Zagat book, when the info is so easily accessible on the web. In these two cases, and as many others are noticing, convergence is changing behavior and old methods need to be replaced with new thinking. How companies find new ways to monetize these businesses will determine their continued existence and their profitability.