Bob Baker's The Buzz Factor

August 16 marks the 29th anniversary of the passing of the Swivel-hipped King. I read one of today's news stories on the subject. It reminded me that when Elvis Presley made his first appearance on the The Ed Sullivan Show in 1956, more than 60 million viewers tuned in. Back then, that was 80% of all U.S. TV owners. Amazing.

It's a great lesson on how much things have evolved over the last 50 years. Not only has the population grown, but the entertainment choices people now have are staggering. This growth and information overload is not necessarily a bad thing. It just means that with a little filtering and searching, anyone can find the exact type of audio, visual or verbal stimulation that's right for them.

It also means that widespread shared media experiences are mostly a thing of the past. Sure, 25 million people may tune in to watch American Idol, but that's only about 14% of U.S. households -- a huge percentage by today's standards. Most TV programs are happy with decent single-digit numbers.

Whether you run a cable network, a book publishing company or an indie band, your focus should be on attracted a small but loyal sliver of the population. It's great to have ambitious, superstar goals, but if you insist on being a household name, you may miss the truly golden opportunities that await you in the musical niches.

Serve your core audience well and your exposure will multiply in good time!