If TikTok paid artists directly without a corporate middleman, the artists would be extatic about the current royalties, I bet. A lot of hate goes to Spotify, too, but bands that take direct control over their music do comparatively well. I hope the era of corporate pop is fading, and independent artists will be able to use the internet to build audiences, crowdfund albums, and earn a decent living in a more diverse musical ecosystem.
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I used to run an indie public relations company that worked with, at one time, over 10 indie artists (as well as other clients). From my experience, the one that went on to release more than one album barely made travel costs back from their merch/CD sales/venues that would book them. I worked with them on their 2nd and 3rd albums, potentially their final album as I have not heard anything else from them.
This was back in 2009 to 2014, a completely different time versus today where artists have so many more options to get their music out there in front of fans.
The problem I ran into helping these artists were varied. Some venues (clubs, dive bars, etc) had signed exclusive deals with various size record studios to only push their artists. Many radio stations were owned, at least in part, by record companies and would only play songs from a small group of very large record labels; not signed to them, not getting air time. Same for attempting to get their CDs in stores - national chains only stocked CDs from several record labels, again, not signed, not getting on those shelves.
The few places that carried the CD's of clients I worked with did well with them. When they were able to get in a venue it was often a single event that got booked into at least one more showing at a later date.
Just the universe did not line up for them. I like to think if they were to try again today, they would do far better.
It is the gamble. If you go out on your own for anything, you are just that, on your own. Many make it and are happy with the results. Sadly, the unsuccessful ones far outnumber those that did make it independently. Plus, these corporations give wonderfully huge upfront payments to get artists to sign long contracts - look at how it all effected Kesha for instance, though her situation involved abuse of power by those working closely with her.
I agree that it would probably be a lot different if more people did go independent with their music. Maybe a platform the size of TikTok can help make that happen for more artists.
I know I have discovered more new music by indie artists via TikTok than I ever hear on the local radio stations. Do they stick around for more than that one song? Usually no and I have no idea why (could be money, could be lack of support on the business side, etc).
I think, in the past, that is what has kept a lot of artists from going indie - lack of business-sense. They just want to make money so to speak. Signing with a big company alleviates almost all needs to understand how to run a business and promote music. The problem is, not all companies are looking out for the good of those producing the content they need to keep making money (same could be said of any company and their employees).
I do believe there is a market out there for indie artists to make a respectable living on their own. It just requires a lot more work on their part doing things not exactly connected to making music.
My library has hosted author workshops, and some authors are quite candid about the pros of big publishing houses. Indie authors are writers, editors, publicists, marketeers, and more. If this isn't all in someone's wheelhouse, and especially if a big publishing house will offer some serious promotion, it can be worth the loss of control and profit. It's just that until now, few have had the opportunity to choose alternatives and experiment. Print-on-demand through Amazon or Lulu are out there. Kickstarter and Indiegogo are just the tip of the iceberg for crowdfunding. With any luck, we are seeing the emergency of new artist opportunities for text and music alike. I'm optimistic on this front.
There are definitely some benefits to either option, most go for the company option for the security it provides. I self publish, and ghost write, mostly using digital formats for publishing and it is rewarding to see my work getting enjoyed by so many.
I would love to see options like Lulu or print on demand for music though. It would be rather interesting to see how the fans accept it, or not.