I always thought that most members of Long Tail really want to be part of the Head and will take any opportunity to move to the Head. A news story in NYT today shows this happening at YouTube.
The most popular YouTubers, who have generated millions of visits and tens of thousands of subscribers, say they have received overtures from multiple sites. And YouTube, meanwhile, appears ready to respond to the challenge.
The most important thing to remember is that in all species that I know, Head leads the Tail — and life ends when Head is severed — life may continue when the end of the Tail is severed.