A few months ago I wrote an entry discussing the lack of a hit-making formula for music in our fragmented society. In that entry I noted that what Steve Jobs had really built in Itunes was a vertical search engine for music, but it was still missing the hit-maker formula (i.e. the equivalent of what Page rank has done for sites like Wikipedia, about.com, etc.). Perhaps I was wrong:
Since 2001, small, independent bands appearing in iPod commercials have sold thousands of records, been placed on numerous Billboard charts, and drawn the respect and admiration of music fans around the world. Apple's promotional influence has grown so great that music industry insiders now compare it with Oprah Winfrey's ability to create best-sellers through her book. club.
So it turns out Jobs rank isn't an algorithm or technological breakthrough, but rather a marketing strategy. Pretty cool. As society fragments more and more, and TV advertising becomes less and less effective in reaching a critical mass, the hit-making prowess of these ads will certainly diminish. Until then: