leomole said:
The loss of accessibility is a shame but I think this is the right decision.

I don't. It lowers the range of influence for the artist.
(and not directly related to above, I pirated stuff and bought it later because I liked it. If I hadn't pirated, I wouldn't have ever saw it and as a result,would not have never bough it.)

Textrix said:
As an aside, what if an artist disappears/retires, does their portfolio become able to be uploaded?

No.