Mayerson has a great post pointing to a great post by Kevin Kelly about artistic financial success on the internet. He posits that there is a happy middle ground for artists live off their creations between obscurity and super stardom. I completely agree. I think this is the natural place for an artist anyway. Direct connections with your niche of fans that truly appreciate your work. Looking at the success of Trent and Thom even with the extreme “piracy” of music these days gives hope to this direct model.