There’s numerous business models when it comes to digital media. Some have stuck to the typical model of a consumer paying money, but others have branched out into different models, such as advertising based. One of my favorites is Free All Music which allows you watch an advertisement and then you can download a song.  With all of the announcements and overblown statements about a certain other recent digital comics announcement, it’s nice to see Archie Comics actually changing things up a bit.

Archie has teamed up with iVerse and Tapjoy for a new partnership that will allow fans a new way to “buy” their digital comics, this time for FREE. Starting July 18, the Archie Comics App, will integrate the Tapjoy Mobile Value Exchange model where consumers engage with advertisements to earn virtual rewards to spend on more than 2,000 Archie Comics.

This isn’t the first time this has been done though, VIZ Media announced a similar program towards the end of 2012. That differs from what Archie is doing, in that you have an extremely limited choice for VIZ, instead of their entire digital catalogue with Archie.

By simply watching a video, taking a survey or engaging with an ad, users will be able to earn credits to unlock Archie Comics via the Archie Comics app. This will give fans an opportunity to add to their digital comics library without going over budget.