Isn't this the result of consumers devaluing art? We want a $12 all you can eat plan, which tends to favor package contracts on the supply side. The direct-to-consumer model for music has been mostly rejected.
Consumers want fast & cheap then want to find fault and point fingers when it isn't good.
By historical norms, music is hilariously cheap. And $12 isn't even the floor, you can get a $17 couples plan, or a $20 family plan split 6 ways. Or $6 for students and they throw in Hulu TV with it! And theres are 2025 dollars.
In peak CD mall rat era, Northeast HCOL area minimum wages were $5, gas was $2/gal and CDs were $20+ for new releases, each. Or inflating that $20, is $38/album in 2025 dollars. And teens with allowances and/or jobs would buy more than 1 per month.
No matter how the pie is sliced up, there just isn't that much revenue coming in the front door.
Did (most) consumers ever value art? There has always been the very wealthy that commission art, but it seems like throughout history more for less is the typical behavior.
