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Increasing the size of the market is a well understood phenomenon, but it isn't the only way a business can be successful. The music companies would prefer tha
by jrockway 3y ago
Increasing the size of the market is a well understood phenomenon, but it isn't the only way a business can be successful. The music companies would prefer that you spent less time watching TV and more time listening to music. Or, they would prefer that you had less meetings at work so you'd need music to fill the silence. Or, Artist A would like to convince you that they are better than Artist B.
Humanity has always been constrained by the 24 hour a day thing, but the economy has grown nonetheless.
That last little bit is interesting. Back in the physical media era, if Artist B fell out of your rotation, you could sell your record/tape/CD and decrease the size of their new market a little bit. Then we went to DRM, and every song you bought was a sunk cost; if you didn't listen to it, you still payed. Now with streaming, it's back to the downsides of physical media; if you stop listening to Artist B, they stop getting paid.