Modern Drummer went from 0 to 900 digital subscriptions in just two weeks after switching from a hard paywall to a metered model.

The Challenge

For 40 years, Modern Drummer built its reputation as the world’s most widely read drum magazine through print. When they moved online, they brought print-era thinking with them: PDFs hidden behind hard paywalls, content scattered across disconnected platforms, and a digital strategy focused on driving people back to print subscriptions.

It wasn’t that Modern Drummer lacked digital ambition. They had a WordPress news blog, an amazing podcast, a cart for individual digital issues, and even a dedicated app for readers. But everything was disconnected—each platform required separate loading, separate updates, separate maintenance. And worse, almost none of their best content was searchable by Google or shareable on social media. All those rich interviews and educational pieces were buried in PDFs and flipbooks behind impermeable walls.

The result? Their most valuable content was invisible to the world. Meanwhile, print advertisers were pulling out, and the magazine needed new revenue streams fast.

Miguel Monroy joined as Business and Content Development Lead with a clear mandate: make sure revenue wasn’t coming from just one source. “We’ve had the old-school hard copy magazine for 40 years,” he explains. “People want to experience content in an entirely new way.”

The Solution

Modern Drummer made one fundamental shift: they switched from a hard paywall to a metered model offering three free articles per month, then a $5/month subscription for unlimited access.

The change was philosophical as much as technical. Instead of hiding content behind walls, they opened it up. Full-screen popup ads that covered the entire screen? Gone immediately. Every article could now be indexed by Google, shared on social media, and discovered by new readers.

They also consolidated their workflow through a single WordPress dashboard, eliminating separate systems for blog, podcast, and digital issues. One platform now managed everything—including a premium archive tier for accessing 40 years of back issues.

Their social strategy evolved too. Rather than running “subscribe now!” ads, Modern Drummer focused on growing their fan base organically through shareable content. They used Facebook as a “mini-issue,” posting teasers that pointed back to the main site where visitors could read full articles before hitting the subscription prompt.

They also built a robust email program—sending curated, topical articles three times a month with no ads or overt promotions. Just pure, valuable content. The emails drove readers back to the site where the metered paywall could work its magic.

The Results

Within one year of launching the metered model:

• 0 to 900 digital subscriptions in the first two weeks alone
• 65% growth in organic traffic
• 118% increase in social media traffic
• 193% growth in referral traffic
• 189% increase in email traffic
• 109% growth in direct traffic

The organic subscriptions generated each month now outperform their previous paid advertising campaigns. And 75% of new social followers come organically from readers sharing content they love—across their 430K Facebook followers, 149K Instagram followers, and 75K Twitter followers.

“It makes me so happy that I can sell subscriptions by having people experience great content. I don’t have to tell them ‘I promise we’re great,’ but rather point them at incredible articles. And after they check out two more articles, they discover the option to subscribe for $5 per month themselves.”

— Miguel Monroy, Business and Content Development Lead, Modern Drummer

Key Takeaway

Publishers with decades of valuable content don’t need to hide it behind hard paywalls. A metered approach lets readers experience your value firsthand—and that experience sells subscriptions more effectively than any ad campaign. Modern Drummer proved that opening up access actually increased conversions by letting the content do the selling.

Pete’s presentation at WordCamp for Publishers