[TheOtherHobbes]

It's worse than that. The system is actively destructive of talent.

Someone with talent from an average background is going to be "out-merited" by someone with average talent from a privileged background - because the privileged person will have the resources to develop their skill, while the other person won't.

In fact not only will they not have the resources, they'll have extra costs - in the form of forced time spent working away from music to pay the bills, college debt, and so on. And of course limited access to physical and social benefits - good instruments, lessons, practice facilities, and ultimately choice of college and the resulting class network.

Apart from the obvious financial implications, those distractions will saddle the victim with a huge extra cognitive load.

A lot of people will be crushed by it, no matter how talented they are.