Many people enter the music biz dreaming of success. Instead, I set out to fail. 
 
Unfortunately, I succeeded. 

UbiquitousBubba
Many people enter the music biz dreaming of success. Instead, I set out to fail. 
 
Unfortunately, I succeeded. 

Describe your definition of success.

DragonBlood

UbiquitousBubba
Many people enter the music biz dreaming of success. Instead, I set out to fail. 
 
Unfortunately, I succeeded. 

Describe your definition of success.

He succeeded in failing.

"As long as we concentrate on the stars in this scandal we miss the critical issue; that for most hardworking and talented professionals working in the creative industry, it is never going to provide the income they need for now and when they can no longer work, that’s the real scandal."
 
That's wrong. It's not a scandal. Anybody that can add and subtract and working in any field should know whether or not they are making enough money to meet their needs/goals.
 
It's not a scandal when there is a person that refuses to work a job that doesn't pay enough, provide a steady paycheck nor provide security for their family and future.
It's simply the way things work...there is somebody that will take that job.
 
If nobody would do any of the jobs in music that didn't provide one with a steady paycheck, insurance and retirement plans then things would be different.
 
I know that isn't rocket science or if it is I could have been working for NASA when I was a teenager. Hell, the term "starving artist" was here and known about long before I was born.
 
Some people spend their life learning an instrument, performing or not and making good money messing around in the music world while holding down a job in a profession that does provide for their security needs and future.
It's simply a choice.
I chose to enjoy music/guitar along with other professions that provided all my needs that the music world didn't and I'm very glad I was lucky or smart enough to do so.
 
And the statement I put in bold- "it is never going to provide"....well doesn't that say it all?
Unlike the "performer" that may stand a chance of "making it big" there are many jobs in the field that it is plain as day it's a dead-end job and one does it part time for the fun of it....unless they're friggin stoooopid or sumpkin.
 
So somebody wants to break it all down to income "classes"?  BS. Break it down to what it is...it's a fun art with many fields that takes a lot of work with a possibility if you become very good and/or loved by the masses you may get a big monetary return. Maybe. Some gamble very big on a "maybe" -out of ignorance or just to have fun.
Well that's how I've seen it since 1968 and got my first "paycheck"....in one dollar bills.

I made a hundred bucks last weekend plus $40 in tips. That bought:
- a $25 Wal-Mart walkie-talkie so my wife can call me in from the studio if she needs help
- a $10 mouse with working buttons to replace one that's been busted for over a year
- a $25 co-pay for a doctor's visit
- $5 in parking for said doctor visit
- $10 gas to go to said doctor visit
- a $16 case of instant breakfast goop for when my wife can't swallow solid food
- $50 worth of laxatives and Pediasure for my upcoming "procedure"
 
All money that would have otherwise come from the grocery budget. But best of all, for a few hours I got out and had some fun. 
 
Then I think back to when I did make my living as a full-time musician.
 
In those days I had no health insurance at all. When I got an ear infection from a hotel swimming pool I had to pay half a week's wages to see a doctor. When our PA amp blew up, I had to buy a new one out of the money I'd set aside for quarterly taxes and then spent the next 6 months paying it back, plus penalties and interest. I got sued by my booking agent for unpaid commissions on cancelled gigs (always read the fine print on those contracts!). I performed major surgery on my van's engine in more than one motel parking lot because I couldn't afford to take it to a garage. My tools, my kitchen utensils, and most of our clothes came from Goodwill. When my entire family was run over by a truck, we had no choice but to sue the remorseful driver to pay the hospital bills, a process that took 10 years, ruined my credit and made me stop answering the phone for a while. And the whole time I was gigging I had chronic tonsillitis but couldn't possibly afford a tonsillectomy. 
 
When I'd finally had enough, I took a day job. It was a rough adjustment, and I wasn't happy about it. It was actually a cut in pay. But after 6 months they granted me health insurance and the first thing I did was have my tonsils removed. My singing voice never came back after that, but the incessant sore throats and hacking up goo stopped.
 
I gradually came to appreciate a life off the road. I could wash my clothes without leaving the house or gathering up change. I could have hobbies again. I could help the kids with their homework and attend their games and recitals. I didn't have to deal with agents, sleazy club owners or drunks. No more all-night drives through snowstorms. I established credit again, and was able to buy recording gear, guitars and synthesizers. I could enjoy a sunrise without thinking I'd better get to bed soon.
 
Best of all, as soon as I stopped thinking about music as a means to make a living it started being fun again. 
 
I do not regret for a minute not pursuing a career in music. I love music too much.