"they don't learn their craft"

Actually, this DOES apply very strongly to 'classical musicians', both 'orchestral players' and 'soloists'.

Orchestral players just don't get the jobs if they don't display the 'right stuff' at the auditions - if you don;t show that you know the 'rules' you are not wanted - if you can't keep proper time, play out of tune etc.

Soloists, because they are not working under the same rule, i.e. they 'interpret' things have a slightly different set of rules to work under. But they too have to 'audition' in a way. If they enter a large competition, they will either stand out from the rest, and thus come to notice, because they will usually end up near the top finishers, or they will be 'just another also ran', and thus unnoticed.

For them to crack a recording contract, they have ALREADY done 'the hard yards'.

With 'pop', 'rock' and 'folk' 'artists', it is usually the whim of some uneducated non-musical accountant type who decides if a contract should be given. They often don't get it right - witness the large number of performers who get endless knock backs until they 'strike it lucky', and the tales of promoters who got it wrong - the "I coulda signed the Beatles, but I didn't like their music!" w*nkers!

Also, with a mostly 'recorded music "industry"' - like the 'comedian industry' - the changes in society which once fostered growing of talents via lots of live public performances which may have taken 10 -20 years to acquire the skills, such a way of life has mostly vanished, and "instant fame" is now expected as the normal thing.