"Fame and financial success is only one measure of success and, by and large, a shallow one at that. How many so-called celebrities have unsatisfactory private lives? I remember that the equivalent of the celebrity magazines when I was younger used to refer to such people as "starlets". A wonderful piece of damning with faint praise. As my wife put it, one step away from prostitute."

.....are you suggesting that this applies to those who are succesful (i.e. make a living) in the folk world Tootler?

No, I was not. I was referring to those who pursue fame and fortune for its own sake and don't really care how they achieve it.

I would also suggest that everyone defines their own measures of success. While that may include earning enough to live on in reasonable comfort, it is for most, not the sole measure. I have heard professional folk musicians refer to their sheer love of what they are doing.