What label are you with and how much did they make off your streaming? I don't know how this applies specifically to streaming but music sales should be at a peak right now despite what the studios and RIAA tell you. I read a story recently which points out that the studios and the RIAA keep complaining that record sales are at an all time low as their argument for how piracy is ruining the music industry but then goes to highlight that yes, while record sales are at an all time low, music sales are not. The industries are raking in large sums of cash for individual song sales via iTunes, etc and their profits are steadily growing each year as they always have been. I don't know how this affects streaming but the point is if the artist makes x money on y service then the label / studio that the artist is with makes many multiples of x on y service.
If you're an independent musician who has no label then on the streaming service, look at the numbers of subscribers your streaming to and compare these numbers to other artists, both successful and low key. Additionally, I've never heard tell of any artist surviving solely based on the money they make through a streaming service. Streaming music is like the 21st century version of radio air time. No artist I have ever heard of has ever been known to make a living from radio time. What about sales (records, iTunes, etc)? What about concerts? What about merchandising? These have all been staples of the music entertainment industry for many generations.
If streaming media really is the 21st century version of radio air time then what has radio air time been to the music industry? Promotions! Radio play and now streaming is promotions. People don't know you so you play your songs on streaming media and while people are listening to a hodge-podge mix of Avant Cello they hear your work and say "Hey! I like this artists. These songs are great! I want to buy that CD / iTunes song" or whatever it is that you sell.
Sorry but while listening to someone complain that the money they make from streaming media isn't enough to survive on, I find this to be as empty and one sided of a view as the RIAA saying that pirates are ruining the entertainment industry because record sales are down. I believe you that you don't make enough there to survive and I believe record sales are down but it's only a small part of a bigger story or as far as the artist is concerned it's only a small part of a bigger story for most of them and if you want to make money then you should follow suit and sell elsewhere, as I mentioned sales, concerts, merchandise, etc.
This sounds like a guy complaining not enough people buy Pepsi to support his store that only sells Pepsi or not enough people need new alternators for a mechanic that only repairs or replaces alternators or not enough people eat ribs for a restaurant that only sells ribs. Expand!
Oh and one more thing. If you have done everything you can to expand into the other areas of profit in the music industry and you still don't make enough to survive, I hardly see that as being the result of dramatic changes in the evolution of the music entertainment industry but instead I realize that not every musician will be successful. Not everyone makes music that has a large enough fan base to survive. Another story old as the ages but some musicians put out great music that everyone wants and go on to success and some musicians don't and never become successful artists. Some musicians start off not making the right music and their success comes later with different styles that become more widely appreciated. Some musicians start off making great music but sell out or stop trying afterwards and start making poor music which leads to them falling out of popularity. Some musicians just never make it as successful artists and spend their days writing jingles for advertising or whatever. In the end their is so much more to the story then the sliver being complained about. I know of many successful independent and studio artists. I know of successful artists who used to be studio and now work independently (Trent Reznor comes to mind) but ultimately I know of many successful artists now who have succeeded from one way or another and continue to remain popular and when they finally retire they will have left a a big mark in their genre and will go on to a successful retirement from all of the work they've done but these are the exception and for every successful artist their are probably hundreds who tried and didn't make it. Make sure you keep a fall back option in case you're not born to be a successful music artist.
By the way, I'm deaf. Literally :-)
