Subscription Services - Good or not?

Hi there!

Something else I notice a lot of, are companies offering subscriptions to "stock picks".  

I would imagine if these services offer true value, and a lot of people subscribe, that would allow these companies to invest further, and make more money out of the offerings regardless of performance.  That said, some of the companies do seem to have reasonable returns, the sad fact is that me being a sceptic, I can't get past thinking there's a catch, a deal breaker?

One thing that definitely will happen, is when the subscription service become popular, a particular pick being recommended is going to have a speculative effect on the share in question.  If that fits the strategy you use, then it's good, but if you're looking for something such as value stocks, that pick may initially appear to be good because of the sharp rise, but actually only be due to the number of people purchasing that stock.

The other downside is that such a stock pick, since it is broadcast to a number of people as being a "hot" pick, the share price will rise, which may very quickly change the stock to no longer being a good buy, since the price per earnings ratio will rise quickly.

This final point also goes a long way toward being able to agree with the efficient market theory previously mentioned, since you would see that effect in action, even if the signal is artificial.

So, in answer to my original posting title, is it good or not?  I think largely it depends on what you use it for, and what your strategy is.  It would be great to hear from such companies on this blog, for those people to point out further benefits, and to maybe even give some good evidence for readers of the blog, and potential subscribers some good offers too?