But Would They Pay For It?

Classical music advocates are ecstatic over the news that the BBC’s free offer of downloadable Beethoven resulted in more downloads than any of the big pop stars currently topping the charts. But Andrew Dickson points out the flaw in that comparison: the Beethoven was free. Bono and The Beatles aren’t. The BBC is comparing a giveaway with purchased pop tracks. So the real lesson may be that people like free stuff.