The industry dynamics definitely add a whole different element into the picture, in those regards.
In some ways, I probably ought to be grateful for my obscurity - no such pressures. It's probably a gift to have the freedom to allow my processes to unfold as they need to on their own, being able to grant the art to flourish into what it wants without imposition of timelines and pressure to try fit it into expectations - both others' and my own.
at the same time, there's also the potential curse as sometimes those lack of constraints can result in endless explorations & tweaks, veering way the fuck off into vortex that just burn time & energy.
double-edged sword. I probably could've made, finished & released a whole lot more music were I to be playing more within "industry norms" rather than off doing something different on the fringes. but, there's also stuff that could've never been discovered & created, were I not on a different path. whether the fruits ever do reach a wider audience, uniquely contributing as something truly different... perhaps only time shall tell...
☯️
I think creativity is better than formulaic stuff in the end. That's just me though. Lots of people have made lots of money on the formulaic stuff. Even this new AI stuff is topping the charts I saw the other day. Blech!