Very informative

Chris brings to life an obscure term and dives deep to scoop out the right narrative so you can understand what the long tail means to modern economics.

Don’t be fooled by the hits, there's a whole lot of choices and niches down on the long tail that have insane numbers of fans.

Read the long tail!

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Really interesting theory and a great read

Really enjoyed this - an original point of view which turns the idea of market leadership on it's head. Fits in nicely with the concept that customised experiences are the future.

Love Wired magazine, then this style and the up to date examples will really appeal.

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Interesting theories on future culture & tech

Performance was a bit slow and the musical interludes annoying, but the content is fantastic and really well written! The theories as to how technology will shape our culture in the future are perceptive and engaging

The story is written with a bias towards entertainment (specifically music and tv) but is applicable to many different industries.

Anyone interested in the culture/micro-economics of the future should definitely give this a listen.

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An important book

This is a really important read for anyone in or thinking about business in the 21st century. The key points here are put across very clearly: the internet allows businesses to carry a virtually unlimited range of things and supply them to a virtually unlimited range of niche markets.

That the future belongs to the 'aggregators' (the Amazons carrying their unlimited stock) and the 'connectors' (the Googles connecting demand with supply) is likely. However, for my money, Anderson makes a fundamental mistake. He includes the producer as the third group to benefit from the 'long tail'. In the post 'hit' world that Anderson proposes, the new, democratised, individual producer will benefit. The problem is, he won't - and the examples that Anderson cites of creative individuals exploiting the 'long tail' are everything but. They are, in fact, examples of individuals who have used viral and guerrilla tactics to work their way into, guess what? The mainstream. In order to, guess what? Sell lots of albums or win mainstream TV air-time. In short, to achieve 'hit' status.

This for me is the weakness of this book. The 'Long Tail' perpetuates the 'consumer as producer' myth that keeps millions of hopeful individual producers creating the content that is already making the billions for the aggregators and the connectors.

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8 people found this helpful

Good for main insight, but a bit laboured.

The main point raised in this book is certainly interesting, but as I was listening to this I think I counted the author repeating this insight and explanation 13 times, each in a more laboured fashion than the last. The first third of the book really annoyed me, and I was about to stop listening.... but after reading the review from David (from Cambridge) I stuck with it and was delighted to be taken through some more interesting engaging content.



Overall, probably worth a read but it would be better to skip the early sections once you've heard his main point a couple of times.

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A Must Read For All Marketers!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this audiobook to anyone who works in the marketing industry, or indeed, any industry! Great book, with fascinating insights into the 'long-tail' theory and how it impacts everything we do today.

What did you like best about this story?

Extremely informative and insightful; it introduced me to one of the most important marketing concepts of my lifetime.

Which character – as performed by Christopher Nissley – was your favourite?

I thought the reading was done pretty well. I loved the short Q&A with Chris Anderson at the end!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Not particularly - purely because there is so much information!

Any additional comments?

I had read the book before I listened to the audiobook and felt that had I not done so I may have missed a chunk of the important points. A huge amount is covered, but the chapters break it down pretty well. Definitely advisable to listen for an hour or two at a time.

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Great book, enjoyable listen

I spent the first couple of chapters wondering if the author had anything much to say: he seemed to state his central thesis in about two paragraphs of the introduction! But this first impression was misleading - what just seems a rather obvious observation at first (that online stores can stock more stuff) gradually works up into a more complex and powerful argument that a significant fraction of our economy is altering. About half way through I found I was seeing long-tails and the economics of abundance everywhere I looked!

Only draw back is the mild and polished American voice which reads the text - I found this tended to have a soporific effect and I often had to replay sections which I 'tuned out' of inadvertently.

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3 people found this helpful

Nearly 10 years old but still current and relevant

I read this book at university for a music business module and when I saw it on audible I thought I'd have a recap. For anyone studying music business, or any business really, this is a recommended purchase. It's all about the infinite selling possibilities of the web and how it's replacing the bricks and mortar model. There are enough people out there connected to the internet, that no matter what your selling, as long as you can rise above the noise of all the other crap out there, you can sell in bigger numbers than you would relying on footfall with a physical shop.

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