> If the author/artist wanted it to be free, the ads wouldn't be there.

That's a logical leap. The artist can want both things.

There are two payments involved:

1. The user pays with his time/attention

2. The ad company pays the site

In most cases, the author doesn't mind getting the payments from number 2 even if you skip 1. Many, many sites explicitly point out they don't find a it a problem if you install an ad blocker.

I don't have ads on my site. I'm OK with you consuming it for free. If I put ads one day, I'll still be OK with it, because I know I'll get some money regardless. It's practically free money.

I will not miss the vast majority of sites I go to that serve ads if they all decided to shut down and/or go paid only. I should be spending a lot less time on the Internet/phone to begin with!