Winner takes all or winner takes niche?

Performers and musicians have been living in a winner-take-all world for years. Maybe there's another world now, the winner-take-niche world.

A guitar player begins by studying, practicing and performing for small groups. The audience goes wild. The guitarist plays for a larger audience. The audience goes wild again. Eventually, the guitarist plays for Bruce Springsteen and the E Street band. Only a microscopic handful of guitarists (or writers) can become international big-media rock-stars.

The Internet gives writers the opportunity to  focus on a tiny niche. Maybe it's possible to become a niche rock star. Chris Guillabeau does this by focusing on people who want to live an unconventional life. Adam Wilt does it by focusing on the technical intricacies of video cameras.  A tiny niche is all a writer needs in a web 2.0 world.