Just for the record, 53, I played in a band, orchestra, or solo for twenty five of the last thirty five years--there have been stretches of up to five years when music(performing, writing, and teaching) was my only work(whether I was actually surviving is debatable)--

There area a couple of other, important distinctions I make--

First,between working as a musician and working as an entertainer: as a musician, you show up with your instrument and gear, and read or follow by ear or some bizarre other process, what someone else wants you to play, as an entertainer, you show up with a prepared material, set lists, and everything you need(often including other musicians and singers) to put on a show--

Second, between either of the above, and "village musicians", who would be the folks who, formally or informally, paid or unpaid, are the active bearers of the musical traditions and repertoire for a community--they know all the dances and songs, and know how to play them in the old style,sing them in the old language(if applicable), and are always there, for the weddings, dances, religious festivals, etc--they used to be mostly old-timers from the community, but the can also be outsiders who learned the music because they wanted to, and became an accepted part of the community because they kept the traditions going--