Also relevant was the UK art school system, which up until the 80s or so was a practical career path for creative working class kids. There was also the dole (

Also relevant was the UK art school system, which up until the 80s or so was a practical career path for creative working class kids. There was also the dole (unemployment benefit) system which provided just enough cash to allow bands and musicians to start a career without being forced into a full-time job. A ridiculous number of high profile UK musicians from the 60s and 70s came through art school or adjacent courses like architecture, not music college.