What does free software look like? Rock Band

You probably heard about how Rock Band will allow anyone to upload new songs. Could be a big deal:

By blowing it open so that any musician can get on this platform, it changes the way the world perceives what we do, which is now just an expected part of music entertainment. If there's a band you love that releases a new album, you're not only going to want to go see them in concert or listen to them on your iPod, you're going to want to play with that music. Launching Rock Band Network is a way for us to open new fundamental form of music entertainment.

Though the lowest price is 80 cents, this would even be a bigger deal if it were free. In other words, if Rock Band could enable the sellers to pay for the fee, that would be truly revolutionary. Turning this into a seller-driven phenomenon would create a much bigger market than just tapping into the already interested buyers.

Remember, in a digital economy, the scarcity is not distribution or product, but attention. How can you attract attention to your obscure band, your fledgling music label in a ocean of music? By making it free, particularly in new channels more likely to be populated by younger, exploratory types.

If you put your new Rock Band download out there for free, it only costs you $800 to get a thousand people to sample your product. That's pretty effective marketing. In this case, the Rock Band play-along acts as a feeder to paying customers for the music -- an inversion of the free music business model.

The writer of the article focuses on how big hits will get bigger. But that's the history of the music industry.

Tons of free content creating a vibrant music community that allows lots of small songs to get
more attention, that's new.