I recently reviewed Conde Nast’s “GQ” interactive magazine application and I reviewed it quite favorably. So I’m somewhat surprised that, in an Advertising Age interview, co-owner of Rolling stone Jann Wenner expressed some uncertainty for tablet versions of the magazines.

Although he had some kind words to say like “It’s a good magazine reading device, absolutely” and “The tablet itself is a really fun device. Some people are going to enjoy it a lot and use it”, it was clear that he wasn’t willing to risk a leap of faith.

As the interviewer stated in the introduction, they “let another company license and run RollingStone.com from 2003 through 2010.” Personally, I see this as someone who is afraid of adapting to the way things have already changed. He’s relied on print and has made his living from it so, it makes sense that he’s hesitant to abandon the form.

But, he doesn’t seem to consider how many benefits can be reaped from having a magazine that’s more engaging in more ways. He states that advertisers will pay less because there is less circulation in digital magazines, but I believe it’s simply time for advertisers to engage their audience more by implementing more interactive media and the digital magazine is a great platform to do that. Furthermore, this must cut down on costs for printing, paper and delivery.

As stated in my previous article, even Conde Nast is unsure about online publishing but they’re trying out their products anyway. I feel part of the problem is that they haven’t advertised the difference between digital and print versions of the magazine and, therefore, people have no inclination to try it out. I hope this platform takes off because some subjects demand an interactive element – how can you read about your band and not hear their music? Especially for a magazine like Rolling Stone, it’s a no-brainer to engage the audience on this level. Sure, people will still mainly buy the print edition, probably because they don’t have a tablet; as someone who owns a tablet, however, I found the experience favorable on a tablet and I don’t have to dedicate a large chunk of closet-space to storing back issues.

Overall, it seems Wenner agrees with me but he’s not willing to take the leap just yet: “you’re talking about a generation at least, maybe two generations, before the shift is decisive.” It’s up to Rolling Stone to remain at the forefront of this to stay relevant, otherwise they’re leaving a big hole for new online magazines to steal some more of their thunder, just like Pitchfork has done in, webpage form.

[Original Story Via Apple Insider]