The Spinning Head

A few years ago, we were told that the internet and “neutral” platforms would open the long tail. Independent filmmakers, artists, and artisans would find niche audiences. Independent media and bloggers would thrive. Free distribution and near-free production would counter the ‘rich get richer’ forces, and a more meritocratic and diversified dynamic would take hold.

This mantra was summarized best by the 2006 book The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More, by Chris Anderson:

“Up until now, the focus has been on dozens of markets of millions, instead of millions of markets of dozens.”

But ten years later, this hasn’t turned out the way we thought it would. If anything, the opposite has happened.

The long tail is still there, but it’s harder to find. Meantime, the head is more concentrated and powerful than ever. And in many ways, our “neutral” platforms prevent you from accessing the long tail.

Wherever we look, fewer ideas dominate more and more global mindshare. This explains why Trump gets more media coverage than any other topic, why the Kardashians dominate pop culture, and why Drake sells out arenas in Europe as fast as he does in Canada. Consider a few more examples:

On YouTube, the most popular videos are growing more powerful. There are now 40 music…