Let’s be clear from the beginning; It’s an ugly business.

It is indeed, a very ugly business. Never, ever, let the industry tell you how to live. If you want to make a living writing music, do it but do it on your own terms. If you want to work a day job and still crank out top-notch material, that is your right and you’re entitled to be happy doing it. Remember that at the end of the day you create art for yourself.