The business model is not new

The business model is not new. It has been here for nearly a century. Entertainment industry power players push imbalanced contracts that artists sign without fully understanding them, or hoping for short-term success; but most often because they feel it is their only chance to compete and break through. Artists, creators, and creative service providers are played against each other to shrink budgets, ending up giving their work away basically for free, losing ownership forever, etc. The methods are endless, the psychology behind it is often shameless. Everyone has to defend themselves on the market.

Creators must understand that every second of published creative content they make generates profit somewhere. Niche subcultures and genres in art are no exception. Digitalization and social media segmentation make even niche communities targetable and exploitable. If everyone understands the value they created and how their contribution is being exploited, the next steps are basically just practical: you need negotiation power, you need legal protection, and you need a clear labour framework. You have to explain what you are doing, how valuable your work is, and many times you need to be strong and say no with confidence and dignity.