Why are the artists still starving?
5 hours ago
- Art is not essential for life but for living; its value often derives from social benefits like status and community rather than the art itself.
- Revenue funnels for art are collapsing due to streaming, password sharing, and piracy, pushing companies to rely on ads, merchandise, and exclusivity to profit.
- The cost of producing high-quality art has risen dramatically, leading studios to avoid risks and prioritize safe, franchise-driven projects.
- The cost of obtaining art is extremely low, raising audience expectations and drowning creators in a sea of free or cheap content.
- Artists struggle because art's economic value is tied to proxy benefits (ads, social capital) rather than direct sales, and the market structure favors large corporations over individual creators.
- The industry faces a dilemma: rising production costs require high returns, but consumer behavior and distribution shifts undermine traditional revenue models.
- Possible alternatives or exceptions are welcomed, but the author sees no clear solution and acknowledges their own role in the problem.