All kinds of pricing schemes will be tried. We may see digital entertainment that has an expiration date or that allows only a certain number of plays before it has to be purchased again. A record company might offer a very low price for a song but let you play it only 10 or 20 times. Or they might let you play a song – or an addictive game – 10 times free before asking if you want to buy it. This kind of “demo” usage might replace part of the function served by radio stations day. An author could allow you to mail a new song to a friend, but she will only be able to listen to it a few times before getting charged.
Predictor: Gates, Bill
Prediction, in context:In his 1995 book “The Road Ahead,” Microsoft CEO Bill Gates writes:ÒAll kinds of pricing schemes will be tried. We may see digital entertainment that has an expiration date or that allows only a certain number of plays before it has to be purchased again. A record company might offer a very low price for a song but let you play it only 10 or 20 times. Or they might let you play a song – or an addictive game – 10 times free before asking if you want to buy it. This kind of ÔdemoÕ usage might replace part of the function served by radio stations day. An author could allow you to mail a new song to a friend, but she will only be able to listen to it a few times before getting charged.Ó
Biography:Bill Gates, the most influential technology entrepreneur of the late 20th century, was the primary author of the prediction-packed 1995 book “The Road Ahead” and is the founder and CEO of Microsoft Corporation. (Entrepreneur/Business Leader.)
Date of prediction: January 1, 1995
Topic of prediction: Getting, Sharing Information
Subtopic: General
Name of publication: The Road Ahead (book)
Title, headline, chapter name: Chapter 8: Friction-Free Capitalism
Quote Type: Direct quote
Page number or URL of document at time of study:
Pages 175, 176
This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Guarino, Jennifer Anne