If we take a big enough dataset…
Add to it machine learning and autotune and the race to fit in and reach the masses…
We end up with a relentless march toward mediocrity. Mediocre is another word for average.
It has always happened as industries matured (whether it’s Motown or blenders). But then, often, a human being shows up with something that ‘everyone’ says isn’t going to work, and the game is reset.
Just about all bestsellers are surprise bestsellers.
But the forces of mediocrity are now microprocessor-powered, heavily funded, and determined to hold on to the middle of the market. More grey, more goo.
It’s hard to make a great sequel.
Better to spend our time to make a remarkable original.