[steven2012]

Does anyone on HN do anything because they actually have a passion for something regardless of its profitability, or is the horrible stereotype of doing whatever makes a nickel every 1000 clicks really true?

If you care about the radio station and have a passion for it, continue. If you're only in it to make a buck, then just forget about it. The last thing people want to read is "Sorry, I'm going to be closing this because it didn't get the traction I needed. But this journey gave me a great learning experience, so keep watching this space for my next startup!"

[anthony_franco]

I think passion projects are fairly common. This one has been on the front page all day: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8085213

Seven years of dedication and hasn't made a penny.

You can easily find many more examples. It all depends on the circumstances of the person and whether they're in a position financially to dedicate their free time to a project.

[outside1234]

There is a difference between passion and going-broke/burning out-because-the-site is exploding in popularity. The first can be fun, the second is work, and much of that work is probably not fun (sharding etc.) and not the creator's real passion.

At that point, the passion has to become a business because, well, that is where the effort is going to have to go. Maintaining it as a passion project is not longer sustainable and you have to choose.