Generally speaking, a subscription is a contract in which a series of benefits are provided in return for a lower lump-sum payment, usually in advance. The prosaic legal definition, however, scarcely conveys the fundamental transformation of cultural practice that went hand in hand with the establishment of subscriptions as a form of marketing. This can be illustrated by the history of the theater. Its origins are found in the aristocratic box rental, which originated in the Romance-language world and became common in the German-speaking world as well tow…