Cheap electronics are doing most of the leveling. (Gaming)

by Vortech , A Fourth Wheel, Wednesday, June 01, 2016, 20:06 (3101 days ago) @ Durandal

I could agree that this is a possible future, but it does not describe the current world. Mass media like radio and TV is still directly linked to the massive sales needed to recoup a label loan. The distribution options of the internet are helping but much more helpful is the dropping cost and complexity of electronic music recording and editing equipment. That's leading to a democratization of music creation that eliminates the big advance that you used to need from a label to make "album quality" music that so many genre's fans expect/require.

And all of this eliminating inefficiencies can only get you so far. Add to that the problem that a lot of the most adventurous music listeners will find music through…free…sources or streaming services which pay much less than sales.

Advertising is still in a weird space, and touring is still a big financial investment for most bands. Both of those are pretty much essential to make a living in music, but also greatly limit your opportunity to make new music.

(most of this is gained from seeing parallels to the video industries, which I know much better so feel free to tell me where I have it wrong music experts.)