In the last two years, artificial intelligence, particularly generative AI, has penetrated into all aspects of society. It’s used for organizational efficiency, stronger journalism, revenue development, consumer information, and much more. Among the most striking impacts of AI is how search engines no longer steer an inquiring searcher to a few website options. Now, as often as not, the engines return an AI summary, which very often is all the searcher needs. Boom. Reduced traffic for media operators.
This has totally transformed the role of Google and other search resources. Old-style SEO won’t necessarily help businesses seeking traffic anymore. Media companies and others have had to adjust.
But generative AI producers need huge amounts of reliable data. The last thing they want is errors and unreliable information. Among their primary sources of that data are media companies. Some of the major media companies have cut deals with the AI providers—Google, Meta, Open AI, Microsoft, X, and others. But the vast majority don’t have the kind of leverage needed to get the attention of AI providers. All this has led to issues of intellectual property and fair use and compensation for that property. It’s been a contentious period. Into this environment comes The Magazine Coalition, a new organization dedicated to helping publishers monetize their content, while standing up for content creator rights.
“Your headlines, your words, your traffic—all being gobbled up by giant systems,” the Coalition’s website states. These systems recycle it and generate revenue. And you? You get zero.”
“And it’s not just big media,” the Coalition continues. “If you’ve ever posted online—blog, newsletter, news site, anything—your content is probably in some AI’s brain. Your work is being used like secret fuel for billion-dollar machines. But guess what? Your content has value. And unless you do something, you won’t see a penny. Meanwhile, these AI tools are using your words to win at AI SEO, LLM SEO, and AI content optimization.
We ran into the two principals of the Coalition, Michael Simon and Gavin Gillas, at the recent Niche Leadership Summit in Dallas. Simon is a high-profile magazine industry figure who for many years was co-owner of the magazine printing company Publishers Press. Gillas is a serial tech entrepreneur and a lawyer based in Austin, Texas, whose software company, the Magazine Channel, was acquired by Publishers Press in 2016. With AI the hottest topic in media, it was a no-brainer to seek a Q&A with Simon and Gillas. Read on.
Fox Tales: Tell us about the creation of the Magazine Coalition. What precipitated it?
Michael Simon: Well, for the better part of four decades, I’ve had ink on my hands. I’ve seen this industry through thick and thin, and I can tell you that for years, we’ve watched our work—the ink, the paper, the countless hours of craftsmanship from writers, editors, and photographers—get treated like it was free for the taking on the internet. Generative AI wasn’t just another drop in the bucket; it was the whole flood. Suddenly, our entire archives, the legacy of our industry’s life work, were being used to build someone else’s fortune without so much as a “by your leave.” It’s a matter of common sense and fair play. We knew that if we didn’t stand together as an industry, we’d be picked apart one by one. The Coalition is our way of drawing a line in the sand and ensuring the foundation of quality publishing is respected and compensated.
Gavin Gillas.
Gavin Gillas: From my perspective as a serial entrepreneur in the tech space, this was a classic market failure screaming for a platform solution. You had a collision of two massive forces: An insatiable demand from AI developers for high-quality, reliable training data, and an equally massive copyright liability for acquiring that data illegally. The multi-million dollar deals for premium content proved the market existed, and the multi-billion dollar potential in statutory damages created the incentive for a legitimate marketplace. You can see how it’s playing out in the courts now, with the $1.5B settlement paid by Anthropic to book publishers this month. We didn’t just see a problem; we saw the opportunity to build the essential market infrastructure—a scalable, efficient clearinghouse—that de-risks the AI industry while creating a vital new revenue stream for content creators.
Fox Tales: Tell us about the actual process once a company signs up with the Coalition. Who do you connect with on the AI/tech company side?
Gillas: Our process is architected for seamless integration and scalability. When a publisher partners with us, we ingest their full content library into our aggregated, proprietary database. This becomes a single, queryable asset. We then provide access to this asset to AI developers via a sophisticated API. This model is a force multiplier for efficiency. Instead of an AI company like Google, Microsoft, Meta, or OpenAI having to hunt down and negotiate thousands of one-off licensing deals, they integrate with our API once to get compliant access to our entire catalog. We are targeting the entire AI ecosystem, from the tech giants to the next wave of disruptive startups that need premium data to compete.
Fox Tales: How is it working so far? How are the AI companies responding?
Gillas: The traction is significant. The AI industry is rapidly maturing past its “move fast and break things” phase. The C-suites and legal departments at these companies are acutely aware of their IP liability, and they know that data quality is the critical bottleneck for improving model performance and reducing errors. They are actively seeking solutions that offer both legal indemnification and a superior data product. The response has been overwhelmingly positive because we’re not coming to them with a problem; we’re coming with an elegant solution that serves their strategic interests. Efficiency is a language they understand, and a one-stop shop for the world’s best-curated content is a compelling value proposition.
Fox Tales: Can you share how many media companies have joined the coalition so far, and your ultimate goal?
Simon: We’re in deep discussions with publishers that represent hundreds of titles, and more are reaching out to us every week. People in our business know a good deal when they see one. But frankly, our ultimate goal isn’t a number—it’s to become the true advocate for the magazine industry in this new era. It’s to ensure that every publisher, whether they’re a household name or a small, family-owned trade journal, has a seat at the table and gets their fair shake. My vision is for the Magazine Coalition to be the organization that secures the future of our craft, proving that quality content is, and always will be, worth paying for.
Fox Tales: Say I’m a small B2B media company covering the tire industry. What can that company expect from joining the Coalition?
Simon: That’s the very soul of what we’re doing right here. If you’re that publisher, you know more about the tire industry than anyone on God’s green earth. Your work is the bedrock of that industry’s knowledge. An AI model trying to advise a logistics company or an auto manufacturer is utterly useless without your expertise. By yourself, you’re one voice. With us, you’re part of a choir. You get the leverage of our entire catalog, the strength of our world-class legal team, and a share in the revenue we generate—all without spending a dime of your own capital. We give you the power to monetize your life’s work on a scale you could never achieve alone. It’s about protecting our own and making sure everyone, no matter their size, prospers.
Fox Tales: How do you see this playing out in 12-18 months?
Gillas: The next 12 to 18 months are about execution and achieving market velocity. Our roadmap is clear: First, onboard a critical mass of publishers to achieve an unassailable strategic advantage in content breadth and quality. Second, close our first keystone licensing deals with major AI labs, which will validate the model and establish the market rate for this asset class. Third, launch targeted, high-impact enforcement actions where necessary to make it clear that the only path to using our members’ content is through our API. The end state is to become the indispensable utility for AI development—the “Intel Inside” for trusted, licensed content in AI models.
Fox Tales: I’m really just scratching the surface here, so please add/elaborate as you see fit.
Simon: I’ll just leave you with this thought. There’s a world of difference between information and knowledge. Any computer can scrape information. But knowledge—the kind that’s been researched, edited, and fact-checked by professionals—that’s what we create. In a world full of AI-generated noise, the demand for that human-led credibility will only grow stronger. We’re here to make sure its value is finally, and fairly, recognized.
Gillas: To add to that, we are fundamentally building a more equitable ecosystem. The old internet model devalued premium content. The new AI model, if structured correctly, can properly value it. By creating a transparent, efficient marketplace, we ensure that publishers have the resources to continue their vital work, and AI companies have the fuel they need to feed their models responsibly. It’s the necessary next step in the evolution of both media and technology.