I just sat through this years demosplash demo competition and the magic is absolutely still there. You're right, the lack of any monetary gain in the demoscene

I just sat through this years demosplash demo competition and the magic is absolutely still there. You're right, the lack of any monetary gain in the demoscene is a feature that keeps things interesting, quirky, and most importantly passionate. They optimize to wow and have fun, not to make a buck.