I've always been a long tail fan, as it's a powerful, consumer-focused graphic illustration of the end of the broadcast model as it gives way to the proliferation of choice, one of the many welcome developments of the post-advertising age. That's why I felt it necessary to respond to a recent post on Chris Anderson's theLongTail.com.

First, the categories mentioned here—music and video—are becoming more and more pull channels, with less and less emphasis on push. (The movie industry is scrambling every day to avoid the music industry implosion—but that's another story.)

Secondly, the POV here seems to be business-centric instead of consumer-centric.

When you take the consumer's point of view—focused on the benefit and convenience of getting music and videos any time, any place—the long tail becomes even more appealing when you remember that you don't have to conform to the old business point of view (be on one of three network channels during prime time) and wait to receive limited content pushed to you on the web on the broadcasters' terms.

The fact is that people will still buy the good stuff. This does not disprove the long tail, as Anita Elberse, the inspiration for Anderson's blog post/response, asserts. I think it just reinforces the value of a good idea, song or story. YouTube has gone a long way toward killing the blockbuster notion, or at least relegated it to few dark nights.*

Taking the business point of view—or, better yet, figuring out the business point of view—of getting out in front of the long tail and learning how to empower consumers to get what they want, when they want it, that is a central challenge of post advertising age.

*Pun intended? I haven't decided yet.