As noted on Boing Boing, Harvey Danger is releasing their new album, Little By Little, as a free download with a detailed explanation as to why.
I love seeing people doing this, as it fits in with my Paradox: In Giving, You Make Yourself Stronger thoughts I wrote back in 2002. In effect, changing from a pay-based taking economy to a reward-based giving economy. Of course this economic approach won’t work with everything but it’s great to see it in action when it does.
As for the album itself, it started out pretty good and by the end of listening to it, I was thoroughly enjoying it (so much so that I decided to reward them with a contribution of $10). And that’s exactly what it’s all about. If you like what you’re getting from someone (for free) and you want to see more from them in the future then by giving them a reward you’re investing in them and their creative passions to produce more great content.