I’m also old enough to remember that this is a bullshit memory. Everyone was finding ways to get paid even back then. No one is producing endless content for your free consumption for the shits and giggles.

People sold dvds and merch, and most ran off youtube like blip.tv because you could make money that way. When youtube finally enabled monitisation, people were so excited because they could finally get off these terrible alternatives.

Maybe you are thinking about the late 90s? I was there for that too. That was all funded by the dot com bubble, people got paid. No one wants to entertain you for free. You aren’t so special.