I'm convinced (in particular by years of reading Bob Lefsetz's punditry [0], as well as working alongside multiple successful musicians, DJs, and industry agencies for many years) that Spotify single-handedly saved the aging and out-of-touch record business, that their payments to artists are fair, and that it's more accessible now than ever before by an order of magnitude to build a real, sustainable career as a musician.
You have to simply put in the work, and it is brutal, long, thankless, isolating work, on top of the Herculean task of creating something people legitimately want and connect with. And you should be attractive (not beautiful persay, but charismatic and authentic). And provide the illusion of access to you. And be kind to your fans. And maximize all of your potential channels (digital and IRL, from socials to tours to brand partnerships to merch/apparel to unpredictable, serendipitous syncs in film and tv (ex. Kate Bush "Running Up That Hill")), all the while cultivating fans like plants in a garden.
You have to travel and perform, and be present, and be the soundtrack to their lives, always meeting your fans where they are, however they congregate, and and and and and! For years and years. It takes a long time to enjoy a tree you've just planted.
People do not have the bandwidth, mentally or financially, to support or patronize more than a few artists that mean something significant to them. Just because the amount of people making and publishing music has exploded doesn't mean that listeners have available slots to add you into their mental playlist, until you keep doing what you're doing long enough that you appear, almost seamlessly, into a moment in their life that awes and delights and converts them into a believer.
There is no "right place at the right time" -- you have to be in the right place ALL the time, and eventually your random times become other peoples' "right time".
If you never give up, if you're always there, you'll also eventually be a staple on the scene -- you'll be, literally by default, "old guard" that people look up to. You'll have earned your respect, you'll have put in your dues, and the money / fame / power will come as an after-effect.
Any other situation where it's overnight success, those acts are created as nothing more than products to be sold. Both can make a lot of money, but money isn't the goal. Craft, legacy, driving culture, these are what artistry is supposed to be about. Money is secondary, and always comes if you take the time to learn the business and take your fan stewardship seriously.
The amount of shallow takes on Twitter, Threads, or god forbid LinkedIn about poor musicians who "deserve a living wage", who are "gamed by Big Tech", who are "slaves to the algorithm", who aren't living the dreams they weirdly feel entitled to, they don't deserve anything if their music and persona are nothing anybody wants, if they haven't put in the work, haven't shown up and met people continuously, haven't failed over and over, haven't paid for it with blood, sweat and tears, haven't stuck to their guns until they eventually get lucky -- not because the universe chose them, but because they made sure they were already all of what I wrote above when opportunity came knocking.
Like, sorry, the world has become hyper-connected, super decentralized, insular, tribal -- MTV can't break you anymore. None of us are paying attention to the same things as anybody else. It's harder than ever to get attention, and what you're selling had better be damn good -- but if you succeed, the rewards are richer than they've ever been.
Most plants get choked out on the jungle floor by the canopy, or end up adapting to quietly survive in their environment. Some defy all odds and break through the top. Chances are you're not going to the top, but you don't have to get choked out either.
Anyways.