There are alternative systems. One would be artists making a living through other ways such as live performances, meet and greet, book signings, etc.)

We could also do patronage. Thats how musicians used to be funded. Even today we have grants from public/private institutions.

We could also drift back into "owning the physical media" We see this somewhat with the resurgence of records.

NFTs would have been another way, but at least initially, it failed to become generally accepted into the popular conscious.