The Cult of the Amateur

I have to wholeheartedly agree with the sentiment of Andrew Keen, that the availability of information and technologies as well as the ability to build social networks or groups around amateur industry such as mashup music for example have contributed greatly to declines in technical expertise as well as cultivation of talent.  Download sites have not only taken the ability to make a living from the artist through massive copyright infringement and piracy, but the demand for such a mediocre product has poisoned the well and put the audience in charge of the direction that art takes.  It's almost as if the music industry has become some kind of crappy choose your own adventure story rather than a theater of expression.