Metroland
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1977
- HeadquartersAlbany, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
Metroland firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Metroland
- Legal name
- Lou Communications, Inc.
- Website
- https://metroland.net
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1977
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Metroland industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Alternative Newsweekly
- NAICS
- Periodical Publishers (51312), Newspaper Publishers (513110)
- SIC
- Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711), Services-Advertising (7310)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Alternative/Independent Newsweeklies & Opinion Press (MPAJADAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Arts, Culture & Literary Magazines (MPAJAEAN), Local & Regional Newspapers (Print & Digital) (MPAJADAB)
Keywords
Where Metroland is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Albany
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Metroland business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Print Advertising: Primary revenue from display and classified advertising placed in the weekly print publication
- Online/Website Advertising: Digital advertising through the metroland.net website
- MetroMarket Gift Certificates: E-commerce platform selling gift certificates from local restaurants and businesses at 50% discount. Revenue derived from sale margin and transaction fees.
- Circulation/Subscriptions: Weekly print distribution to readers; single copy and subscription model
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | MetroMarket Gift Certificates - Various denominations |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Metroland product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Metroland publishes a weekly alternative newsweekly covering local news, politics, arts, culture, and dining for New York's Capital Region, distributed every Thursday to 100,000+ readers. The publication also operates MetroMarket, a discount marketplace selling gift certificates from local restaurants and businesses at 50% off face value, and distributes a weekly MetroExtra email newsletter. Complementary offerings include an event calendar, reader contests, personal ads, and the Secrets column.
Product overview
Metroland operates as an alternative newsweekly publication with a digital platform serving New York's Capital Region. The core offering consists of the main newsweekly publication (Metroland) and its discount marketplace (MetroMarket), which together provide news coverage, entertainment listings, and e-commerce for local businesses. Supporting features include an event calendar, contests, personal ads (I Saw U), and the Secrets column. The publication reaches over 100,000 area residents weekly with news, arts coverage, and comprehensive entertainment listings.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- MetroMarket: A discount marketplace offering 50% off local businesses and restaurants in the Capital Region, selling gift certificates and dining cards
Products and services
- Metroland Newsweekly Weekly alternative newsweekly publication covering local and regional news, politics, arts, culture, dining, and opinion for Capital Region residents; distributed every Thursday via newsstands, subscriptions, and direct delivery to 100,000+ readers.
- MetroMarket Discount gift certificate marketplace selling Capital Region restaurant, entertainment, and service-business gift certificates at 50% off face value; serves both consumers seeking dining/entertainment deals and local businesses seeking promotional customer acquisition.
Companies that use Metroland
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Metroland technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Metroland partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Metroland competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Restaurant.com: National discount gift certificate marketplace for restaurants offering fixed-price dining deals. Directly comparable to Metroland's MetroMarket product in the discounted dining certificate category, though operating at national scale versus Metroland's regional scope.
Direct peers
- Willamette Week: Portland, Oregon alternative newsweekly with arts, dining, and investigative journalism coverage. Comparable print+digital model serving a mid-size metro with strong local business advertising base.
- Chicago Reader: Long-running alternative newsweekly serving Chicago with arts, dining, and alternative journalism. Comparable print+digital editorial model and revenue mix of advertising, subscriptions, and events coverage.
- The Stranger (Seattle): Seattle-based alternative newsweekly with strong arts, dining, and opinion coverage. Comparable weekly print plus digital platform model serving an engaged urban readership with local business advertising.
- Chronogram: Independent alternative monthly magazine serving the Hudson Valley/Capital Region with deep arts, culture, and local journalism coverage. Closely comparable alternative-press editorial model and overlapping geographic audience in upstate New York.
- LA Weekly: Alternative newsweekly covering Los Angeles with arts, music, dining, and opinion coverage. Comparable business model of print publication plus digital platform serving a major metro with regional advertising base.
- Village Voice: Historic American alternative newsweekly known for arts coverage, investigative local journalism, and provocative opinion. Closely comparable format and editorial positioning, though serving NYC rather than upstate markets.
- Austin Chronicle: Independent alternative newsweekly serving Austin with comprehensive arts, music, food, and political coverage. Closely comparable format, revenue model, and editorial positioning as a community-focused alt-weekly.
- Times Union (Albany): The dominant daily newspaper serving the same Capital Region of New York. Directly comparable as a regional news publisher targeting Albany-area readers and advertisers, though Metroland differentiates as an alternative weekly vs. Times Union's daily format.
Regional players
- Seven Days (Vermont): Independent alternative newsweekly serving Vermont with arts, dining, and event coverage. Comparable editorial model and print+digital format, but operating in adjacent upstate/New England geography rather than directly competing in Metroland's Capital Region territory.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Metroland social profiles
Digital presenceMetroland financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Metroland leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Metroland funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Metroland M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Metroland
What does Metroland do?
Metroland publishes a weekly alternative newsweekly covering local news, politics, arts, culture, and dining for New York's Capital Region, distributed every Thursday to 100,000+ readers. The publication also operates MetroMarket, a discount marketplace selling gift certificates from local restaurants and businesses at 50% off face value, and distributes a weekly MetroExtra email newsletter. Complementary offerings include an event calendar, reader contests, personal ads, and the Secrets column.
Is Metroland a public or private company?
Metroland is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Metroland founded?
Metroland was founded in 1977. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Metroland based?
Metroland is headquartered in Albany, United States, in the North America region.
How does Metroland make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Print Advertising is the primary driver. The others are online/Website Advertising, metroMarket Gift Certificates and circulation/Subscriptions.
Who are Metroland's main competitors?
Restaurant.com is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are Willamette Week, Chicago Reader, The Stranger (Seattle), Chronogram, LA Weekly, Village Voice, Austin Chronicle and Times Union (Albany). Seven Days (Vermont) is listed as a regional player.
Does Metroland have an API?
No public API is recorded for Metroland.
What industry is Metroland in?
Metroland's product category is Alternative Newsweekly. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJADAH, Alternative/Independent Newsweeklies & Opinion Press, with a secondary code of MPAJAEAN, Arts, Culture & Literary Magazines. Its NAICS code is 51312 and its SIC code is 2721.