Chris Anderson Longtail Theory

"The theory of the Long Tail can be boiled down to this: Our culture and economy are increasingly shifting away from a focus on a relatively small number of hits (mainstream products and markets) at the head of the demand curve, and moving toward a huge number of niches in the tail."

What drives this Long Tail and the niches that populate it? Anderson identifies three 'forces'.

1. More stuff is being produced. Technology and the internet make it cheaper and easier to record and distribute your own songs, publish your own writings and so on. This lengthens the tail.


2. There is better access to niches, again thanks to the reach and economies on the net. This fattens the tail.


3. Search and recommendations connect supply and demand. This drives business from hits to niches.