Incidents Happen

That's the point- no one wants to be pop- culture guitarists but the problem is, most people go where the money is. Even the revered guitarist of the old days are turning to pop. What happened to the old tonny iommi, eric clapton, angus young, slash, pete townshed and other great guitarist etc?- I think everyone's stuff nowadays has deteriorated and has become a bit more tamed compared to their earlier materials back in the old days during the 70's and 80's. The thrill is gone. Why? Because they've crossed over. They all have to follow the direction where the money is (controlled by the corporate world) to survive. Even satch and vai- I think they are great guitarist but I like their older records better.

Leedog
You asked how much a mainstream musician makes? A lot. I agree, having a fairly dedicated audience is good but they don't make as much as mainstream. Yngwie, Satch, and Vai are making a lot of money because they are mainstream now. That's why they don't care about playing great guitar anymore. They have nothing to prove. They have the money and the guitar endorsements etc. They know that most people will buy their record and their guitars because of their name, fame etc. Music has little to do with it. That's what most of them do. Start writing great stuff in the beginning. When they got fat and rich. They start slacking off and start not caring for quality anymore because they know people will still buy their records! Look at Elvis. He was one of the greats and I give him credit to it but I think his older records are better than the later ones.