A City AM opinion piece discusses concerns about how artificial intelligence might affect the creative and cultural industries, but argues that underlying economic forces — not technology alone — explain why a handful of superstars like Taylor Swift dominate both talent and earnings. The article references Baroness Kidron’s report, which warns that AI threatens millions of jobs in arts, media and entertainment, and describes how large tech companies can now scrape creative work and use it to generate competitive outputs without proper regard for copyright — intensifying economic pressures on creators.
The author points out that inequality in creative fields isn’t new or caused uniquely by AI. Economic theory, particularly the “Economics of Superstars” framework introduced by economist Sherwin Rosen, explains that markets with joint consumption — where many people can consume the same work at virtually no extra cost — naturally produce winner-take-all outcomes. In such markets, even tiny advantages in quality can translate into massive differences in popularity and earnings. Taylor Swift, for example, has become extraordinarily wealthy and successful, while most other musicians earn far less than average wages, reflecting this structural inequality.
The article also connects this economic dynamic to broader barriers in the cultural sector, such as class-based obstacles that make it harder for working-class talent to break through — including low pay, the need for social connections, and the financial support required to sustain creative careers before achieving success. While AI may add pressure by enabling tech firms to offer compelling synthetic content built from scraped work, the author argues that “winner-take-all” inequality was already deeply embedded in the creative economy before AI’s rise.
Ultimately, the piece suggests that AI should be seen as another factor in a long history of technological change rather than the fundamental cause of inequality in creative industries. Technology like the internet and AI amplifies trends that have existed for decades, and understanding the economic structure of fame and market dynamics — rather than blaming AI alone — offers a clearer perspective on why a few superstars capture disproportionate attention and income while many others struggle to gain a foothold.
