“A Solution To Music’s Long Tail, Part 1,” or “All Artists Are The Same”

There’s a strong argument for two conflicting roles of Top 40 Radio. It should either be an influencer of the public’s tastes, or a reflection of them. Regardless of which role you choose…

Top 40 Radio is dead.

That’s nothing new, and that’s not what I’m arguing here. Plenty of people have argued for new radio solutions, notably Bert Hart and Bob Lefsetz (both cited yesterday). Instead, I’m going to argue that this is a symptom of the natural evolution of an art form.

A long time ago, there may have been hundreds, maybe even thousands of painters and sculptors who practiced their art form (for simplicity’s sake, let’s assume that painting-as-historical-record, with little-to-no “artistic desire,” doesn’t apply). Of this fairly large group, there were a few “superstars,” like (but not restricted to) Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, who inspired their artistic peers. Let’s assume that the top 1% of all artists ever reach this “inspirational” level. The point here is that there is a core group of “elite artists” that rose to the top, gaining incredible social status and huge commissions. And the only way to see or experience these pieces (or any of the artist’s works) is to pay, whether the expenses are for travel, for entry, or for a commissioned work.

As the next generation of artists comes in, they are influenced by the work of this “elite” 1%, which has become prevalent and well known. Because word of the “elite” artists has spread, more people are seeing the fine arts as a viable career path for themselves, and the artistic community grows. Fine art is now available in more places than ever before, and in some places it may even cost less to go experience it (less need to travel, more art being displayed, and more artists fighting for commissions). And again, out of this inflated artistic community, 1% go on to influence the next wave.

Flash-forward a number of generations. The artistic community grows, and technology with it. The printing press can suddenly reproduce mass amounts of crude remakes; photographs can be taken of various works and distributed in books or on their own; and the internet can distribute newer, digital photographs for free to any location in the world. And all the while, the artistic community grows, as does the pool of influencers.

What does this mean for art’s distribution? What about the music business?

Answers to those questions come tomorrow in Part 2.