Too much clutter and choice

A lot of amateur creative types, including musicians, have been encouraged by the "long tail" concept, which suggests that there is a market for all sorts of niche products.

But others have argued that the Internet won't open new doors for many people and all it will do is to help promote the usual superstars. (MySpace, for example, has largely been taken over by major labels promoting their bands).

Here's some reseach on the subject from Harvard. It's about movies, but the same should apply to music.

It points to the fact that there is lots to listen to online does not help people find it. In fact, on places like MySpace and YouTube, there tends to be a snowball effect. Once something becomes popular, more people check it out, increasing its popularity all the more.

Will the "Long Tail" Work for Hollywood? : "In the 2000-2005 period covered in the paper, the number of titles that sold only a few copies each week increased twofold—yet the number of titles that didn't sell at all was four times as high as in 2000.

"The increasing clutter may be a problem, she notes. With the right technology, anyone can offer a video via Amazon—but does that create the best environment for the consumer? Research on 'overchoice' by HBS professor John Gourville has shown that people can be so overwhelmed by the variety of products available that they go away without buying anything at all."