Baseball Digest just announced that they’re making their archives freely available for the next three months to help people pass the time until baseball returns. It’s a great idea. One that Baseball America should consider following. As should every other publication out there. From news outlets to social commentary magazines.
Don’t get me wrong. I understand the need for subscriptions and paywalls. The need for these publications and websites to earn a living. Especially now. But right now there is an even greater need for content. For entertainment. For distraction. And purveyors of pop culture are coming to the realization that they have an obligation to do their part to help people pass the time during this unprecedented quarantine.
Disney started the trend as far as I can tell, offering free trial access to their new streaming service, Disney Plus, for one week. CBS All Access followed suit with a free trial month while HBO made hundreds of hours of their programming available. Apple TV got in on the action offering free trials for dozens of add-on subscriptions from Showtime to the History Channel and everything in between. Amazon Prime is even providing early access to new release movies still in theaters.
It’s a trend that’s proliferating. Leading to bonus content (another episode of Netflix’s Tiger King is on the way) as well as accelerated release timelines (ESPN’s Michael Jordan 30 for 30 is coming sooner than expected). And it’s a trend that’s not limited to Hollywood either.
Online educator Coursera is offering hundreds of their proprietary courses for free. Similarly, you now have a chance to become a Disney Imagineer, a life-long dream for many. Longing for the outdoors or thirsting for culture? Hundreds of virtual tours of now available, ranging from storied museums to vaunted national parks.
Even Tinder is getting in on the fun. The popular hookup app has made their Passport feature free, making it so that people can find virtual love, or at the very least a pen pal, anywhere in the world. Being stuck in quarantine doesn’t mean you have to be alone. Just ask Pornhub. Yep, you guessed it. Free access there as well as they do their part to encourage people to stay home.
These freebies aren’t just moral boosters though. Participating companies are building brand loyalty and potentially drumming up future business from people who get hooked on their offerings. It’s the Freemium model in full effect. And as far as I’m concerned it’s the way to go. Which begs the question: what else can be free? What else should be? Amazon Prime subscriptions? Access to Netflix? Digital downloads of books and video games?
For me, the answer is simple: Everything. Release it all. Unlock it. Remove restrictions. Reduce limitations. Unshackle unnecessary restraints. Do whatever you can, wherever you can, to ensure that we all get through this crisis, no matter how long it lasts. For when it’s over, your generosity will be repaid with gratitude. And cold hard cash. A thousand times over.
Is making everything free the Greatest Idea Ever?
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