‘Round about July, the words “The Long Tail” are going to be everywhere. You won’t be able to cross the street without hearing about The Long Tail. Creatures who actually posses long tails will start to feel self-conscious. Yes, it’s going to be that pervasive.
The Long Tail theory was introduced in an article written by Chris Anderson, editor of Wired, and is pretty basic at its core: the combined value of the items selling just a few units each equals the value of the few items that sell millions of units each. In other words, bands like The Miss Alans and Yo La Tengo and Dinosaur Jr. and more will combine to equal, and possibly exceed, the sales figures of Britney Spears. Sure, it’s going to take a lot of these smaller sales, but that’s the point.