A recent study found 10 million of the 13 million tracks available online failed to sell last year, much to the chagrin of digital track providers. A surprise, not. Libraries have always known the depth of the collection rarely circulates. The top 2% of the holdings in ANY archive account for 99% of the use. It is not unusual for 95 percent of any library collection to remain un-circulated for decades. However, you can not measure the value of that rare tidbit which might reach the right person. It is a law "bean counters" who analyze libraries (and now, with the same lack of insight, internet music shills) have failed to understand for years. Be grateful for what you have, providers! You've already helped destroy the concept of a coherent artistic statement by dissecting "albums" into digital bits of noise to be purchased in tiny chunks instead of being savored as a work of art in whole. Don't be surprised if the consumers you seek turn out to be incapable of seeking on their own. Top 2% of "music" feeding 98% of the consumers? They would rather sell to Beyonce fans than obscure hunting eccentrics anyway, right?
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