When Apple Music launched last year, its creators heralded the Connect channel as a potential revolution in the world of direct artist-to-fan relationships. That revolution is yet to come to pass, with Connect currently widely viewed as perhaps the least successful element of Apple’s fast-growing (in 113 countries, no less) platform. The wider point, though, still stands: streaming naturally breaks down many barriers between artists and theirs fans, with less of a need for traditional media ‘gatekeepers’ to project a performer’s appeal.
Source: Can streaming usher in a direct-to-fan revolution for artists? – Music Business Worldwide