Has art jumped the shark after WWI?

[abaris]

Pop music succeeds on its own because there are still people (sort of) willing to pay for it.

Pop music succeeds because it offers enjoyment. That's why people are willing to pay for it. But it's often presented in some kind of opposition to classical music without taking into consideration that classical music was the pop music of it's time.

At least when it comes to Mozart and quite a few others. Yes, Mozart got parts of his money from the imperial court and from wealthy people ordering pieces of music from him. But he also composed for suburbian theatres. Together with Schikaneder he created some of his operas to debut before a popular audience.

And when it comes to literature and performing arts, the list gets even longer. Shakespeare exclusively wrote for ordinary people. Same goes for the German poet and writer Schiller, who introduced revolutionary ideas and criticisms to his work.