[Also published in Huffington Post here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/katherine-warman-kern/the-disappearing-creative_b_678939.html ]
UPDATED with two links:
There's a lot of talk about the polarization of our society. You are either very rich or poor. The middle class is disappearing. Among the disappearing middle class are also the 97% of the highly talented creative minds who are invisible to the "naked eye".
Have you ever gone to a local club and heard a band play and wonder how they could be so talented, yet unknown? Makes you realize how narrow the odds of being discovered are. The internet was supposed to be the magnet that would raise this undiscovered talent pool to the surface.
But so far, the internet is about enabling the "masses" to express themselves. So far that has created a lot of flotsam and jetsam. The undiscovered talent remains, well, undiscovered.
The more the internet evolves, it seems to be all about helping the mainstream publishers and production companies find advocates among the masses. Specifically, I've seen statistics that more tweets and blog links connect to traditional media than "alternatives".
There is nothing wrong with what is on the internet. Don't get me wrong. But if it is innovation we seek, and I hope that's true, let's get back to what the promise of the internet was supposed to be - to help the truly talented, creative class master their craft and those who seek to find and encourage them participate too.
Arianna Huffington is drawing attention to the disappearing "middle class" in the US in this series. We are seeking partners to develop MusikMosh specifically to enable the both culture and commerce to flourish in the music making community.
