The Fractured Triangle of the Music Industry

The Music Crisis of 2025: Unpacking the Misaligned Triangle of Entitlement Driving Artists to Quit

The YouTube video transcript addresses the widespread suffering and quitting of musicians due to anxiety and depression, challenging the popular notion that Spotify alone is to blame for the music industry's broken economics. The speaker outlines a "misaligned triangle" of perceived entitlement among platforms like Spotify, labels, and the consumer, who has grown accustomed to accessing music for free since the digital shift began with Napster. Highlighting the dramatic decline of physical music sales, the speaker asserts that the current ecosystem is unsustainable and is causing the quality of music to deteriorate as artists are forced to prioritize quantity over quality. Ultimately, the source argues that the only way to create true, lasting change and provide artists with fair compensation is through legislation, urging a collective effort to increase authority and make noise.