The phrase Long Tail was coined by Chris Anderson to describe an economic model such as those of Amazon and Netflix, in which revenues coming from selling only a few units of millions of niche products are supposedly as important as blockbuster revenues. [1]

Anderson seemed to imply that a new Renaissance for cultural production was behind the corner, as millions of people would be encouraged to come forward with their books, their songs etc. But do these people manage to live off their creative work?

Not according to Anita Elberse, author of a book called Blockbusters, who reminds us that, in 2011, 94% of the songs on iTunes had fewer than a hundred downloads. [2]

Not according to Suzanne Moore, who says the digital economy is like X Factor, a terrible game in which someone may become famous, usually for a mere 15 minutes. [3]

Not according to Mark Mulligan, a founding analyst at MIDiA Research, who says that the top 1% of musicians take home 77% of the total revenues in the music industry. [4]

Not according to Jonny Geller, head of Curtis Brown, an editorial agency that discovers new authors in the UK, who tells us that 96% of book sales come from 4% of authors. [5]