Yes, that is rather much what I think of it as well. And it's the way it will be in the future. I don't think people will be buying CD's and such except marginally in the future, Spotify etc. will salvage what can be salvaged for commercial purposes, but...ultimately the is NO money to be made from recordings no more.
A few examples. Like one of my own current bands.
3,940,676 total plays on a single internet site. Not a penny for us.
I just read about the 'royalties' Spotify pays. Lady Gaga, who's been on the MTV and radio all the time, sold millions and had millions of Spotify listens, gets a couple of thousand for it. A local band here has had some tens of thousands of listens on Spotify...get about 30 euros for it.
Also one of my bands got hours and hours of national TV broadcast time having our video in 'super rotation' for nearly a month. Never got a penny for it, because it was a 'pirate' channel who never paid anyone anything. They just shut down after a few years and filed bankrupt and started anew with a different name. No way to get any royalties.
I've quit thinking years ago I could ever get any of my music out there and make money out of it. You just have to be happy about the fact that up to millions of people have heard your music, that's it.
Basically all my music I have ever made is available online if I've only remembered to put it there. Must be a three-number amount of songs easily. Some of the most current stuff is only streamable, but that's because the band members are in the U.S. and want to also sell CD's. I tell them they'l never sell any significant numbers despite the huge listener numbers online and we should just spread the music freely, but I don't really care either way. I know I'll never make a penny with it.
The only way to make money with music is play gigs, but sadly at least over here there is one band around for every 50 people or so and every band also better than the next, so the gig arrangers don't pay the bands, the bands practically pay the arrangers to get to play for an audience.
And still some people even here dream of becoming rock stars. 99.9 percent end up wasting 10 years and 10.000 dollars chasing that and then realize you can only make money and succeed if you have a gimmick and are young and pretty enough to get to the spotlight for other reasons than your music.
Dee
"When life's a biatch, be a horny dog"
Amps: Marshall JVM 410H w/ Plexi Cap mod, Choke Mod & Negative Feedback Removal mod, 4x12", Behringer GMX110, Amplitube 3/StealthPedal
Half a dozen custom built/bastardized guitars all with EMG's, mostly 85's, Ibanez Artwood acoustic & Yamaha SGR bass, Epiphone Prophecy SG, Vox Wah, Pitchblack tuner plus assorted pedals, rack gear etc. for home studio use.