| Yogaworks has opened a new studio in New York, | | | | get bodies on the mats. That's because they rent |
| at the corner of Broadway and Grand Street. It's got | | | | the space from the studio owner, and the students |
| bamboo floors, showers with impressive pressure, | | | | are reimbursing the teacher for that rental. More |
| electronically-locking lockers and walls painted in | | | | students, you profit. Less, you're in the hole. It's a |
| restful Ralph Lauren colors. The only thing missing? | | | | problem similar to that faced by online journalists and |
| People. On the two days we went there there were | | | | other content providers. Hey, what's that sound |
| few students. What's wrong with this yoga picture? | | | | you're hearing? It's the creaky gears of my |
| Disclosure: I'm not going to rag on Yogaworks too | | | | metaphor turning. |
| badly. They gave us two free classes. But I think the | | | | Think about all that's free to the user on the web: |
| empty studios are symptomatic of a pricing and | | | | Google, Twitter, Facebook. Successful? Google had |
| marketing approach that is not working. For you | | | | $21.9 billion in revenue last year. Facebook, with 300 |
| non-yogis, bear with me, because this will become a | | | | million users, just turned profitable. Twitter? Get back |
| metaphor for monetizing the web, particularly web | | | | to you on that. Point is, free access works on the |
| journalism. (Metaphors, like yoga positions, can be | | | | web and it can be monetized. Free services like |
| bent a lot.) Ready? Ok, take a deep breath and let it | | | | Pandora have ads, but you can pay to get rid of |
| out slowly. | | | | them. |
| The new Yogaworks in New York is built on a gym | | | | My metaphor is flawed, of course. Netflix is a |
| membership pricing plan. They want you to pay a | | | | successful subscription model with a low-price point, |
| monthly fee plus initiation, just like Crunch Gym or | | | | and yoga teachers don't make enough money unless |
| Spectrum. It's a common model in NY and I suppose | | | | their classes are packed.Imagine, however, if they |
| the Yogaworks brain trust figures they'll grab some | | | | tried some of the Web's dumber ideas to generate |
| gym rats seeking to convert their sweat into | | | | cash? How about pop up ads projected on the wall |
| salvation. But it's old school. | | | | during class? Or the teacher who casually mentions |
| In Santa Monica, several new studios work on a | | | | that she loves Manduka brand mats? Weaving ads |
| different pricing plan. You pay what you want. No | | | | into content is even happening on Twitter. The next |
| membership, no set fee. Walk-ins are ok. You may | | | | Tweet you read be a plug, which is beyond irritating. |
| not get a fancy shower (actually at YogaCo, you do) | | | | Just thinking about it, I might have to do a yoga |
| but you get a sense of connection with the teacher | | | | class to calm down. |
| because you are paying him or her directly. They're | | | | All the same, I'd rather buy my yoga salvation like |
| not working for a corporation; it's a collective. | | | | music on iTunes - pay as I go, no subliminal ads, no |
| Donation-based yoga is an old model from India, and | | | | subscriptions. |
| truth be told, the teachers don't profit unless they | | | | |