Good read. I was discussing this a week ago in Colombia with my musician friends. 

I always put the case of King Crimson and Godflesh. Both really good musicians that have been there, doing their thing for a long time, get a small check every month and live off their music. You DO NOT need a hit to do what you want. In fact, You will live guilt-free the rest of your life if there’s no hit and you find yourself making music for 20-30 years.