There is, almost always, a huge gap between the demand for creative artists and the supply. The result is that structures emerge to gate supply and joining the supply stream involves some measure of gaming the system.

For example, pre-pandemic, the effective unemployment rate for members of the professional actors union in the U.S. was close to 90% and for those who did work, the median annual income was about $7,500.

Figuring out how to eliminate the intermediate layers between artist and audience might improve things a bit and shift us from having such a focus on celebrity obsession to finding art and talent closer to home.