The Curve is an innovative and groundbreaking concept by Nicholas Lovell. His excellent book The Curve (2014) explains how one can survive and be succesful in what they do in the context of the current Digital Age where many things are free. This is especially true if you are a creative person such as a musician or a writer struggling to make ends meet in a world saturated with Free Content.
The video below is a presentation by Lovell where he explains the Curve model and the significance and relevance of it today…
Nicholas Lovell explains The Curve
The Curve is split into three parts;
- Use Free to find an audience
- Use Technology to be able to talk to your audience again
- Use Technology to understand what your audience wants
The model of The Curve focuses on two groups of people; Freeloaders and Superfans. Freeloaders make up the bulk of your potential audience. They want something for nothing but that doesn’t mean that they should be ignored or treated with contempt. On the contrary, they should be viewed as ‘potential converts’ rather than unscrupulous pirates. They may not always remain Freeloaders and may at some point down the line spend some money on your products and services.
Then you have your Superfans which represent a small fraction of your audience (perhaps 10%). They are the most important part of your audience since they are the ones who love what you do so much that they are prepared to spend serious money on your products and services. This is the part of your audience you should care for the most since it is through them you’ll be making the bulk of your revenues.
To further explain how the Curve model can be applied today lets take the example of a band trying to raise funds to make their next album. The fundraising sites KickStarter and Crowdfunding really take the Curve model to their bosom. A potential Curve model the band can use could be as follows;
1. FREE : Free download of new album.
2. $2-5: Live clips of the making of the album streamed directly from the studio
3. $10: CD copy of the album
4.$30: Vinyl copy of the album limited to 5000 copies
5.$50: Red coloured vinyl copy of the album limited to 1000 copies
6.$100: White coloured vinyl copy of the album limited to 500 copies
7.$250: Gold coloured vinyl copy of the album in a luxury box-set with booklet limited to 100 copies
8.$2000: Private acoustic gig anywhere – the buyer pays for all transportation. One hour slot. 10 slots
9.$5000: Private electric gig anywhere – the buyer pays for all transportation. One hour slot. 10 slots
10. $10,000: Private electric gig anywhere where the band play NAKED – the buyer pays for all transportation. One hour slot. 5 slots.
This is just a rough model I drafted up which is far from perfect (and maybe some of the prices need some reconsideration – hehe) yet the most important thing is that it very much embraces a ‘Curve’ model. The old way of making money through selling ‘units’ of your album at the same price worked perfectly well in the pre-Internet age but sadly not today.
by Nicholas Peart
14th May 2016
(All rights reserved)
You can download a free e-book by Nicholas Lovell entitled ’10 Ways To Make Money In A Free World’ by clicking on the following link…
Or you can buy The Curve by Nicholas Lovell by clicking on the link below…
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