This study is interesting, but it might as well have 'in mice' in the title for all its relevance in the real world. The study is measuring preference - and I'd

This study is interesting, but it might as well have 'in mice' in the title for all its relevance in the real world. The study is measuring preference - and I'd definitely agree that all else being equal, preference would uplift better work (across artistic domains). But all else is most definitely not equal. Distribution is now essentially free - but all that demonstrated is that it was never the bottleneck. Marketing is. The music industry is a machine for creating what the kids call 'plants'. Groomed, quantised, pop creatures with a minimal bar for talent and huge appeal to their chosen demo (these days primarily young women). The industry is, contrary to what we might have assumed would happen - still the mediator. They negotiate the front page of spotify, book the tours, create the relationships with broadcasters and media outlets. There are absolutely segments in the industry that address and include taste and quality, but they're long tail stuff next to the pop machine.