But analysts insist future growth will be strong. Rather than worry about charging, industry experts say content sites should dedicate resources to developing their customer databases so they can offer advertisers a more compelling reason to buy. Consumers might not pay, but they probably will register for special content such as an e-mail newsletter. With a sophisticated customer database, sites can offer more targeted ads. One thing seems clear, however.
Some companies seem to be doing well by charging fees.
That means a Kansas City Royals fan living in the Big Apple can always listen to Royals games. But even the Journal understands that eyeballs and advertising alone might work in some cases. To be sure, even following these rules is no guarantee that paying for content online will ever be a home run. And while getting access to every baseball game is convenient, savvy Web surfers might be able to find a free online radio broadcast themselves with a few clicks of a mouse. For now, though, most content sites are looking for survival tactics, not a new business model.