> Literally doesn't matter anymore

This is incredibly incorrect! The examples you've pointed to illustrate the smiling curve [1].

Publishers still have an enormous amount of leverage and power, and that is extremely important for other businesses operating in that space. Not everybody is an individual creator, and some creators prefer to work on small teams. You're describing this incredible transformation of the value chain (who provides value, who captures value) while missing the point!!

> It's just that the power asymmetry is disappearing

This is so fundamentally untrue. Do individuals have more power? Yes! Their BATNA (best alternative to a negotiated agreement) is now "fine I can self publish and survive." That doesn't mean there's not a huge power asymmetry still. Without the blessing of Microsoft, Sony, Apple, valve it is hard to get my game featured. Can I still go viral? Of course! But listen to Zach Gage talk about the funding difference for making a game for Apple Arcade. It prefunds development and allows him to hire a team.

As for rights negotiations, even Taylor Swift had some difficulty reclaiming ownership of her masters. The power asymmetry is alive and well.

> Would you rather I delete my comment

No, I want you to read more carefully and engage with the things people are actually saying and not what you think they are saying from briefly skimming what they write.

[1] https://stratechery.com/concept/aggregation-theory/smiling-c...