Harvard Professor Says Data Contradicts Long Tail Theory

According to the Wall Street Journal article Study Refutes Niche Theory, the Harvard Business Review claims the Long Tail theory may not be all it’s cracked up to be.

“The Web is clearly changing cultural consumption patterns, but those changes don’t seem to involve the sort of drastic flattening of demand curves predicted by the Long Tail. While whole new cultural categories — YouTube videos, for example — are indeed emerging, they seem to quickly settle into the same winner-take-all dynamic experienced in the pre-Google age. Don’t toss out those old paradigms just yet.”

Chris Anderson responds here.

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