Some thoughts from Rafat following the publication of The Long Tail which coincided with the all-time-record opening weekend of Pirates of the Caribbean which brought in $132m.

The conclusions: Blockbusters will continue to succeed even as niche media proliferates…a long-tail world doesn’t threaten the whales or the minnows…It threatens those who cater to the neglected middle, such as writers of “mid-list” fiction and producers of adult dramas. Also, competitive economics aren’t going away. As long as people herd, there will be blockbusters in one form or the other.