But it's not the cut from the middleman that's gone down as a result (in fact there's whole new layers of middlemen), rather the variety of artists making a liv

But it's not the cut from the middleman that's gone down as a result (in fact there's whole new layers of middlemen), rather the variety of artists making a living wage from industry contracts. "Working musicians" are dying off; you're either a superstar, or you're living on ramen or doing it as a side gig. Overall the result is pretty bad for a society which values professional artists.