FOLLOW THE FREE

The natural question is how companies…

… are to survive in a world of such generosity? Three points will help.

First, think of “free” as a design goal for pricing. There is a drive toward the free–the asymptotic free–that, even if not reached, makes the system behave as if it has been reached. A very cheap rate can have an effect equivalent to being outright free.

Second, pricing a core product as free positions other services to be expensive. Thus, Sun gives Java away to help sell servers, and Netscape hands out consumer browsers to help sell commercial server software.

Third, and most important, following the free is a way to rehearse a service’s or a good’s eventual fall to free. You structure your business as if the thing that you are creating is free in anticipation of where its price is going. Thus, while Sega game consoles are not free to consumers, they are sold as loss leaders to accelerate their journey toward their eventual destiny–to be given away in a network economy.