Recent WSJ subscriber numbers confirm DSBPI's belief that there is not only online content worth paying for, but that that people are increasingly doing just that. Gone are the heady days of boomland when both content and distribution were free -- netzero connectivity cost and eyeball grabbing strategy made ponying up for online wares a suckers game. Now, it's not just porn that is acquiring online subscribers, but the less hard core (for some) world of financial reporting and advice. It makes sense that finance is the first vertical to have success in charging for online content, as user's view the fee as an "investment." Sites like briefing.com and realmoney.com highlight how good Internet content can be; smart, opinionated and real-time. Stuff that wouldn't be sustainable without subscriber dinero.

But there are other web destinations that used to be a freeloader's delight that are now charging for premium content -- whether it's the Internet movie database's (imbd.com) professional offering, ESPN.com's fantasy football advice or CNN's video feeds -- DSBPI believes that these value-add offerings are increasingly worth the cash.

The market for online content is reaching equilibrium between seller and buyer. In this case, both content producers and acquirers benefit.