That is simply not true and just the opinion of people who know nothing about artists.

The same misinformation exists about music agencies, who organize concerts and take a hefty fee.

But those were welcomed by musicians. In the early days (18th century), musicians had to do advertising themselves when traveling to a new city. The innovation was to have an impresario (literally someone who travels ahead of them) to do the organizing.

What musicians don't want is Internet middlemen who pretend to act in their interests and take an even higher cut.