> Throughout this analysis, I couldn't help but wonder why anyone would aspire to become a mainstream music star—to achieve professional success that bears a ne

> Throughout this analysis, I couldn't help but wonder why anyone would aspire to become a mainstream music star—to achieve professional success that bears a near-immediate expiration date. I think this quote demonstrates that the author hasn't really understood what they're writing about. Many musicians (especially those that have only one hit, or even no hits at all) simply make music because it's what they love to do. If enough people are interested in them for them to be able to make a living out of it, that's enough "professional success" for them. That's the reason why many bands stay together (or artists stay active) for decades after they had a top 40 hit. If they were just chasing stardom, they would have probably given up after a few years. For example, this band I went to see a few weeks ago in Cologne: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INiKwU2JPF0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INiKwU2JPF0 (the concert recording is not mine) - they were pretty big stars in the nineties with two hit albums (and a James Bond title track), then had two less successful ones, had a fallout with their record company, went on hiatus, then reformed in 2012 (with the original lineup!) and since then had three more albums (recorded in their own studio, published by their own record label) which were critically pretty well received, with a fourth one apparently on the way. Most people probably don't even know they're still around (or rather, around again), but as long as their loyal fans keep listening to their music and going to their concerts, they're happy...