Before streaming the vast majority of music artists never made a dime, and was never able to actually release content on previous media (vinyl LPs, printed CDs,

Before streaming the vast majority of music artists never made a dime, and was never able to actually release content on previous media (vinyl LPs, printed CDs, etc.), most were able to record some cassette tapes and distribute around a town square, bars they had a gig, etc. As fucked as royalties from streaming is, mostly also due to the Big-3 music labels royally fucking artists on the way and blocking streaming services to actually pay the artists more, at least now there's a way for the vast majority of artists to release their works to the world. So in a sense the music industry hasn't changed: a few artists still make the bulk of money, but it gave a much larger avenue for upcoming artists to find an audience.