A new study (long_tail_debunked) claims that the long tail is log normal rather than a power law curve which means that it is a lot steeper than people had hoped. If the curve is log normal it means that omnibus Internet services such as iTunes and Rhapsody probably reinforce the market power of the head. Of course, we actually knew this for the last couple of years at Rhapsody (we just didn't tell our PR guys) and anyone who understands the importance of being one of the top 3 links in Google search will be saying "duh" but it was a nice fantasy that the Internet would empower the long tail.
That's not to say that a rising tide doesn't lift most boats as long as they're not too leaky but it does say that if you're marketing something far down the curve, you need to be very specialized and focused in communicating with your audience and not rely on the generalized services to save you.
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