With a new Russian owner, London’s evening daily publication has decided to fight the free sheets that have ravaged its market share by dropping its price to zero.

An article says that any rise in online advertising sales isn’t supporting the decline in revenue from the paper magazine’s efforts….

Seth Godin argues that it is dangerous to put free on top of an existing business model and that you have to win by reinventing yourself.

Backblaze, a Silicon Valley startup that provides unlimited online file storage for $5 a month (USD), is offering the cost-effective methodology they developed for their storage pods on their website for free on their company’s blog

“Simply because it will be impossible for online advertising and social media to deliver everything that is expected of it. The stark reality is that advertising on the Internet is not going to grow; it’s actually going to decrease.”

Hewlett-Packard collaborated with five local artists in Singapore recently, to present the ‘Touch the Future, Now’ Light Show. The artists were invited to share their visions of the future based around five key areas: music, art, communication, gaming and cityscape. Creative community Awe50me had a sizable representation and included four of the five artists: Ben Qwek a.k.a Mr.B, Brian Chia a.k.a Brick, Michael Ng a.k.a Mindflyer and Eeshaun. We like what Brick had to say about the future of music:

“The future invites interactivity between the user and music, welcoming them into a world where they can fiddle with the tonal quality [...]

Commentators have been arguing for a few years now that we will see a shift of marketing budgets from offline to online… I agree that digital media will drive a dramatic drop in offline spending but I don’t know if I agree that the money will flip online.

In this opinion piece, PSFK founder Piers Fawkes defends the idea of free and explains how it is making his business thrive. He says that critics are railing against three key issues – free as a progressive business concept; that free means we have to change what we do for work; and that many people don’t live ‘free’ yet.

3rd Ward, the artist driven and funded gallery, work space and studio in Bushwick, Brooklyn is using the greatest marketing tool there is – FREE – combined with the most desirable item of any Brooklynite – a bike. Providing office space, resources and a creative network, they are now also throwing in a great looking green bike  in the deal when signing up. Basic annual membership starts at $39/month and get your free bike here.

In this video, Chris Anderson discusses his new book with talk show host Charlie Rose. Anderson explains the models of free that he has discovered and describes how we will do business in digital world.

In terms of what ‘free’ is, he explains:
“Free” is the perhaps most misunderstood four-letter word beginning with f in the English language… It has changed in meaning from the 20th century, razors and blades, the 21st century, information wants to be free.
It’s got these kind of dual meanings of “free” as in freedom and “free” as in no price. And then there’s the kind of, [...]

How to save a drought ridden state? Well, in California they are handing out free rain barrels. A rainwater harvesting pilot program in Los Angeles is testing out whether this small step might prove an simple solution for the state’s water shortage and the environmental harm cause by urban runoff as the sewage system overflow at heavy rainfall.

Swedish fashion brand Elvine has partnered with design firm Next Century Modern on a new hotel-in-hotel project called Creators Inn. The team have taken the idea of a shop-in-shop and transformed a series of rooms at the Scandic Malmen Hotel in Stockholm Sweden. Successful cities have a vibrant culture and established creative scene. Hoping to lure creatives to come to the city and check the area out, the Creators Inn offers free short term accommodation for creative individuals. To become eligible for a room, all that’s required is going online to the Creators Inn site and explaining why you deserve [...]

Public radio has traditionally been one of the few outposts on the AM/FM dial for independent and innovative programming. The advent of streaming radio and podcasts has allowed a wider audience to [...]

Seems like Chris Anderson may have another best selling book on his hands with “Free: The future of a Radical Price.” Except he’s going to give the digital version away for free, which means it won’t be exactly a best seller, more like a best give away. Wonder where that will go on the New York Times best seller list? Anyway, the editor of Wired, which used to be a good mag, ‘til it sold its soulgeor for a potage of booze, car and entertainment advertising, has come up with this brilliant theory that the way to succeed in business [...]

Hyatt Hotels are going to be offering an interesting new perk to their Hyatt Gold Passport members. In an effort to create a more “authentic” hospitality experience, hotel employees will be allowed to freely comp services used by members. These “random acts of generosity” are hoped to bring a personal touch to the sometimes impersonal chain hotel experience.
[via Hotel Chatter]