Back in the 90s you didn't have to try that hard. The competition was Blockbuster Video so it wasn't that hard to get booked 5-7 nights a week in 1991. There were lots of places to play live that no longer exist. You played for donations but your share of the rent in 1991 was $175 a month. No cell phone bill, not much to spend money on because you could get your guitar and amp for cheap from a pawn shop. Today we have all this technology but music struggles because its based on live person to person physical community. Today in LA its all pay to play so music has turned into a vanity project for people with the money to buy their way in. The one way in today is to develop over the top, absolutely undeniably exceptional skills and then pair with a luthier to produce signature instruments in a partnership. Tosin Abasi has the right business model. Develop amazing technique then work with instrument makers to rely on boutique instrument sales rather than album sales or even live performance for the main income.