I have never, ever, ever seen a single reputable source to support this claim. As far as I can tell, this is just something that people blindly repeat to justify their exploitative business models.

On the other hand, there's quite a lot of evidence of successful businesses operating on a subscription model because they provide a good value proposition. Which leads me to conclude that your claim is simply false.

Also relevant: https://membershippuzzle.org/about/