I really think Chris Anderson is a very talented author, I have learnt so much out of his last bestseller “The Long Tail” where he demonstrated how the online marketplace creates niche markets, allowing products and consumers to connect in a way that has never been possible before.
I have been anxiously waiting for his new book “Free: The Future of a Radical Price” since he announced it almost about 12 months ago, the book was released on July 7th and I have been dying to get a copy in my hands (the problem, I am currently traveling overseas and cannot get it right away).
.
But I have now been able to get the book not in my hands but in my ipod (all the details later on…), and I have been enjoying every bit of it.
One of the first concepts that I have clearly understood from Anderson’s new book is that
“Information wants to be free”
In this new book he makes the compelling case that in many instances businesses can profit more from giving things away than they can by charging for them. Far more than a promotional gimmick, Free is a business strategy that may well be essential to a company’s survival, and I can testify to this, because in the travel / timeshare industry I have been involved with, the concept of Free is a very common business practice.
The costs associated with the growing online economy are trending toward zero at an incredible rate. Never in the course of human history have the primary inputs to an industrial economy fallen in price so fast and for so long.
“Information wants to be free.” The digital age, Anderson argues, is exerting downward pressure on the prices of all things “made of ideas.” Anderson does not consider this a passing trend. Rather, he seems to think of it as an iron law.
To musicians who believe that their music is being pirated, Anderson is blunt. They should stop complaining, and capitalize on the added exposure that piracy provides by making money through touring, merchandise sales, and “yes, the sale of some of [their] music to people who still want CDs or prefer to buy their music online.”
To the newspaper industry, he would say the same thing. Newspapers need to accept that content is never again going to be worth what they want it to be worth, and reinvent their business. “Out of the bloodbath will come a new role for professional journalists,” he predicts.
Yet this is just one engine behind the new Free, a reality that goes beyond a marketing gimmick or a cross-subsidy. Anderson also points to the growth of the reputation economy; explains different models for unleashing the power of Free; and shows how to compete when your competitors are giving away what you’re trying to sell.
In Free, Chris Anderson explores this radical idea for the new global economy and demonstrates how this revolutionary price can be harnessed for the benefit of consumers and businesses alike.
“Information wants to be free”
Watch this great video where you can learn more about this book
Video – Free – The Future of a Radical Price (Brightcove)
And last but not least
You can buy this great new book at Amazon.com
Amazon.com: Free – The Future of a Radical Price $16.19
BUT DON’T YOU THINK HE SHOULD GIVE THIS BOOK FOR FREE ? (at least to support his case)
Well, he does
Here you can download an Unabridged Audio version of this great book
——– >>>>>>>> ABSOLUTELY FREE !!!!!!!!
http://www.wired.com/images/multimedia/free/FREE_Audiobook_unabridged.zip
I am now very happy because even though I am out of the country and could not get a copy of this book the day it came out, I am not able to listen to it FOR FREE.
Get Anderson’s newest book “Free” for FREE.
