>A new artist can't release their own work and achieve these levels of success. No, but they've never been able to. They've always had to grind it out making

>A new artist can't release their own work and achieve these levels of success. No, but they've never been able to. They've always had to grind it out making no money in open mic nights, or starting for another artist "for the exposure". Between Youtube and the ease of self-distribution, it is now possible for artists to bypass the studio distribution deals that take such a large cut and result in higher prices for consumers and fans.