"ending the tyranny of the hit."

After reading Chris Anderson's "The Long Tail," I was struck by how the profitability of non-hits is increasing collaboration and expanding the ability of artists to get their work out to the masses. I loved the example about the two books, Touching the Void and Into Thin Air, where the first book only became popular a decade after it was written because of online recommendations connected to the second book. This reminds me of Moby Dick. Of course Moby Dick didn't become popular during World War I because of online recommendations, but it is similar in that it did not sell many copies when it was first published in the 1800s and later became popular because of renewed interest. Perhaps this revival came about because of the cultural and political changes going on at the time. This is not so different from today, where previously lost or passe movies, music, books, etc. become popular again or for the first time because of cultural and political changes. For example, I have seen George Orwell's 1984 referenced a lot on internet forums and social media recently because of the government surveillance scandals going on right now.

Now more than ever the masses are really deciding who the artists actually are. Before with the economic hit model that Anderson talks about, only artists that could make it big and produce hits had their work available to the majority of the population. Lesser-known or independent artists had their work sold more in specialty stores and not at mainstream retailers. But now everything has changed. Anderson mentions that because physical factors are no longer a limitation, there just needs to be a group of people somewhere willing to consume what is produced in order for it to be successful. I think it is fantastic how creation, the ability to create and share your creations, is becoming more and more democratic.

This really raises questions about what is art and what is quality art. Anderson deconstructs a common myth about art that the one hit model has propagated. He says, "We equate mass market with quality and demand, when in fact it often just represents familiarity, savvy advertising, and broad if somewhat shallow appeal." Because mainstream art can be shallow and its success can depend heavily on advertising and connections rather than on quality and craftsmanship, I am so happy that the tyranny of the hit is ending. I think the possibility that anyone can become an artist and that anyone can share their work with the masses is a thrilling prospect. Not only does it encourage individual creativity and group collaboration but it also allows quality work to come forth that otherwise may have been relegated to obscurity. In short, huzzah for the long tail!