Can someone explain without using "magic happens here" arguments how an author, musician, etc. would build a portfolio of assets from which they could attain an

Can someone explain without using "magic happens here" arguments how an author, musician, etc. would build a portfolio of assets from which they could attain any measure of financial security in this world? No. They can't. But it's important to understand that they can't attain any measure of financial security even with copyright law in place. It just looks like they can. Only the superstars ever get financial security from copyrights. Writers would have it even worse than musicians, since at least musicians can tour. When was the last time you attended a live reading of a novel? Crowdfunding is another option. But I think it's useful to give up on the idea that artists will ever make any meaningful amount of money from selling their art after the fact. I am not arguing that copyright is perfect as is, but so far I see nothing better that allows artists to actually eat. If we force artists to make art in order to be able to eat, isn't the system already broken? In a post copyright world, big capital would still own brands, distribution channels, networks, etc. It would actually be great for them: they could now monetize artists work any way they wanted without paying the artist anything. Google, Apple, Amazon, etc. would be big winners. Maybe. But you'd also see a lot of free distribution through BitTorrent, Popcorn Time etc. In order for Google, Apple, Amazon, etc. to make money, they'd have to be able to add some value on top of content distribution... value that can't easily be replicated for free. What we call "intellectual property" is really a public good. It's non-rival and non-exclusive in nature. This stuff is yet another hard right wing labor busting idea masquerading as something liberal and progressive. Maybe. But that doesn't mean it's wrong. This kind of thinking about intellectual property is what led me to re-examine the nature of labor in general. Is it reasonable for us to expect the labor market to provide sufficient income to consumers?