There was a time when a stage or platform was strictly borrowed by the one with the talent.

To sing for a living meant you needed a record deal. To write for a living meant you needed a publishing contract. In my case, to talk into a microphone for a living meant you first had to “run the board” at odd hours and for minimum wage until the program director decided you were ready for more responsibility.  

Those fortunate enough to be given a platform kept it on the condition they continued to make the gatekeepers money and/or look good. In the words of Janet Jackson, it was very much a “What have you done for me lately?” kind of world.

In many ways this model is still in play of course. But, as more solo entrepreneurs, freelancers, bloggers, vloggers, podcasters, and other content creators continue to spring up from what are arguably the ashes of the industrial age, the ability of the average person to leverage these larger, more traditional, platforms has been strengthened.

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