Trust me, the instant I think "the middlemen" add no value to either side, I'll drop them like a hot potato.
The trouble is, they do add value, from my perspective. But they also add headaches. There is a cost/benefit trade-off here, for artists to evaluate. (Which is why I felt the need to respond to this idiotic article, my gut reaction to which was actually along the lines of "oh no, not this tired old shit again". For values of "tired old shit" that equate to Techcrunch, not BRAT, who at least knows what he's talking about, unlike the TC journalist who's using him to make a point while disingenuously refusing to engage with the real nature of the problem.)
The trouble is, they do add value, from my perspective. But they also add headaches. There is a cost/benefit trade-off here, for artists to evaluate. (Which is why I felt the need to respond to this idiotic article, my gut reaction to which was actually along the lines of "oh no, not this tired old shit again". For values of "tired old shit" that equate to Techcrunch, not BRAT, who at least knows what he's talking about, unlike the TC journalist who's using him to make a point while disingenuously refusing to engage with the real nature of the problem.)