Monetization

Such commodities as gold, diamonds, and emeralds have generally been regarded by human populations as having an intrinsic value within that population based on their rarity or quality and thus provide a premium not associated with fiat currency unless that currency is "promissory". That is, the currency promises to deliver a given amount of a recognized commodity of a universally (globally) agreed-to rarity and value, providing the currency with the foundation of legitimacy or value. Though rarely the case with paper currency, even intrinsically relatively worthless items or commodities can be made into money, so long as they are challenging to make or acquire.

Debt monetization is the financing of government spending by the central bank.[1] If a nation's expenditure exceeds its revenues, it incurs a government deficit which can be financed either:

• by the government treasury, by way of
  • money it already holds (e.g. income or liquidations from a sovereign wealth fund); or
  • issuing new bonds; or
• by the central bank, through money it creates de novo

In the latter case, the central bank may purchase government bonds by conducting an open market purchase, i.e. by increasing the monetary base through the money creation process. If government bonds that have come due are held by the central bank, the central bank will return any funds paid to it back to the treasury. Thus, the treasury may "borrow" money without needing to repay it. This process of financing government spending is called "monetizing the debt".[1]

In most high-income countries the government assigns exclusive power to issue its national currency to a central bank, but central banks may be forbidden by law from purchasing debt directly from the government. For example, the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (article 123) forbids EU central banks' direct purchase of debt of EU public bodies such as national governments.

Web sites and mobile apps that generate revenue are often monetized via online advertisements, subscription fees, or (in the case of apps) in-app purchases. In the music industry, monetization is achieved by placing ads before, after, or in the middle of content on a platform that supports this or posting the music on on-demand apps like Spotify[2] and Apple Music. On-demand content sites like Spotify and Apple Music pay the artist a percentage of the monthly subscription fees they receive from their users. To put release music on streaming apps like Spotify and Apple Music, an artist has to reach out to a distributor like TuneCore[3] or Distrokid.[4] They are the one who do make the music available on streaming sites. This is usually done for a percentage of the revenue generation. For each public viewing, the advertising revenue is shared with the artist or others who hold rights to the video content.[5] A previously free product may have premium options added thus becoming freemium.

Businesses monetize their value propositions to generate the resources necessary for continued operation through a business model or revenue model. Failure to monetize websites due to an inadequate revenue model was a problem that caused many businesses to fold during the dot-com bust.

Equally, David Sands, CTO for Citibank Equity Research, affirmed that failure to achieve monetization of the Research Analysts' models as the reason the de-bundling of Equity Research has never taken hold.

On the other hand, aggressive monetization refers to how a firm or business is over-emphasizing the process of making money at the cost of the user’s well-being. The over-emphasis generate equal resistance from the users due to perceived unfairness and psychological reactance.[6]

Monetization is also used to refer to the process of converting some benefit received in non-monetary form (such as milk) into a monetary payment. The term is used in social welfare reform when converting in-kind payments (such as food stamps or other free benefits) into some "equivalent" cash payment. From the point of view of economics and efficiency, it is usually considered better to give someone a monetary equivalent of some benefit than the benefit (say, a liter of milk) in kind.

• Inefficiency: in the latter situation people who may not need milk cannot get something of equivalent value (without subsequently trading or selling the milk).
• Black market growth: people who need something other than milk may sell it. In many circumstances, this action may be illegal and considered fraudulent. For example, Moscow pensioners (see below for details) often give their personal cards that allow free usage of local transport to relatives who use public transport more frequently.
• Changes on the market: supply of milk to the market is reduced by the amount distributed to the privileged group, so the price and availability of milk may change.
• Corruption: firms that should give this benefit have an advantage as they have guaranteed consumers and the quality of the goods supplied is controlled only administratively, not by market competition. So, bribes to the body that choose such firms and/or maintain control can take place.

• Monetizing the Debt