Free Content on the Web boost your sales? Yes, indeed!!!

A few posts ago, I embedded a video of The Muppets' Beaker and his clones singing Ode to Joy. What I failed to mention was Muppet Inc's (for lack of a better corporate designation) agreement with the folks at YouTube to post various Muppet sketches on the free video sharing site.
Basically, I believe this to be a marketing ploy by the Muppets: tease potential viewers with free content and eventually they will blaze a path to the DVD store and buy season one, two, and three, and so on of the Muppet show. And I think for this to work, you have to be part of an entertainment organization that has already carved their niche in the market.
Another icon to use this ploy is Monty Python. It is documented that they have an agreement with YouTube for their YouTube channel. As a result, MP DVD sales on Amazon are abundant. (Read: Can Free Content Boost Your Sales? Yes, It Can)
I am amazed of what YouTube represents: a KC Librarian can post his web cam speech and still an entertainment giant like The Muppets or Monty Python can use it to promote their interests. If only Python would share their financial gains with me.
Here's an example of what I found on The Monty Python YouTube channel.