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What happens to superstars in an age where small is big?

Posted by: Stephen Baker on February 03, 2006

Erick Schonfeld has an interesting riff on the future of media in an age where small is big. He notes that hit CDs are plummeting. Our colleague Jon Fine made a similar point in his column (which featured an unforgettable photo of Grand Funk Railroad).

grand funk.jpg
Grand Funk Railroad

What happens to superstars in a fragmented entertainment economy? Do they shrink? Do their horses turn into shetland ponies? If so, what happens to the global entertainment industry built on a handful of celebrity franchises? What happens to our celebrity-driven media? What in the name of heaven will we read about in People magazine?

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Reader Comments

csve

February 3, 2006 01:06 PM

I call this (and everything else related to consumption) part of the morphing ecoToroid: a time-based, 3D version of the Long Tail.

Peter J. Zievers

February 10, 2006 02:08 PM

Steve-

I'd wager that celebrity obsession is undeterred. Marketing is a most powerful force in our current system. Remember Bruce Springsteen back in the day? he was in there against mega-stars like Led Zeppelin and Fleetwood Mac. Yet, he got a foothold as an outsider. Table stakes were his musical talent. Point: he made it as an anti-celebrity. Marketing rules, like it or not.

Pete Zievers

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