What is the digital age doing for you and how is it changing media distribution networks? The Long Tail by Chris Anderson dives into this subject and reveals "Why the future of business is selling less of more." Back in the day (I just love saying that), the channels by which we accessed our entertainment were very few. We had the three big networks, one or two independent TV stations, a few AM and FM radio stations and a movie house that, if it were big, had four screens. We were a captive audience. The hits were recounted on top 40 lists and as a society, we all pretty much listened to and watched the same thing. The hits, or the Head, was tall and the misses, or the Tail, was very short.

With the rise of cable TV and the creation of the multi-plex movie theater, the tail began to expand. We had more choice. An interesting fact cited in the book is that as the length of the tail increases, the height of the head decreases. This means that there are fewer smash hits and block-buster movies. Add iTunes, Amazon, Youtube, Lulu and Rhapsody to the distribution network and the tail becomes limitless.



The Long Tail has also changed our purchasing behavior. We are less likely to arrange our schedule around a TV show or a movie, knowing that we can watch it where we want, when we want. We are becoming less likely to buy an entire CD and more likely to pick and choose our music to create our own compilations.

So what does this mean to us? As a consumer, it means that you have greater access to things that you feel are more personalized to you. Individualism is reinforced and you are not forced to conform to the masses. As a  business, it means that you have to think about who it is you are really trying to reach. Markets are becoming smaller in size, but larger in quantity. To deliver your product, you have to be skilled at finding the community, and in a sense, becoming the head, buried in the long tail. It also means that if you have seeminly valuless content sitting around... Think again! Chances are there really is a way to create value from those old archives.

The book is a great read for most and a must read for anyone in the business of content delivery.