[rfzabick]

Musicians don't become musicians to make money. The vast majority of all active musicians don't make any real money at it. They do it because they enjoy it.

If music was where the money was, we'd be discussing chord progressions, not data structures on this board. :)

[Tycho]

The vast majority of active musicians don't make any memorable original music whatsoever. Sure, we'll have lots of good performers always, that won't change, but what popular music needs is huge numbers of relatively unskilled 'musicians' taking a stab at songwriting. That happens because there's money in the game. Otherwise we'd just be left with a dull cottage industry.

[lukifer]

There needs to be money, but there's nothing saying it has to be big money. I'd happily take ten Jonathan Coultons over one Bon Jovi.

[Tycho]

The more money there is, the more people will take a crack at it. It's sort of like the App Store and the explosion of great indie apps.

[notahacker]

You're arguing that the music industry will be worse for lack of people with no discernible talent or even interest in music becoming songwriters for pecuniary reward. Seriously?

[Tycho]

Yes, absolutely. What discernible talent did John Lennon have when he got involved with the industry? There is no level of training or 'talent' that has ever reliably led to great songwriting. Nobody has a formula for great songs, it's not like programming where one a great hacker = always a great hacker, able to get the job done. It's all just shots in the dark. You can already see as the money falls out of hip hop that it's dying out and fewer young rappers are appearing.