Revenue Share vs. Breakage: Calculating the Publisher's Cut in Subscription Services
The models could not be less alike. If the Subscription Share is akin to a business partnership, then the Breakage Model is more like a casino, with the players (the publishers) trying their skill and luck against the house (the aggregator).
It is far too early to say whether one of these models will come to dominate the field or whether they can peacefully co-exist. One truism that has emerged time and time again, as we enter the adolescence of digital publishing, is that it is exceedingly difficult to make any generalities across all publishing market segments. Each market segment requires solutions that take into considerations its unique characteristics. For this reason, we may well see both of these models -- and others -- continue to be used to support the varying needs of different market segments as the subscription economy evolves.