The "rock star" era was a bubble, at a time of rising demand and limited supply. Digital recording has democratized music, tastes have stratified (thank fuck) a

The "rock star" era was a bubble, at a time of rising demand and limited supply. Digital recording has democratized music, tastes have stratified (thank fuck) and now there's so much supply people have FOMO over discovery tools not finding them optimal recommendations in a sea of possibilities. On the other side, in the first half of the 20th century, artists were more likely paid a one-off pittance to come into a studio and record a song, and then the record labels profit from it to this day. Music is worth less now because the supply is vast and the demand is relatively limited. Pretty simple economics. And most artists have always made their money from touring...while concert prices are more eye watering than ever.