Digital makes free so much easier because it cuts out the distribution cost. But it also create an expectation that you shouldn’t have to pay for stuff, even stuff you value, like journalism.
In this article, Seth argues that digital is increasing the gap between free and paid, specific contrasting the old method where, say, free distribution of a song on the radio lead to sales.
“I’m certainly not arguing that content should be free, it’s clear that the argument on the either side isn’t absolute. My argument is that the line for using free as a discovery tool is shifting, and the best (and perhaps only) way to monetize in the future is for the idea to be encased in something that could never realistically be free. Products and services with a marginal cost of more than zero, for example.”
It’s a very good article and useful in our thinking about publishing business models.
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2011/06/discovery-free-145.html
