Thomas Edison’s phonograph led the way toward a winner-take-all dynamic in the performing industry. The very best performers went from earning like Mrs. Billington to earning like Elton John. Meanwhile, the only-slightly-less-good went from making a comfortable living to struggling to pay their bills. Small gaps in quality became vast gaps in money, because nobody was interested in paying for a copy of the second-best when you could have a copy of the best.
