i think jason is doing it right here with reMind. it’s not an either-or question. it’s both. the formula with new music is hear>like>buy. i think these days, the formula for comics is probably read>like>buy. not the other way around.

also, as a final note, i think digital artists and content creators need to be thinking in a more layered approach, or a tiered approach, to sales. let there be a free version, a low-price-point version, and then limited, special versions. i guess kickstarter has people thinking that way now with pledges. but i think we should all be thinking that way. make something cool available at each price point that people exist at.

yikes. this was a much longer post than i intended. sorry.
-pete

Thanks for taking the effort to illustrate a fundamental question, most GN debutants have. Great analysis. I was looking for a definitive answer on this subject and I think I might have got it here. But as you rightly said, a nice hardbound book is something you certainly want. But must come in as a 'Best of' online. or an anthology.

Btw, great site and great art and story.

I've seen so many good bands go down the drain after giving out demos to crappy records labels, hoping for THE CONTRACT, and fame, money, chicks. So incredibly stupid to stick to the old way: the music business stopped working that way 30 years ago. Just put a website up and give out mp3s for free, and if you're good enough you can start printing real records on demand. It seems this has become the standard line of thinking for non-mainstream musicians. Nowadays you're likely to have a much better exposure on the 'net than on TV, radio, or the dusty shelves of a record store.