Chris Anderson has written an article, book, and blog about an economic shift in the marketplace he calls the Long Tail, referring to the end of a Parteto distribution. Product sales generally follow this curve. The rare blockbusters make the head and the tons of unpopular items make the long tail.
Because the Internet eliminates the overhead in having unlimited shelf space, sellers can now offer the non-hits to an eager market. Music listeners can forgo Mariah to get obscure songs from the Web. This new selection will fragment markets and it has already begun with books, movies, and music.
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I saw Anderson present last night at the NY public library. He’s an entertaining speaker and he makes a good case, but my opinion on the Long Tail is mixed. Anderson said the the days of the blockbuster are over and that the dollars are being spread down the line. I think Mariah and Wal-Mart are going to be just fine, and that the Long Tail only offers a new market, not a replacement. However, that’s music. When it comes to news, I no longer get my info soley from NBC and the Times, I get it from over a thousand different websites. So he’s right on that one. Like most economic theories, I think it is true sometimes and how so will only be apparant in hindsight.
Rats have long tail and they don’t surf the web. Somebody get on that.
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Sites of the Day:
– From Tyler, a really excellent set of Flash puzzles.
– The catchiest song and video I’ve heard and and seen in a long time, the Scissor Sisters’ “Don’t Feel Like Dancing.” A little too disco, but worhtwhile.