By the time I got my first job in 1996, I had been a hobbyist for 10 years and graduated from college. The last thing I was thinking about doing as a single 22 year old who had just moved to the big city and had free cash flow was sit down at a computer after work.
I have never in 30 years written a single line of code that I didn’t get paid for except a little work I did for charity.
That’s completely different. One of my good friends is a bartender. But his passion is his music. He’s practicing with friends, performing in front of people, etc. It is a social event - not sitting at a computer all day.
For years I was a part time fitness instructor and runner. I loved hanging out with friends, being in front of people, meeting them at races and us training together. It’s completely different than being at a computer at home - after working all day on one.
You're missing the point. Your good friend has to work on his music outside of his paid profession. It's a hobby that is not financially viable for him as a career.
You expect someone who writes software for 8+ hours a day professionally to go home and do more of it for fun?
Those who are interested in doing that are free to do so, but most people have more than 1 interest or would like to be compensated for the additional hours they are effectively working in their profession.
Rereading I can't edit now, but I meant there are plenty of respectable musicians who are not like this as well as plenty of great talents that only perform professionally.
Not that one or the other is a less-respectable approach.
I have never in 30 years written a single line of code that I didn’t get paid for except a little work I did for charity.