Networks are built atop platforms. A platform enables. It helps build value. If it is open and collaborative, those users may in turn add value to the platforms.
Enabling customers to collaborate with you - in creating, distributing, marketing, and supporting products - is what creates a premium in today's market.
We have shifted from an economy based on scarcity to one based on abundance. The control of products or distribution will no longer guarantee a premium and a profit.