Lawrence Lessig and free media

TalkBack 2 of 31:

Next »

« Previous

• Thread View
• Flat View

Don't overestimate the value of free samples.

Sometimes free samples do work. The free AV I use (Avast!) apparently gains enough from home user attention that the loss of revenues is worthwhile. If the company changed its mind, the free version would be discontinued.

An AV has been presold as necessary. People and organizations are therefore looking for AVs from a reputable company. Demand already exists, and the product will be sought out, so providing the product free is a savings on advertising.

On the contrary, an undiscovered artist or writer is not offering anyone knows he wants. Many thousands of musicians and writers can offer free products, and no one will seek them out.

The writers and musicians have to be called to attention. Almost invariably, the only effective approach is substantial, exopensive publicity by a company in the business of creating prominence.

Yes, there are exceptions such as a MySpace campaign, though how much income that prominence will generate has yet to be determined.

So you exaggerated when you wrote:
"Free samples are a great way to spread the good word. That does not mean that making your entire music library available for free is a great way to build your business."

In the creative business, free samples are a standard approach for those without resources or a contract. They sometimes work by fluke. The sure and solid path to prominence costs a lot of money. To be repaid by sales of performance.

Your comment about building a business by being paid is of course completely accurate. Strange that it seemed reasonable to have to say such an obvious conclusion.

Posted by: Anton Philidor   Posted on: 06/02/06 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

Alert moderator to an offensive message

Subscribe to this discussion via Email or RSS

SponsoredWhite Papers, Webcasts, and Downloads

• Why Isn't Server Virtualization Saving Us More? A Few Small Changes May Dramatically Increase Your Efficiency VMware Companies have rapidly adopted server virtualization over the past few ... Download Now
• Unrivaled support from Novell, now available for Red Hat Novell If Linux is going to power your mission-critical applications, you'd ... Download Now
• Three Steps You Need to Know to Stop Data Loss Varonis Sensitive data exposed to misuse or loss... it is the stuff of nightmares ... Download Now