The Curve ― How Smart Companies Use Freeloaders to Find Superfans

How to make money when customers expect your products for free

For most of the last century, companies strived to control costs and shift as many units as possible. But now the price of many digital products has dropped to zero, requiring a new kind of business model.

The Curve is about accepting that millions of people now expect your product for free?because a small number of high spenders are enough to build a profitable business.

In games, free is the norm, but some fans now spend hundreds or thousands of dollars while playing a single title. That means the focus is no longer on how many units you can sell. It is on how you can satisfy those users who are happy to pay enormous amounts of money for things they value.

This idea has already transformed areas like music, books, and film, and is rapidly spreading to the physical world as 3D printing becomes reality and the specter of piracy hits businesses of every kind.

With stories drawn from cutting-edge artists, videogames, and more, The Curve shows you how to forge relationships with your biggest fans and sustain long-term success.

Nicholas Lovell has worked with game companies like Atari, Firefly, nDreams, and Square Enix (creators of Tomb Raider) as well as Channel 4 and IPC Media. He writes a popular digital gaming blog, GAMESbrief, and his articles have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, TechCrunch, and Wired. He lives in London.