I feel this phenomenon happening as well. 25 years ago, I was in a niche band, and we were super happy to be paid in beer money. There wasn't a niche market for us that could be lucrative in any sense, but today there are loads of niches for musicians.
The other thing you rightfully point out is that we no longer have quite the same shared culture we once did. This adds to the fragmentation our society faces, but it's in the service of more choices for consumers, and more opportunities for artists (like us!).
Yes, the number of books and albums has exploded in the last few years. Word of mouth is becoming far more powerful, as it's fun to discover things your friends like that you haven't heard of.
I feel this phenomenon happening as well. 25 years ago, I was in a niche band, and we were super happy to be paid in beer money. There wasn't a niche market for us that could be lucrative in any sense, but today there are loads of niches for musicians.
The other thing you rightfully point out is that we no longer have quite the same shared culture we once did. This adds to the fragmentation our society faces, but it's in the service of more choices for consumers, and more opportunities for artists (like us!).
Yes, the number of books and albums has exploded in the last few years. Word of mouth is becoming far more powerful, as it's fun to discover things your friends like that you haven't heard of.