Niches with Legs in Entertainment

Many of us have been writing about the revolution that is taking place in the entertainment industry. The dinosaurs of the industry are becoming extinct — they just haven’t realized it to this point. They are fighting back with brilliant long-term strategies like lobbying Washington for more protection and suing 16 year old high school girls for downloading.
And the little mammals, entrepreneurs of all shapes and forms, are quietly and efficiently taking over music and entertainment. Each of these entrepreneurs are finding their own little niche. And many of these niches seem to have legs — they are not flashes in the pan like we are used to in this business, but rather seem to go on for a long time.
In his new book, The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More, Chris Anderson argues that these entrepreneurs are ushering in a new age in entertainment. It will be much less about blockbusters and much more about profitable offerings that are targeting to a specific, and very loyal, audience. Chris Anderson writes an interesting blog called The Long Tail.
The New Yorker offers a review of Anderson’s book, which I plan to read over my break between our summer and fall sessions.
(via the Economist’s View)