What is petty is a lazy answer without an argument.

Firstly, I never claimed to be the originator of this idea, nor does it matter to the quality of the argument. Also note that in my various responses I have pointed out to many sources for this position by people who have thought of the problem and studied it in detail.

However, if you know an originator of the argument, as you insinuate but accurately avoid to mention, please go ahead and reference it, otherwise you are just making up stuff?

Middle men are making more off music than what, when, whom?
Even if that factoid were true (it is not) it would not follow in any rational way that then artists should be making more.

You’ll need to make a better argument than just stating your opinion, without presenting any supporting facts, pal.