Kevin Kelly writes that the long tail is a blessing for aggregators (Amazon, Netflix) and consumers. But not so for creators. The solution is to find 1,000 True Fans.
A creator, such as an artist, musician, photographer, craftsperson, performer, animator, designer, videomaker, or author – in other words, anyone producing works of art – needs to acquire only 1,000 True Fans to make a living.
If your “True Fan” will purchase everything you produce, or spend $100 a year, with 1,000 fans you can earn $100,000 a year. But you’re not limited to earning money from True Fans. Lesser fans will also purchase some of your material. Momentum could even kick in and get you that hit you’ve been wanting. But as you can see, a hit is not necessary to earn a respectable living as an artist.
There are some brilliant ideas in this article, 1,000 True Fans. Read it now!