I know it's somewhat beside your point, but production has also become a great deal cheaper. An entry-level external audio interface and DAW package will set yo

I know it's somewhat beside your point, but production has also become a great deal cheaper. An entry-level external audio interface and DAW package will set you back a couple hundred dollars or euros at most, and will basically give you all the tools to do professional quality recording, mixing and mastering. It's a pretty big change too, considering that just a couple decades ago the only feasible way to make recordings of any kind at home was cassette tapes.