[dfriedmn]

"I’m convinced that medium/long-form writing’s future is unthreatened; but remain puzzled that nobody in new media has really figured out the elite-curation story and created a place that you go, and then subscribe to with real money, because that’s where you have a high chance of being entertained, influenced, and informed."

It seems like Svbtle may be going after exactly what you describe here, although it's unclear whether it will be free or paid at this point.

[natep]

It seemed strange to me that the author would conclude that this is what they expect to happen. If the goal is influence, wouldn't you want the share-ability of free? Then again, if you convince enough influential people to subscribe to your thoughts, and they can share amongst themselves, maybe that nets you even more influence.