They're forced to depend on reader information because their advertisers demand it, and advertisers are where almost all of their revenue comes from. They only

They're forced to depend on reader information because their advertisers demand it, and advertisers are where almost all of their revenue comes from. They only really charge you for the subscription because their advertisers would revolt otherwise -- it'd artificially inflate their perceived mindshare. Newsstand sales (which the Apple sales would be counted as) currently make them meager profits, are normally mostly pulped, and don't count towards the demographic data that actually pays for shit. The analogy to music is bullshit -- Music publishers never had this direct demographic data, and don't sell ads based on it (product placement in pop music notwithstanding).