People do forget that the older markets were smaller, more controlled so more people were funneled through them such as radio. Services like Pandora, Spotify a

People do forget that the older markets were smaller, more controlled so more people were funneled through them such as radio. Services like Pandora, Spotify and even iTunes are really better in nailing down real listens and tracking much better (who knows how many true listeners there were really in the past other than Nielsen type predictions) but also there were less avenues to get content so it was more valuable to get on there. It is the same problem in games with the previously distinct console markets where you can get more per game because there are less options. Now there are tons of options and it is about bigger user base at a lower per sku revenue take. The internet based services are more open and there are more of them vying for your attention (which is good) but that you need to do more amazing things to stand out than before. The controlled markets like radio, movie distribution, consoles (sort of -- Xbone from next gen) since they are controlled/limited and the costs are higher to get on them, they to get bigger takes. But they aren't necessarily better. Many artists, movies, games aren't seen on those or would even be possible if they were still tightly controlled and limited markets. It doesn't make it easier to succeed, it adds more competition and they end up being bigger markets but there is less exclusivity to it. In the end this is good I believe but artists that would never have been seen for instance can now actually be seen at least in access and not locked out. An artist can now get verifiable tracking counts as well as before a station might cheat them like a publisher might do in books/games since it is estimated or trusted to the publisher/stations to report correct plays.