There is money in live music. That's why there are more tours and festivals than ever before. Hundreds of touring A/V companies make money along with the musicians and promoters. Recently, AES called us up and asked why we don't exhibit anymore. The answer: The people who attend AES are mostly people doing recording, and they do not have much money. That's why AES is shrinking too.
Anyone can go on Amazon and buy adequate gear to start recording. With enough work and time some can even produce fun-to-listen-to music. Pros who do studio recordings have to compete with amateurs who often have new and better ideas, just less skill. Some very successful producers work with newbies and get paid to help them realize those ideas, because the newbies have some money.
Getting up on stage is another matter and takes a much higher level of skill. People do pay for it and ticket prices can be pretty high.
The internet commoditizes everything that passes through it. Theft of intellectual property doubles the pain, but infringement occurs on and off the net. Stealing is clearly wrong, yet, we have plenty of situations where the musician can only hope that someone would
want to steal his music. This kind of situation leads to poverty.
Meanwhile, some musicians with skill, like the one below, still self-produce and put out something real good. He still has to beg you to pay for it.
Will you pay for this download?
--::--:: SEAN ELDON - THE SAUSAGE FACTORY ::--::--