Ira Glass sums it all up in this recent interview with Vulture:
It’s just crazy to me that people are having a hard time earning money making something so many other people clearly want.
Well, part of the problem is that people aren’t paying for it, right?
Right. They’re accustomed to getting it for free.
That’s the hole in the business model.
Most people ain’t paying for shit.
There was a time when Limp Bizkit sold a million albums in one week. Now artists on labels with managers and lawyers are lucky to sell 50,000 in a month.
You used to have to pay money to go see a movie. Now you pay a few bucks a month for a few streaming services and never buy another DVD
Podcasts, websites, newsletters – free, free, free.
Yes, a small percentage of diehard fans support via Patreon, or Substack, or whatever, but for the most part there’s been more entertainment options that exist in the world.
Think about the 100 or 200 or 1000 things we read a day, and watch, and listen to. In a DAY. A MONTH.
I pay my ISP $56/month, and some streaming services. I don’t think I spend $100 a month on everything, and I can fill my eyes and ears with “content” every second of every day.
And we’re all paying that $100 every month, and more (much more), and a few people are making money from making the things that everyone loves.
Again, from the interview: people are having a hard time earning money making something so many other people clearly want.
What the fuck?