Giving cartoons away for free

I was reading a post on this blog reviewing ‘The Long Tail’, a book and concept that has become popular in certain internet circles. I was struck by this line:

5. Don’t underestimate the power of free. You can build a business that involves 90% of your customers not paying anything (like Yahoo or Skype).

I went on to find a few other articles talking about giving what you do away for free. See Comment is free: Freeconomics and broadband Britain and Financial Times: Why giveaways are changing the rules of business.

I’m wondering whether it is possible to give cartoons away for free and still make money. Hugh does it:

Like I’ve said many times before, I much prefer giving away my cartoons for free, rather than trying to sell them. It saves everybody a lot of hassle, myself included.

I would absolutely love to open up all my cartoons to all churches everywhere to download and republish for nothing. I’d have to make my money via donations and other work that came my way as a result of the (hopefully) greater exposure.

Would it work? I’ve no idea. What do you think?